2017-07-14: Linfield 0-2 Celtic, European Cup

Match Pictures| Matches: 20172018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

  • Scott Brown on being asked if he was hit by a coin: “yes but it was a pound coin so I’m leaving Belfast in profit!”
  • Champions League 2017-18qualifiers, Second Qualifying Round Second Leg
  • “Little did we know that the Champions League draw would give us an away tie in the 17th century. If they can’t stage a game, kick them out.”
  • Match is being held on Friday 14th, rearranged from 12th July as should have been played (July 12th is marching season day).
  • For whoever qualifies: QR3 – Dundalk or Rosenborg
  • Att: 10k (possibly), surprisingly half-empty stadium. Linfield messed up big time.
  • Major point was that at a corner Griffith’s was pelted with coins and buckfast bottle (the latter thankfully missed him). The referee booked Griffiths!!! Bizarre. Went viral and the useless referee mocked. Linfield amazingly blamed Griffiths claiming he had provoked their fans! He had put his hands up to signal 5-1 (as in the two victories over Sevco last season). Disgraceful by Linfield as a whole.
  • UEFA charge Linfield for throwing objects, pitch invasion. Leigh Griffiths charged with provoking fans. Celtic charged for improper conduct (5 yellow cards).
  • TheRangers were KO’ed in the Europa League in the first round by the 4th placed team in Luxemburg, FC Progres. What an ironic name. We all laughed.
  • Police have distanced themselves from the decision to stop Celtic fans buying tickets for tomorrow’s Champions League clash against Linfield in Belfast. The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued a statement which caused surprise at Celtic Park. Celtic wrote on their Twitter account: “We are extremely surprised by this statement and the timing of the release. “This is clearly not our understanding of the situation.”
  • Just a few hours prior to the game Celtic
  • Bonfires in N Ireland draped with anti-Celtic remarks, not surprising, including a racially toned one on Sinclair stating “Sinclair eats Bananas”.
  • Green Brigade & Celtic Trust issue a joint letter criticising Celtic’s decision to not take a ticket allocation for this match due to potential trouble and following police consultation.
  • UEFA:
    Celtic fined €4500 & Griffiths one match ban after 1st leg against Linfield.
    Linfield fined €10000 & partial stadium closure.
  • Momentum building by Scottish football fans for title stripping from Rangers. Ex-Rangers defender Arthur Numan says talk of stripping the club of the titles won during the EBT era is “nonsense”. Rest of Scottish Football disagree and say he’s talking nonsense. #StripTheTitles.
  • Murdoch MacLennan has been appointed as the new chairman of the Scottish Professional Football League, prior career was thru the media ranks.
  • Ex-Celt Mike Conroy Sr (played for Celtic 1953-60) has passed away. His son played for Celtic in late 70s/early 80s. RIP
  • Ajax’s Abdelhak Nouri suffered serious, permanent brain damage after collapse; the midfielder, 20, collapsed during friendly against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
  • Transfers:
    Olivier Ntcham has signed from Man City for Celtic on 4 year deal. Interesting transfer.
    Gary Mackay Stevens to moved to Aberdeen
    Logan Bailly has left Celtic returning to Mouscron in his native Belgium in a bid to get his career back on track.
    Janko has left and signed for St Etienne.
    Celtic have become odds-on favourites to re-sign midfielder Patrick Roberts. Other clubs have enquired as to the availability of the playmaker, but no deal has yet been completed. Fingers crossed but then Celtic have signed Hayes.
    Marseille have made Celtic striker Moussa Dembele their No.1 signing target this summer.
    Ins Jonny Hayes – Aberdeen £1.3m Kundai Benyu – Ipswich free Olivier Ntcham £4.5m Man City
    Outs Efe Ambrose – Hibs; Eoghan O’Connell – Bury; Scott Allen – Dundee ( season long loan); Ryan Christie – Aberdeen ( season long loan); Kris Commons – end of contract; Paddy Roberts – Loan ended; Saidi Janko – St Ettienne – undisclosed; Logan Bailly – Belgium; Gary MacKay Steven – Aberdeen

Review[Untitled]

(fatboab of KDS)
A training exercise akin to first eleven playing under 17’s, except they’re all dirty thuggish Hun b’s. Our only concern is getting through next week without serious injury, but hopefully a qualified ref will help. As for Griffiths booking? It’s up there with John Doyle’s sending off for crossing the ball.

(SilentWitness of KDS)
Kind of pathetic that this game was not a sell out. Obviously big enough for Linfield, and not every year that the locals can get to see the famous Glasgow Celtic in town. Viewed from a purely sporting perspective, that’s exactly how it should have been regardless of Linfield’s traditional affiliations.

In the end, in order to make some statement, which has nothing to do with the game, the bigots who congregated at the corner did their bit to turn off real football fans and the biggest losers in the end were Linfield themselves. Contrast with Cliftonville a few years back when it had the feel of a special occasion.

