Leigh Griffiths’ goal gave Celtic a vital away goal in Kazakhstan boosting their chances of progressing to the playoff round of the Champions League as the defence rode their luck.
Patrick Roberts was one of the Hoops’ best players in the game and pounced on poor defending to play in Celtic’s talisman with 12 minutes remaining.
In a ferocious first-half, it was Astana who created several chances and pushed Celtic back, forcing them to defend for long periods.
Poor marking from Eoghan O’Connell and woeful goalkeeping from Craig Gordon allowed Yuriy Logvinenko to head Astana in front after 19 minutes.
Defensively the Hoops didn’t look confident or assured, making it a ropey display for the away side who weren’t helped by those in front of them conceding possession too many times.
Celtic’s only bright spark in the first-half was Patrick Roberts, who looked sharp on the ball and went at the Astana defence but couldn’t create anything in the final third.
And it was the Manchester City loanee who created virtually Celtic’s first shot on goal for Griffiths who fired the ball into the bottom right corner on 78 minutes.
Here are the player ratings from this afternoon’s game.
Craig Gordon 6.5/10
Terrible goalkeeping from the set piece and wasn’t assured in attacking the ball. Fantastic save from a lobbed effort and clawed the ball away with his fingertips.
Mikael Lustig 6.5/10
Solid in defence and reliable in Brendan Rodgers’ system as a full-back in defence and makeshift centre-back when Celtic attack.
Efe Ambrose 6/10
Dealt with an aerial balls well and was decent in the game. Switched off and allowed the Astana striker to get a free shot at goal and almost lobbed Gordon.
Eoghan O'Connell 7.5/10
Poor defending from the corner that lead to the opening goal in the game. Good in possession and open play to close the ball down quickly. Terrific tackle at the start of the second half as Astana broke on the counter-attack. Read the game well from the heart of the defence.
Kieran Tierney 7/10
Rotated from a wing-back in attack to a full-back in defence and allowed him to get down the wing and provide width on the left side for Celtic. Defended well but found it difficult to keep up with the right-winger at times.
Patrick Roberts 8/10
Sharp start to the game and looked like Celtic’s bright spark once again down the right wing. Skipped past defenders time and time again but failed to create any clear chances in the final third. Came deep into the Celtic half to nick possession and just failed to pick out Griffiths after running half the length of the pitch. Picked out Griffiths after hounding the Astana defence to get the vital away goal.
Stuart Armstrong 4/10
Non-existent in the Celtic midfield defensively and gave the ball away too easily a number of times. Poor in possession again in the second half and was rightly subbed off after a very poor performance. Poor from corners once again.
Scott Brown 6/10
Failed to seize control of the midfield and gave away several clumsy free kicks in the first half. Better in the second half and had more urgency and aggression in his play.
Callum McGregor 5/10
Quiet start to the game and didn’t see much of the ball. Came into the game in the second half and linked up well with Roberts and Dembele in the final third several times. Poor game overall.
Moussa Dembele 5/10
Good start to the game and link up with Griffiths. Decent in the game and was used as a target man to play the long ball due to Astana’s pressing and good organisation. Quiet night for the Frenchman ended with him being subbed off for Bitton.
Leigh Griffiths 6.5/10
Good link-up play with Dembele early on to stretch the Astana defence. Non-existent in the game otherwise until Roberts played the ball to him equalised. Clinical when Celtic needed him most once again.
Nir Bitton 6/10
Came on for Dembele with just under 30 minutes remaining in the game. Moved into the centre of midfield as Rodgers opted for a 4-5-1 formation to shore up the Celtic defensive issues. Used his physicality to take control of the midfield.
James Forrest 3/10
Replaced Armstrong to give Celtic some width on the left side and allow them to spread the field when in possession. Bright and lively on the wing when he got the ball.