Rodgers ecstatic after hitting Champions League jackpot

In what he described as the longest 90 minutes he has endured as a manager, Brendan Rodgers hailed his Celtic side after they qualified for the Champions League, in a nervy night in Israel.

Celtic, who were very lacklustre throughout their 2-0 defeat away to Hapoel Be’er Sheva, scraped over the finish line and enter Europe’s elite competition for the first time in three seasons.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Rodgers said:

I have to congratulate my players, because all the work we have been doing has been based around that mentality and quality of game.

We know we can’t always play well. A lot of games we have played well. But (this match) was purely about resilience and persistence and it was an amazing effort by the players on the back of everything they have been through before.

It is incredible moment for the supporters, they are going to be back in amongst the Europe’s elite and it is where Celtic belong.

Having led the home tie 5-2, Be’er Sheva had nothing to lose and took the lead when Ben Sahar scored from a header just minutes after Craig Gordon had saved a penalty from Maharan Radi.

Be’er Sheva, then added a second shortly after the interval after some calamitous defending from Gordon and Saidy Janko allowed Ovidiu Hoban to score with the simplest of tap-ins.

Rodgers admittedly said after the match said that his side didn’t play well but also credited Hapoel for how well they played.

I thought Hapoel Be’er Sheva were outstanding. They had to force the game, of course. They had nothing to lose, but they played very well. It was a problem for us because we couldn’t keep the ball.

Eventually we went to a back five in order to try to block out the sides of the field, keep a diamond with one up front with Moussa Dembele coming on.That seemed to settle us in the last 15 to 20 minutes and we got some control then.

Celtic now enter the draw for the Champions League on Thursday and could face the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and many more in the group stages.

Another key factor out with the potential opponents for the Hoops, will be the amount of prize money Celtic have earned through qualification. Depending on results, the figure could rise to well over £30million. A sum of money which the club has needed for years to buy potential marquee signings.

Brendan Rodgers also becomes the first ever Celtic manager to qualify for the Champions League in his first season.

He will now await Thursday’s draw along with the rest of the squad, and prepare for Saturday’s league game at home to Aberdeen before the international break.