I’ll never the fathom the mentality that can produce such bitterness that it becomes self-destructive in the end. They and the club they were supporting were the true losers. And to cap it all off, Linfield will now face a heavy fine directly because of these idiots. They couldn’t have done much more to stress how little they cared.

Mind you, perhaps we have seen a glimpse of what sevco will be in years to come.

(jbj712 of KDS)
UEFA should ban this mob tonight and the second leg should not go ahead. Despite moving the game to a Friday and having an early kick off we still saw scenes that were shocking with players at risk from fans throwing loads of stuff. Ridiculous security as there should have been riot police deployed to that section during the game to protect players. The ref shat himself and put our players at risk by allowing the game to continue under dangerous conditions. We need to complain about that and his performance in the second half when he allowed assaults to go unpunished while issuing bookings for our players doing very little apart from trying to protect themselves!

(haitch of KDS)
It was a professional performance, not at our best by any means but job done. We will scud them next week.

I found a lot of it very uncomfortable viewing. From the monkey noises made at Sinclair to the sectarian chanting and last but not least the objects being flung at Griffiths then latterly Hayes. I was genuinely concerned for the safety of our players.

UEFA were quick to punish Celtic for waving national flags to show support for the oppressed. Now if all of the above is factored in, there’s at least 3 potential different charges. I heard Pat Fenlon stating this is a good payday for Linfield, I hope UEFA take that money straight back off them, as banning them from the competition sadly won’t happen. Eff Linfield, eff the huns and I’m not gonna mention the ref as he’s beneath my contempt.

Teams

Linfield

  • 1Carroll
  • 2Stafford
  • 5Haughey
  • 16ClarkeSubstituted forStewartat 54’minutes
  • 18Casement
  • 24GarrettBooked at 63mins
  • 22Mulgrew
  • 8Lowry
  • 31Quinn
  • 38SmythBooked at 90mins
  • 7WaterworthBooked at 69mins

Substitutes

  • 3Stewart
  • 4Robinson
  • 10Stewart
  • 12Millar
  • 14Burns
  • 27Mitchell
  • 35Deane

Celtic

  • 1Gordon
  • 23Lustig
  • 5SimunovicBooked at 59mins
  • 28Sviatchenko
  • 63Tierney
  • 14ArmstrongBooked at 90mins
  • 8BrownBooked at 74mins
  • 49ForrestSubstituted forHayesat 70’minutes
  • 18RogicBooked at 66mins
  • 11Sinclair
  • 9GriffithsBooked at 65minsSubstituted forDembeleat 69’minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Izaguirre
  • 6Bitton
  • 10Dembele
  • 15Hayes
  • 24de Vries
  • 42McGregor
  • 88Kouassi

Goals

  • Haughey (17′ minutes og), [some attribute it to Sinclair]
  • Rogic (22′ minutes)
Referee:Alejandro José Hernández Hernández

Attendance: 10k (possibly), surprisingly half-empty stadium.

Articles

  • Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

Forum

MOTM

Articles

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/linfield-0-2-celtic-brendan-rodgers-side-take-control-1-4504591

Linfield 0 – 2 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers’ side take control

