Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton was in good spirits post-match as he reacted to the Hoops booking a place in the Champions League knockout playoffs.
Despite making hard work of Young Boys with three offside goals, a missed penalty, and Daizen Maeda sent off just three minutes after scoring a late goal, the game was far from straightforward for Celtic.
However, they showed the character that has often proved the difference domestically in the Champions League. Celtic have now translated that never-say-die attitude to win and found a way when things weren’t going their way.
It wasn’t the same old Celtic in Europe. Instead, Brendan Rodgers’ calmness as a coach has transferred onto the team, with the belief that they would somehow find a goal late in the game.
With the Hoops heavy favourites ahead of the game, Sutton joked about the way the game played out.
As comfortable as they come…Congratulations to Brendan Rodgers and Celtic on a fantastic achievement. Knock outs here Celtic come. That was a tough watch but frankly who cares. Great news for Scottish football 🍀👏👏
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) January 22, 2025
It wasn’t vintage Celtic at times in the second half, but every Hoops supporter would have taken a scrappy 1-0 win ahead of the game. In recent years, Young Boys have played more often in the Champions League, and that showed when they came into the game after the first half.
However, the Bhoys are now in the Champions League knockout playoffs. Despite playing four extra games, it has instead benefitted Celtic, who have been able to play more competitive games against teams who, financially speaking, are closer to the Hoops.
This is a surprising positive of the new Champions League format. With Aston Villa next Wednesday, Celtic will want to finish the league stage with a flourish and secure as high a spot in the table as possible to get the best draw possible in the next round.
