Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has described his side’s 1-1 draw against Astana in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie as an ‘outstanding result’.
Yuri Logvinenko gave the Kazakh champions an early lead at the Astana Arena and the Bhoys had to withstand some considerable pressure to make sure they did not concede any further goals.
With 12 minutes remaining Leigh Griffiths struck from the edge of the area to level the tie ahead of the second leg at Celtic Park on August 3, and after the match Rodgers was quick to praise the character of his side.
“It was an outstanding result for us. Collectively the mentality was the most pleasing thing,”
Rodgers said. “I think we were all written off before the game, everyone pretty clear in their opinion of the game, that we would do well to come back with anything other than a loss, but the players deserve an immense amount of credit, to fight and show spirit and passion in the game.”
The former Liverpool boss reserved particular praise for 20-year-old defender Eoghan O’Connell, who was making his European debut on the artificial surface in Kazakhstan.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Rodgers added. “For a young player, he has been on the fringes for a few years, coming into that environment, under pressure, he had very few mistakes in the game.
The Bhoys, who defeated Gibraltan outfit Lincoln Red Imps in the second qualifying round, will now be looking to move a step closer to this season’s group stages, by securing a positive result in Glasgow next week.
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