Celtic players celebrate after Scott Sinclair opens the scoring. Picture: Getty
STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Celtic steered a clear passage towards the next phase of Champions League qualifying as they marked Brendan Rodgers’ return to Northern Ireland by taking firm command of their opening tie against Linfield.
Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook
First-half goals from Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic, pictured inset, gave the Scottish champions a comfortable first-leg lead on an evening marred by missile-throwing from home supporters directed primarily at Leigh Griffiths.
Around 300 Celtic fans found their way into Windsor Park, despite the club’s decision not to take up an allocation of tickets for a fixture which had raised security concerns from the moment the second qualifying round draw was made.
On the pitch, Rodgers’ players did exactly what was required of them and should now complete the job with minimal difficulty in the second leg at Celtic Park on Wednesday.
Celtic’s superiority was as pronounced as it was unsurprising from the opening moments. This quickly looked like an exercise in damage limitation for David Healy’s players as the visitors dominated possession and territory with some ease.
Scott Brown directed operations with the kind of authority which has become the trademark of his re-energised performances over the past 12 months. The Celtic skipper was also the prime target for the home support’s jeers which, as ever, he seemed to relish.
He was fortunate, however, to escape with only the concession of a free-kick for a forceful foul on Stephen Lowry which saw Linfield’s veteran goalkeeper Roy Carroll protest loudly to the match
officials that the scissors movement of the challenge merited far more severe punishment.
READ MORE – Celtic draw Dundalk or Rosenborg in Champions League qualification
Carroll soon had other matters to occupy his thoughts, however, and the 39-year-old former Manchester United man would have been dismayed at the manner in which Celtic’s first goal was conceded in the 17th minute.
Linfield’s defence were caught flat-footed when Jozo Simunovic’s header from a Griffiths corner broke to James Forrest. The winger slung the ball back into the six-yard box where a tame header from Sinclair drifted beyond Carroll’s left hand into the corner of the net.
Celtic doubled their lead from another corner five minutes later, but this time there was top quality to the set piece which left the home side helpless. Griffiths delivered again from the left, picking out Rogic, whose sweet first-time left-foot shot flew wide of Carroll’s despairing right hand.
Griffiths turned to face the Linfield fans in the North Stand to celebrate his part in the goal and what appeared to be a bottle of juice was thrown in his direction, the first of the incidents likely to have attracted the attention of the Uefa
delegate.
Mark Haughey had a good chance to provide a response for Linfield as they made a rare attacking break through Chris Casement, but the big defender blazed his shot over.
Celtic were soon back in control and only the excellent reflexes of Carroll prevented them adding to their tally before half-time as he made two fine saves, denying Sinclair on both occasions.
Linfield made a spirited start to the second half in a bid to reclaim some kind of foothold in the tie, but the wind was taken out of their sails by what appeared a serious injury suffered by Matthew Clarke, who was taken off on a stretcher after a lengthy stoppage in play.
Griffiths was a target for another section of the Linfield support, this time in a corner of the South Stand, as bottles and coins were thrown at him as he lined up another set piece. Astonishingly, the Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez booked the Celtic striker for delaying the kick for too long when he picked one of the bottles up to show it to the official.
As the mood of the occasion threatened to turn darker, Linfield chairman Roy McGivern made his way down from the directors’ box to plead with the offending fans for order.
Rodgers removed Griffiths from harm’s way and the threat of a second caution by replacing him with Moussa Dembele, while Jonny Hayes made his competitive Celtic debut as he came on for Forrest. Hayes assumed the corner-taking duties and he
also had objects thrown at him.
Celtic looked to give themselves an even greater cushion ahead of next week’s return fixture but had to settle for what they had as Carroll made further saves from Stuart Armstrong, Mikael Lustig
and Dembele in the latter
stages.

BBC
By Lyle Jackson

BBC Sport

From the section Football

Scott Sinclair’s header gave Celtic an early lead at Windsor Park
Scott Sinclair’s header gave Celtic an early lead at Windsor Park

Celtic are on course to clear their first hurdle in Champions League qualifying after beating Linfield 2-0.

Early goals by Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic put the Scottish Premiership winners in control but Linfield worked hard to limit the damage.

Sinclair headed in after 17 minutes with Rogic quickly following that with a first-time shot from a corner move.

The first leg was marred by a series of missile-throwing incidents which could bring Uefa punishment for Linfield.
Linfield’s David Healy praises ‘exceptional’ Celtic

Celtic had refused their ticket allocation for the first leg of the second qualifying round clash in Belfast because of safety fears, however, there were around 300 Hoops fans in the Kop stand, set aside for them in the half-full stadium.

The second leg of the second qualifying round tie takes place in Glasgow on Wednesday, 19 July.

Rodgers questions Griffiths booking after Celtic get ‘job done’
Linfield boss Healy praises ‘exceptional’ Celtic

Linfield may well be content having restricted Celtic to those two early goals, although they will be annoyed both were scored following corners.

The Northern Ireland double winners were largely restricted to half-chances but their heads did not drop and they battled gamely in the second half.
Celtic dominate first half
Linfield worked hard to prevent Celtic adding to their two early goals at Windsor Park
Linfield worked hard to prevent Celtic adding to their two early goals at Windsor Park

Brendan Rodgers’ side, Scottish title winners for the last six seasons, dominated the early possession against Linfield, managed by Northern Ireland’s record scorer David Healy, who had a spell with Celtic’s Old Firm rivals Rangers.

The visitors got the breakthrough thanks to a tame header by former Aston Villa man Sinclair.

After a corner went deep, James Forrest lobbed it into the goalmouth, where Sinclair’s header deflected off Blues defender Chris Casement and the ball trundled over the line.

Five minutes later, it was 2-0 thanks to a clearly rehearsed move from a corner. Rogic broke to meet the ball from Leigh Griffiths and cracked in a first-time left-foot finish from about 10 yards.
Visitors in cruise control

Celtic looked as if they had plenty in reserve and could have scored more if required, although home keeper Roy Carroll and his defence deserved great credit for keeping the visitors at bay in open play.

Rodgers, whose side won the Premiership by a remarkable 30 points in his first season in charge, will be satisfied to have that decent cushion before the return match at Celtic Park.

Last year, the Glasgow giants reached the lucrative Champions League group stage for the first time in three years.

Assuming they see off Linfield, they still face two more hurdles if they are to make it again.

