FOR all the talk about walks and trying to avoid them in Belfast in the build-up to the first leg between Linfield and Celtic, there was an unstoppable procession put on by the Scottish Champions in Glasgow that drowned out the noise surrounding this stormy encounter.
At times on the run up to the second leg of this Champions League qualifier, one could almost be forgiven for forgetting there was still a match to be played. Leigh Griffiths’ card-gate, fan trouble, racist tweets and a Buckfast bottle all provided a sad sideshow to what should have been a chance for the Celtic family to revel in a comfortable and carefree evening.
Well, on it at least. Off of it, there was everything one sadly would have expected given the tensions surrounding the build up.
Outside an hour to kick off, over 15 police vans lined London Road, dozens of uniformed police officers stood watch atop the grassy mounds flanking the pathway to Celtic Park’s main entrance. A sense of uneasiness was palpable as every right-minded person in the vicinity hoped for a peaceful evening.
Between the police outside and those officers and stewards inside the ground, each one of Linfield’s 1000 supporters probably had someone to buddy up with. The vast majority of them were in their seats well before kick off, the usual songs doing enough to offend the odd spectator with a green and white scarf draped around their neck. One chap in particular took great exception and bounded down the staircase in the main stand to berate the travelling support on his own as they found their voice while their team trotted on to the park.
A crammed Celtic Park breathed as one as they passionately supported their team here. Scott Sinclair received a standing ovation as he went over to the Linfield section to take a corner in the opening stages, a show of solidarity given the unsavoury attention he has been on the receiving end of in recent days, the place reverberating with the power of a thousand jet engines as he rocketed Celtic into an early lead before later adding to it. While the visitors sang Rule Britannia, We are the People and various other songs, six large tricolour flags waved in the Green Brigade corner, a banner depicting a soldier stood high alongside one of Brendan Rodgers, with the message ‘Brendan’s undefeated army’ scrawled above.
For all parties, it is a blessing this one has been put to bed at last, and there was never any doubt about who was going to come on top here. Celtic were dominant from the outset without hitting top form. In a first half that offered up just one solitary Scott Sinclair goal, chances were created and squandered with equal measure as Linfield’s flat back eight struggled to get out. Who’d have thought?
As the rain fell, so did the goals. The class of Celtic seeped threw their soaked shirts, while the indiscipline and frustration of the team in red, white and blue opposite them deteriorated at pace.
For all the sideshows surrounding this 90 minutes and the understandable tension, there was time for Celtic to relax and begin to think about the task of getting by Rosenborg in the next round. Even Rodgers himself got in on the act mid-way through the second half as the Northern Irishman attempted to bring down a stray high ball into his technical area, only for it skid off his shoe and in the opposite direction. A beaming smile and shrug of the shoulders unsurprisingly brought nothing but warmth and praise for his disciples sitting behind the dugout.
The margin of victory, emphatic, this Celtic juggernaut will move on to the next test. As much as a poor Rosenborg only just managed to get beyond Dundalk in extra-time in Norway, the challenge facing Celtic on the field will surely be even slightly more arduous than the one faced here. Still. one can only hope their potential passage to the play-off round is not quite as turbulent.
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