Rodgers praises “outstanding” Celts after Zenit win

Brendan Rodgers spoke highly of his side’s performance after their 1-0 victory over Zenit St Petersburg in the first-leg of their Europa League last 32 tie.

The Hoops dominated for large spells in the game and finally broke the deadlock after 78 minutes thanks to a cool and composed finish by midfielder and academy graduate Callum McGregor.

A packed Celtic Park watched on as the home side saw a number of good chances go begging, but the one goal was enough to see them go into the second-leg with a slight advantage.

Rodgers was quoted by Celtic’s official twitter account after the game, saying:

It was a very good victory for us. I thought the performance was outstanding against a top side. I think everyone recognises that, but for large parts of the game we controlled it.

Tactically, we were excellent in the game and stayed calm when we had to defend, but with the ball I was really pleased with our personality in the game.

When you look at the finish, it was sensational. The technique and the skill were absolutely brilliant and it was no more than we deserved.

I’m delighted with the performance because to play with that confidence and that level of concentration in a big European game is very pleasing and with so many young players, it bodes well for us going forward.

It’s going to be a tough game in Russia but we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity after tonight.

The Scottish champions return to domestic duty this weekend as they host St. Johnstone in the Premiership on Sunday.

They then prepare for the last 32 second-leg when they travel to Russia to take on Roberto Mancini’s side next Thursday.

Keeping a clean sheet and bagging a goal are two major positives to take from last night’s game, as was seeing the team work extremely well together.