They would face Rosenborg of Norway or Republic of Ireland champions Dundalk in the third qualifying round, with victory putting them into the play-off round in August.
Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths handed the referee a bottle which had been thrown on to the pitch
Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths handed the referee a bottle which had been thrown on to the pitch
After the match, Griffiths tied a Celtic scarf to a goalpost at Windsor Park
After the match, Griffiths tied a Celtic scarf to a goalpost at Windsor Park
Linfield face Uefa sanction over missiles

While Linfield players fought hard on the pitch, the club will likely face punishment over a number a missile-throwing incidents during the match.

As Celtic were celebrating their second goal, a projectile narrowly missed Griffiths.

In the second half, as the same player prepared to take a corner, coins and a glass bottle rained down from a section of the south stand. Griffiths was booked, apparently for time wasting, after protesting.

At that stage, Linfield chairman Roy McGivern went to that area, apparently to confront the troublemakers. But his intervention failed to prevent a number of further incidents.

Linfield were hoping to earn around £1m in prize money, gate receipts, television revenue, advertising and merchandising from this match.

But they could face a fine, and possibly having to play behind closed doors, if disciplinary chiefs take action over the distasteful incidents.

Match ends, Linfield 0, Celtic 2.

Full Time

Second Half ends, Linfield 0, Celtic 2.

Booking

Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.

Booking

Paul Smyth (Linfield) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Booking

Scott Brown (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Jonny Hayes replaces James Forrest.

Booking

Andrew Waterworth (Linfield) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Substitution

Substitution, Celtic. Moussa Dembele replaces Leigh Griffiths.

Booking

Tomas Rogic (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Booking

Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.

Booking

Robert Garrett (Linfield) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Booking

Jozo Simunovic (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Substitution

Substitution, Linfield. Jordan Stewart replaces Matthew Clarke because of an injury.

Second Half

Second Half begins Linfield 0, Celtic 2.

Half Time

First Half ends, Linfield 0, Celtic 2.

Goal!

Goal! Linfield 0, Celtic 2. Tomas Rogic (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal.

Goal!

Own Goal by Mark Haughey, Linfield. Linfield 0, Celtic 1.

Kick Off

First Half begins.

The Sun
SCOTT BROWN thanked the Linfield fans for helping him to COIN it in last night.

Blues punters lobbed missiles at the Celtic players in their 2-0 Champions League win.

Leigh Griffiths also had bottles thrown at him as a powderkeg qualifier boiled over in Belfast.

The Celtic striker then caused a rammy when he tied a Hoops SCARF to a goalpost at full-time.

Riot cops and dogs were deployed on the pitch as a Linfield fan tried to get at Griff — but Broony joked the game was a nice little earner.

He said: “I didn’t get hit but I found a pound coin, so I came away making a profit!

“We just concentrate on what happens on the park. We don’t worry about the other stuff.

“It’s football, these things happen. We’ve been to Ibrox and Tynecastle and it’s like that all the time.

“It’s part and parcel of football. Leigh was fine at the end.”

Griffiths was booked when he delayed taking a corner after a Buckfast bottle was lobbed at him.

Spanish ref Alejandro Hernandez flashed a yellow card — leaving Celtic players and staff bemused.

Brown added: “That was a weird booking. He was having bottles and coins thrown at him.

“But you have to take that stuff on the chin and deal with it.

“I never asked Leigh about the booking. It was a 45-yard run away and I don’t make those kind of runs.

“You need to use a bit of common sense sometimes but maybe the referee didn’t see it.”

Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic scored as Celtic got their Euro campaign up and running.

Roy Carroll’s stunning performance kept Linfield in it, but Broony reckons there is a lot more to come.

He said: “They sat very deep and tried to make it hard for us, but we got a couple of early goals and that really helped.

“We’ll be fine. It’s still pre-season for us and this was our first main game. We managed to come away with the win and we’ll now go back to Celtic Park.

“We know when we get back to Glasgow we have a bigger pitch and our fans behind us.

“It was an all right performance. It wasn’t too bad. I’ve seen a lot worse. We got the two goals and did what we needed to do.

“Everyone is positive going back to Celtic Park for the second leg.

“It’s our first competitive home game of the season in front of our fans and it will be good for us.”

Brown also claimed he KNEW the Celtic fans would beat the ticket ban to turn up at Windsor Park.

He said: “I was delighted to see our fans here as well.

“They were advised to stay away but they still came. It was great they did.

“The Celtic fans are fantastic. They follow us wherever we go and we knew they’d come here.”
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/brown-celtic-windsor-missiles-coin-buckfast/

Celtic treated Linfield test like a stress free walk in the park – Gannon’s big match verdict
The Hoops put their best foot forward and took a huge stride on the long and winding road to the group stages by making short work of their limited opponents.

