Celtic rounded off the 2023/24 Champions League campaign very positively after leaving it late to beat Feyenoord 2-1.
Brendan Rodgers sprung a few surprises from the off, including handing Stephen Welsh a rare start, alongside Liam Scales at the heart of defence.
But perhaps it was youngster Mitchel Frame who stole the show because he was handed his Celtic debut.
Trevor Sinclair thinks the 17-year-old ‘dealt with the occasion superbly well’ as he expressed his delight in Celtic’s ‘redemption’.
Another star who impressed the former England winger was Joe Hart, who he labelled as ‘superb’, as he posted on Twitter.
Nothing may have been riding on this game, in terms of lifting the Bhoys from the bottom of Group E, but you can bet your bottom dollar everyone inside Parkhead wanted the three points.
These points were needed just to instil some confidence into the team and end the club’s barren winless run in Europe’s elite competition.
It shouldn’t paper over the cracks of what was, in the end, a disappointing group campaign, but at least there is some light.
Mitchel Frame and Joe Hart impress
“Had a bit of luck with the offside goal against and the inside of the post but as I’ve said through the whole of Celtic’s CL run, you need that,” said Sinclair during the game.
“Hart’s been superb and the Bhoys are being braver in possession, finding McGregor in that space a lot better than in previous games HH.
On Frame: “Congrats Darren (O’Dea), the young man “Frame”, dealt with the occasion superbly well & contributed to the win.”
Brave calls pay off
After the abject defeat to Kilmarnock over the weekend, it would have been easy for Rodgers to play it safe and just put out his strongest possible XI.
But the call to hand Welsh a start, albeit surprising, worked a treat, with Gustaf Lagerbielke coming off the bench to score the winner after a moment of brilliance from Matt O’Riley.
It’s a great nod to Celtic’s academy and the talent coming through. You hope that more chances are now in the offing for these players.
It’s a quick turnaround for the players because it’s a Saturday afternoon clash against Hearts on home soil.
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