CELTIC may have strolled through to the second qualifying round of the Champions League but Jozo Simunovic has given the club’s scouting department some work to do before next Wednesday’s home match against Rosenborg.

The defender now won’t be available because of a needless red card – only he knows what was going through his head - which leaves Rodgers with Kristoffer Ajer and Jack Hendry, for the moment at least, as his only two centre-halves realistically ready to play.

Brendan Rodgers will surely need to get in a central defender and one that can walk straight into the first-team and competitive European football, which at this time of the year is easier said than done.

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Marvin Compper is (honestly) still at the club but, really, will the German who has done nothing be risked. And with Mikael Lustig and Dedryck Boyata still recovering from the World Cup, Brendan Rodgers could have done without this.

And for the second successive year, Celtic find Rosenborg, never an easy opponent, in their path.

Norway’s best team scored a controversial 94th minute penalty against Valur of Iceland in Trondheim to get themselves into the next qualifying round. The word is they have gone backwards but will still definitely be better than Alashkert. Even after Simunovic’s early red card, Celtic utterly dominated this match, playing with pace and menace from first to final whistle.

Moussa Dembele and Simunovic went close to a goal in the opening minutes before the French striker scored on the eighth minute a goal which in its own way was remarkable.

As he took the ball with his back to goal on the edge of Alashkert’s box, he got away from his marker with a clever turn but slipped and the ball went underneath him. With defenders trying to get in tackle, he got off the grass and got off a shot which nestled in the bottom corner.

The tie was all over last week of course but it was not to be a night when everything went right for the Scottish champions.

Not long after the opening goal, Simunovic was high and late on Alashkert’s Jefferson on the halfway line. It was a bad one, the studs were showing, and so it was a definite yellow and in truth he would have been fortunate to escape a red. Referee Horatiu Fesnic had a moment’s thought and then sent him off.

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Celtic’s Croatian defender looked embarrassed as he left the field and even held up an arm in apology. Not the start he needed to the season.

Who has made superb start is Odsonne Edouard and his skill and adventure won a penalty on 18 minutes for his team-man team.

The Frenchman tried and almost succeeded to dribble his way past three Alashkert players and one, Artak Grigoryan put in a tackle, on the ground and from behind, which tends to give referees a decision to make.

Mr Fesnic pointed to the spot admit protests which Dembele ignored to send goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic the wrong way.

Jefferson was then booked for throwing arm into Kieran Tierney which dumped the 21-year-old on ground. He was booked but just like last week in Armenia, the Brazilian was fortunate to still be on the park.

Alashkert had their first shot on target on 33 minutes when from some distance Artur Yedigaryan forced Craig Gordon into a save with a hell shot. It said everything that Celtic got their third from the resultant corner.

Dembele cleared the cross, Edouard got on the ball near the halfway line and all of a sudden there were four Celtic players against two yellow jerseys. Edouard ignored shouts for an early pass, played the ball perfectly to Forrest and the side of his right foot did the rest.

The second-half was 60 seconds old when, after Edouard’s fancy footwork set him up, Tierney controlled the ball on his thigh before unleashing a volley which Cancarevic did really well to tip over the bar.

Edouard was terrific and received a standing ovation when replaced by Scott Sinclair midway through the second-half. The 19-year-old is only going to get better and it’s going to be interesting watching his development.

Dembele also left the field looking less than 100 per cent after taking some amount of punishment. He, too, has looked the part.

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The excellent Forrest went close after beating four players, as did McGregor and substitute Ryan Christie who should have done better after being sent clean through on goal by Sinclair. Celtic, red card aside, made it easy for themselves.

And last word must go to the Alashkert away support. Fair play to both of them. Hopefully they enjoyed Glasgow.

Celtic: Gordon; Hendry, Ajer, Simunovic, Forrest (Johnston 75), Brown, Ntcham, McGregor, Tierney; Dembele (Christie 65), Edouard (Sinclair 64)

Substitutes not used: Bain, Allan, Ralston, Kouassi

Alaskkert: Cancarevic, Voskanyan, Daghbashyan, Sekulic (Simonyan 64), Nenadovic (Manasyan 45), Yedigaryan, Jefferson (Romero 86), Yedigaryan, Grigoryan, Praznovsky

Substitutes not used: Avagyan, Zeljovic, Stojkovic, Antonic