ByMichael Gannon http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-treated-linfield-test-like-10802018

It might be marching season in Northern Ireland but Celtic went out for a Champions League stroll in Belfast.
The Hoops put their best foot forward and took a huge stride on the long and winding road to the group stage by making short work of limited Linfield.

These qualifiers can be tense and terrifying. A tie that was shifted because of the Orange Walks gave it an edge.
But Celtic treated it like a stress free walk in the park.

In fact, it was more concerning off the pitch as a section of the Linfield crowd shamed themselves right in to UEFA’s bad books.
Some of the songs were bad enough but it even took a plea from their own chairman Roy McGivern to get them to behave after raining bottles down on Leigh Griffiths.
On the field Scott Sinclair rammed it right up the racist sickos – who chucked a bile banner on a Belfast bonfire earlier in the week – by getting the Hoops off to a flier and they never looked back.
Tom Rogic slammed home a second to end the contest after just 22 minutes and the Hoops were happy enough to see it out and get out of town without any more nonsense than necessary.

Brendan Rodgers’ men will surely now be marching in to the third qualifying round where either Dundalk or Rosenborg await.
The Norwegians are favourites in that tie after a 1-1 draw in Ireland but while they won’t be a walkover, they shouldn’t strike too much fear either.
Slick Celtic are still some way off hitting top gear but they can use next week’s return in Glasgow to run off any lingering rust before the next round because the job was done last night in Northern Ireland.

The contrast to 12 months ago was stark. An ugly overcast evening in Ulster was a world away from the sweltering shock on the Rock.
Losing to Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar was a temporary embarrassment but there was no chance of another red face this time.
Celtic passed and probed and showed no signs of panic as they outclassed David Healy’s side before the game petered out after the break.
After the big build-up, the game was a bit of a non event if truth be told.

So much for Celts having no fans along for the trip. Linfield stuck the tickets up for general sale which meant some Hoops followers snapped them up.
The late decision to open up a stand for the Parkhead punters seemed sensible enough but it only added to the sense Celtic might have been as well off just taking an allocation in the first place.
The spat between the club and Police Service of Northern Ireland just muddied the waters but there was no doubt security had been ramped up to the max just in case.
It’s not often fans need to get through checkpoints of armed police and armoured vehicles on the way in to a match.

But everyone knows the background noise around this fixture. No one needs a history lesson, even if some of the punters from both sides are experts in ancient tribal divides.
Sections of the Linfield support certainly went back through the ages and dug out some ditties that have even fallen out of fashion back in the blue half of Glasgow.
The barrage of bottles and other missiles lobbed at Leigh Griffiths throughout won’t have gone unnoticed by UEFA beaks either.
Although someone should have a word with ref Alejandro Hernandez – who incredibly booked Griff for
time-wasting when the striker was picking up a half bottle of Buckfast chucked in his direction.

It was an unbelievable decision but Celtic would have been just pleased to get out of Belfast without anything more serious kicking off.
The ground was less than half full and far from rocking.
Perhaps the Linfield punters didn’t fancy their chances.
They would certainly have had doubts when they clocked Celtic’s full strength starting line up.
Griffiths was preferred to Moussa Dembele but Rodgers rolled out his tried and trusted – and they didn’t muck about at getting to work.
A year ago the Hoops tripped over the starting line in Gibraltar but there was never likely to be any blips in Belfast. An early effort from Stuart Armstrong after a neat bit of skill from Tom Rogic was a statement of intent.

A crunching challenge from Scott Brown set the tone.
It took only 17 minutes to make the breakthrough.
Celtic were knocking the ball about nicely but the goal was a bit of a gift.
James Forrest recycled a backpost ball and dropped it in to the area.

Goodness knows what the Linfield defenders were up to but Sinclair was able to nod it in to the net without even having to jump.
The second wasn’t far behind when Rogic slickly buried a cute low corner from Griffiths.

Linfield weren’t offering much going forward but Mark Haughey did lash one over the bar on a rare foray in to the Celtic box. It was pretty much constant pressure at the other end though. Celtic weren’t exactly
ferocious – they didn’t need to be – but they were relentless.
Forrest, Rogic and Griffiths all had digs.
Sinclair forced Roy Carroll in to a sensational save after the winger slalomed in between two defenders.
The veteran keeper clawed away another drive from the Hoops attacker soon after and it was looking like a case of how many.

Linfield looked ragged but they came out and had a bash immediately after the break. It didn’t come to much though and the home side suffered a hefty blow when defender Matthew Clarke took a sore one and was carted off on a stretcher after blocking Forrest.
Rogic went close again and Carroll superbly stopped efforts from Armstrong and sub Dembele but a couple of goals to the good going to Glasgow was a decent job done.
Celtic kept their bottle – even if the Linfield fans couldn’t manage to keep hold of theirs.

