Celtic made light work of their Estonian opponents as they swatted Nomme Kalju 5-0 in the first leg of the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.
As expected, Celtic dominated for the most parts. Scott Brown should have gotten his side into the lead but he was denied from close quarters. Kristoffer Ajer gave Celtic the deserved lead as he scored through a header from a set-piece. Ryan Christie added the second from the spot after a handball in the box. The Bhoys ended the half strongly when Leigh Griffiths scored through a brilliant free-kick to give his side a 3-0 lead.
Kalju looked even more disjointed in the second half as Celtic created waves of attacks. The score could have been more emphatic if not for some excellent goalkeeping by Kulinitš. Celtic still managed to score two in the second half as Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor scored brilliantly from outside the box as Kalju’s defence hardly had the energy to close down the Celtic players.
Here is how Lennon’s men fared.
Scott Bain 6
Was a spectator in the game. Looked calm on the ball.
Nir Bitton 7
Was hardly tested in defence but read the situations well to help his side dominate possession.
Jozo Simunovic 7
Came close to scoring through a set-piece. Did his defensive job well.
Kristoffer Ajer 7.5
Scored with a glancing header. Once again impressed in the right-back position as he carried the ball forward with confidence.
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo 5
Misplaced a few passes and looked average at best. Had to be substituted in the first half due to an injury.
Scott Brown 7
Could have scored the opener but was denied brilliantly. Moved the ball quickly in midfield. Once again, a calm and composed performance from the captain.
Callum McGregor 8.5
Played some delightful one-two with his team-mates. Orchestrated most of the attacks from midfield. Scored another goal from outside of the box as he was given way too much space to take his aim.
Ryan Christie 9
Was a live wire in and around the box. Was always on the move and looked the most threatening in the final third. Scored from the spot for Celtic’s second goal. Then scored brilliantly in the second half from the edge of the box. His energy and intensity was worth mentioning.
James Forrest 7
Took some shots but they were straight at the goalkeeper. Still not in the best of groove but nevertheless, a reliable performance overall.
Leigh Griffiths 7.5
Scored a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards out. Failed to get involved much, but got some well-needed game time under his belt.
Odsonne Edouard 6.5
Was being closed down quickly by Kalju’s defence but the Frenchman still managed to link up play well in the final third. However, he failed to find the back of the net as few of his shots were straight at the goalkeeper.
Substitutes
Michael Johnston 7.5
Took on defenders and made a positive impact after coming on. Celtic looked better with Johnston on the pitch after he was substituted for Bolingoli-Mbombo.
Lewis Morgan 6.5
Played some delightful first-time low crosses which caused a problem to Kalju’s defence.
Olivier Ntcham N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
