Celtic ended their Champions League campaign on a high after beating Feyenoord 2-1 on Wednesday night (13 December) at Parkhead.
The Bhoys finished at the bottom of the group, but the win will give them a lot of confidence as it was their first win at home in 10 years.
Luis Palma scored from the spot in the first half after Liam Scales was wrestled by Ramiz Zerrouki in the area. The visitors kept on piling pressure and eventually got their equalizer through Yankuba Minteh’s thunderous strike with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
Just when it felt like Celtic had wasted another chance to win a game at home, Swedish defender Gustaf Lagerbielke scored in injury time with a brilliant header to secure a spirited victory over Feyenoord.
Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for the 23-year-old defender. He said after the game that Lagerbielke’s attitude in training has been “superb”.
“It was a great moment for [Lagerbielke], because he hasn’t been involved in a lot of the squads, but his attitude in training has been superb and he’s always been ready. It was a really nice moment,” said Rodgers, as quoted by BBC Sports.
More opportunities?
The centre-back joined in the summer transfer window and has made only five appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far, including four starts.
The goal will give him loads of confidence and Rodgers must now give him more opportunities going forward.
While it has been a largely frustrating campaign for Celtic in the Champions League, the Bhoys have shown at times that they belong to this level.
Rodgers has said time and again that he needs to build a strong squad to compete in Europe, and will be looking to delve into the market in January.
The focus now shifts on to the league where Celtic will face Hearts on 16 December at Parkhead.