Celtic are unlike any team I played against at Rangers and will steamroll their way to another Premiership title says Linfield boss David Healy
The former Rangers striker was happy with the margin of their defeat and thinks the Parkhead club are on course for another dominant season.
David Healy expects Celtic to steamroll every team in Scotland again this season on their way to another Premiership title.

The Linfield gaffer and former Rangers striker looked on as his side were well beaten by the Hoops at Windsor Park on Friday.

Healy was delighted to only lose the first leg of their Champions League second-round qualifier 2-0 with the return on Wednesday.

Celtic ace Scott Sinclair says Steven Caulker should join him in resurrecting his career at Parkhead
And he insists better teams than Linfield will be on the receiving end again as Brendan Rodgers’ side chase seven-in-a-row.

Healy said: “This Celtic team are just so clinical with the chances they get.

“They don’t let teams off the hook when they’re on top. You look at the clock thinking 15 minutes gone, 16, 17 – you count the minutes trying to get to 20 then 40. Sadly we couldn’t do that on Friday night but Celtic are always liable to open you up.

“They’ve hammered better teams than us last season in Scotland so to get a 2-0 defeat is a positive result. I hope it’s dressed up like that, I hope it’s not seen as Linfield being no-hopers.

“Celtic will do the same as they did last season in Scotland. I have no doubt they’ll run away with the league again. I expect them to be just as rampant.”

Healy will take his team to Parkhead having played there in two Old Firm losses.

The legendary former Northern Ireland striker experienced huge games in his career but believes nothing he tells his players will prepare them for running out at Celtic Park.

He said: “It’s a huge experience for me as a young, inexperienced manager to go there.

“And for the players to get this opportunity, it’s huge for them. I recall some difficult visits to Parkhead when I was with Rangers. Just like on Friday, that Celtic team were terrific.

“But no disrespect to the ones I played against, this one is miles ahead of anything in Scottish football now. I played at big stadiums in derbies like Sunderland v Newcastle and Leeds v Sheffield Wednesday.

“But it doesn’t matter what I did or what I can say to the players before Wednesday – they have to experience it for themselves.”

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/linfield/champions-league/live-commentary/live-commentary-linfield-vs-celtic_302698.html

4.34pmGood afternoon all and welcome to Sports Mole’s live text coverage of the Champions League qualifier between Linfield and Celtic, the first competitive match of the season for both teams. Team news incoming…

4.35pmLINFIELD XI: Carroll, Lowry, Haughey, Stafford, Clarke, Casement, Waterworth, Mulgrew, Smyth, Quinn, Garrett

4.36pmCELTIC XI: Gordon, Armstrong, Brown, Simunovic, Sinclair, Lustig, Griffiths, Tierney, Rogic, Forrest, Sviatchenko

4.37pmLet’s start with the home side, and there’s a familiar face in goal – Roy Carroll, who has previously played for Manchester United, Hull and West Ham, among other sides in England and earned 45 caps for Northern Ireland. He’s still putting in a solid shift at the ripe old age of 39.

4.40pmJamie Mulgrew is a key player for the hosts, a midfielder who likes to dominate in the centre of the park and another full Northern Ireland international. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Andrew Waterworth, who bagged a hattrick when Linfield defeated Coleraine to lift their domestic cup back in May.

4.43pmOnto Celtic, and the big news for them is that skipper Scott Brown has been fit to start in midfield. Leigh Griffiths will provide the goal threat as Moussa Dembele is being eased back into the fold following a spell on the sidelines. New signing Jonny Hayes could make his competitive debut for the Hoops but will have to do so from the bench after being named among the substitutes.

4.46pmNo small amount of controversy surrounds this tie as Celtic declined to take up their ticket allocation, unable to guarantee fan safety since the game falls so close to the Orange Order parades. However, it has since been revealed that a section of Windsor Park WILL be open to travelling supporters and many have taken to Twitter to voice their disgust at the late notice.

4.51pmThere you have it…

Confirmation that the decision on the West Stand announcement was taken by the home Club, we were only advised of this late last night
— Celtic FC SLO (@CelticFCSLO) July 14, 2017

4.52pmHere’s what Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers had to say in the run-up to the game: “These type of games are never easy and they’ll aim to make it difficult for us but we go into the game with the expectancy to win. Our focus is on doing a professional job.”

Brendan Rodgers manager of Liverpool looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park on October 4, 2015 in Liverpool, England.

4.55pmPREDICTION: Rodgers is right to be cautious given that Linfield powered to a league and cup double last term and have plenty of experience among their ranks, but last season’s Scottish treble winners will have too much quality for their part-time opponents. My money is on the Hoops taking a 2-0 lead back to Glasgow.

4.57pmA nice message of support from the Scottish FA has come in as kickoff approaches…

#UCL | Good luck to @celticfc in their @ChampionsLeague qualifying match against Linfield. pic.twitter.com/RYe9LQR7IK
— Scottish FA (@ScottishFA) July 14, 2017

4.59pmLooks like former Barnsley man Grant McCann is backing Linfield tonight, one of his other former clubs…

Good luck to the @OfficialBlues and Sir David Healy tonight.
— Grant McCann (@grantmccann11) July 14, 2017

1 minKICKOFF: Linfield get the match underway. Stay with is for live updates throughout the game!

2 minBarely a minute on the clock and Celtic claim their first shot on goal through Stuart Armstrong, who goes for goal from almost 30 yards out, but his effort is straight at Roy Carroll in the Linfield goal.

5 minCarroll makes another easy claim as Leigh Griffiths attempts to test him with a header, which is tame. The Hoops applied some pressure there, with Tom Rogic bringing the ball forward from midfield and picking out the ever-dangerous Scott Sinclair in the box.

7 minPlenty of Linfield fans have shown up and they’re keeping the noise level up, but their team is struggling to get on the ball. There’s some scrappiness on the edge of the home side’s box, with poor challenges flying in from both sets of players. The referee finally intervenes and awards a free kick to Linfield for a foul by Scott Brown.

10 minCeltic continue to press and are looking for a way through on the flanks after finding no space through the middle, but Linfield are holding their shape well. The longer they can hold out, the better chance they have of wearing the Hoops down and nicking something at the other end.

12 minThe winner of this tie could face Irish opposition in the shape of League of Ireland champions Dundalk. The other possibility is Norwegian outfit Rosenborg, who take an away goal into their second-leg clash with Dundalk following a 1-1 draw in the initial match.

14 minLinfield boss David Healy will be pleased with how these opening 15 minutes have gone. Celtic are pressing them through every channel, but it’s been a disciplined performance from the Northern Irelanders, who keep throwing bodies back.

17 minCeltic win their first corner of the match as Stuart Armstrong lets fly from 20 yards, his effort cannoning off Jamie Mulgrew and going behind…

17 minGOAL! Linfield 0-1 Celtic (Scott Sinclair)

17 minThe visitors take the lead and it comes via a scrappy goal. The corner comes in from Armstrong and finds its way to James Forrest, who hoofs the ball back into the six-yard box where Scott Sinclair is lurking. He connects with the header, barely, and the ball bobbles beyond Roy Carroll and into the net. Unluckly, Linfield.

21 minThere’s an encouraging moment for Linfield as they win two corners in quick succession. The second is swung in by Quinn, finding the head of Mark Haughey, who forces a save out of Craig Gordon in the Celtic goal. It wouldn’t have counted as the flag was raised, but encouraging all the same.

22 minGOAL! Linfield 0-2 Celtic (Tom Rogic)

22 minSet pieces are clearly a problem for Linfield as they’ve just conceded from another corner. It was a move straight off the training ground by Celtic, with Leigh Griffiths playing the ball low and Australian international Tom Rogic on hand to take it on the half-volley, beating Roy Carroll at his near post.

25 minBoth of Celtic’s goals are disappointing from a Linfield perspective. They’ve held their shape well and soaked up the pressure, but their marking was wanting for each of those corners. The hosts have just applied some pressure through Mark Stafford, who blazed Chris Casement’s cross over from close range.

28 minSAVE! Roy Carroll rolls back the years with a great save from point-blank range after Rogic put Sinclair through on goal. The Englishman shot first time, but the Linfield goalkeeper made himself big and deflected the ball behind for yet another corner for the visitors.

32 minAnother half-chance falls Celtic’s way as Lustig plays a long ball over the top and Griffiths steals a yard on his marker to meet it with a glancing header. He fails to get much on it and Carroll makes a routine claim.

35 minJames Forrest is next to try his luck for Celtic, latching onto a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area, cutting inside and attempting to beat Roy Carroll at his near post. The Linfield goalkeeper gets his bulk behind the shot and absorbs it without too much trouble.

37 minAfter soaking up waves of pressure, Linfield attempt to stage a break through Paul Smyth, whose pace allows him to break into the final third, but Erik Sviatchenko steals the ball from him and the move breaks down.

39 minGOOD SAVE! Scott Sinclair picks up possession on the edge of the box and unleashes a vicious strike. It’s heading low, towards the bottom corner but Roy Carroll gets down well and meets the shot with a strong hand. Good stop from the veteran.

42 minLinfield are starting to look tired now and their defending is becoming increasingly desperate. Matthew Clarke hoists the ball behind after tangling with James Forrest. The resulting Celtic corner is within an inch of being prodded home by Mikael Lustig.

44 minCeltic are toying with the opposition now. The men in blue can’t get a touch of the ball, the travelling support ironically cheering every successful pass. The Northern Irish champions need to get up in their faces.

45 minHALF TIME: Linfield 0-2 Celtic

5.46pmCeltic take a 2-0 lead into half time at Windsor Park following a professional showing against the Northern Irish champions.

5.48pmScott Sinclair netted the first, beating Roy Carroll with a scrappy header and Tom Rogic turned home the second following a corner routine straight from the training ground.

5.49pmBrendan Rodgers’s side are more than good value for their two-goal lead as they’ve been utterly dominant. Linfield, however, have had an encouraging moment or two in front of goal, coming closest when Mark Stafford blazed the ball over from close range.

45 minKICK OFF: We’re back underway in Belfast, where neither side have opted to make any changes yet.

47 minGOAL DISALLOWED! Leigh Griffiths smashes the ball home from inside the area after picking up Tom Rogic’s through-ball, but his face becomes a mask of frustration when he spots the linesman’s raised flag. It was the correct call from the official as the Celtic striker had clearly strayed a yard off.

49 minThere was almost an opening for Linfield there as Andy Waterworth was given too much space in the box. He takes a touche before attempting to pull the trigger, but a sea of Celtic bodies absorbs the shot. At the other end, Armstrong goes for goal with a curling effort from the edge of the box, forcing Carroll into another save.

51 minWaterworth tangles with Erik Sviatchenko and wins a corner at the expense of the Celtic man. Linfield can’t do anything with the set piece, but the hosts are actually taking the game to Celtic in the early stages of this second half. A third Hoops goal will surely kill them off, though.

55 minSUBSTITUTION: Linfield are forced into a change, throwing on Jordan Stewart for Matthew Clarke as the latter has picked up what looks like a nasty gash.

58 minThe tempo has gone out of the game now as legs are starting to tire. Celtic aren’t pressing quite so relentlessly and Linfield don’t look like they have any kind of gameplan. It threatens to pick up when Forrest swings a cross into the centre of the area and Sinclair connects with a header, bundling the ball over.

60 minCeltic goalkeeper Craig Gordon has some work to do when Quinn plays a dangerous ball into the penalty area. He comes charging off his line and punches the cross clear.

63 minA great chance for the visitors to extend their lead goes begging as Kieran Tierney ventures forward along the flank, makes his way towards the box and plays a low cross right across the face of goal. It only needed a slight touch from one of his teammates but there were no takers.

67 minJordan Stewart goes on a good run wide on the left, but the move breaks down when he misplaces a simple pass and gifts Celtic a throw. At the other end, the Hoops almost find an opening when Armstrong picks out Sinclair with a great ball, but his teammate cannot keep it in play.

69 minSUBSTITUTIONS: Leigh Griffiths makes way for Moussa Dembele and James Forrest comes off for Johnny Hayes, who is making his competitive debut for the Hoops.

71 minCLOSE! Patient build-up play from Celtic sees the ball find its way to Hayes wide on the right. He flicks a cross in towards Rogic and the Aussie goes for goal, his effort bouncing just wide for a goalkick.

73 minCeltic are stuck in second gear at the moment, but they don’t need to up the intensity. They’re looking comfortable at 2-0, but a scrappiness has found its way into the game. Scott Brown has just been booked for clattering into Andy Waterworth.

78 minSAVE! Another top save from Roy Carroll denies Armstrong from inside the box. Hayes provided the cross which Dembele met with a knock-down so Armstrong could take it on the volley. The midfielder did everything right, but Carroll was equal to his powerful strike!

80 minThat’s the closest Celtic have come in a somewhere underwhelming second half. Linfield have shown improvement and more attacking intent than in the first period, but not quite enough to make this a contest.

83 minCHANCE! Linfield’s best chance of the match has just come and gone as Stephen Lowry’s low cross from wide on the right eluded Craig Gordon and pinballed its way around the six-yard box. It could easily have deflected in off Andy Waterworth, but the Hoops defence hastily clears its lines.

86 minIt’s been a professional performance from Linfield, who have are still standing their ground in these closing stages. David Healy’s side can head to Celtic Park with their heads held high in the second leg.

90 minThere will be four minutes of stoppage time to play at Windsor Park.

90+4 minLots of Celtic pressure in stoppage time plus a booking for Stuart Armstrong for dissent, but the final whistle is about to sound.

90+4 minFULL TIME: Linfield 0-2 Celtic

6.52pmCeltic’s first competitive match of the new campaign ends in a 2-0 win for them. Many of their fans may have been expecting more goals against part-timers Linfield, but it was a professional showing from the Scottish champions.

6.53pmScott Sinclair and Tom Rogic got their names on the scoresheet, but the Linfield players deserve plaudits for some of their resilient defending, and their veteran goalkeeper Roy Carroll was one of the best players on the pitch.

6.55pmNo doubt Celtic will finish the job at Parkhead next Wednesday, after which they’ll face either Dundalk or Rosenborg in the next qualifying round.

6.56pmAnd that’s all from me tonight. Many thanks for following our live commentary,