Neil Lennon heaped the praise on his side for going toe-to-toe with Lazio and recording his first ever win over Italian opposition.
Goals from Ryan Christie and Christopher Jullien helped the Hoops to a dramatic 2-1 win over the Coppa Italia holders – in a result that gives them a glorious chance of qualifying for the last 32 of the Europa League.
Celtic could secure that feat in Rome in matchday four, although Lennon has conceded that it will be very tough.
“It’s certainly up there,” he said of the night to the Evening Times. “That’s the first time I’ve beaten an Italian team at my seventh go. It’s a very proud night for everyone associated with the club.
“We look forward to the match in Rome now, but we know how difficult it will be in Rome on the evidence of what we have seen tonight. But over the piece, to go toe-to-toe with Lazio and come away with three points is a huge shot in the arm for the team.”
Lennon and Celtic have little to lose in upcoming Italian test
Beating Lazio again in a fortnight will be an altogether different task, but we shouldn’t fear going over there. As has been well documented, the 70,000 Stadio Olimpico will be incredibly sparse for the evening kick-off with some even pondering the prospect of Celtic having more fans in the stadium.
Added to that, the hosts will be without their usual ultras section following punishment from UEFA. That means that the majority of the noise could be generated by the travelling supporters.
Lazio will be playing to save their Europa League futures and that brings an altogether new feeling to the game. For once, we are not the team who has to set the tempo. We can sit back and look to exploit them on the counter attack.
While it would be wonderful to come away from Rome with something, it is hardly a disaster if we don’t. We probably need one more win from our last three games to secure qualification. Either of our final two matches give us the best chances of that – so we can go to Rome and effectively have a free hit.
Maybe victories over Italian sides will turn out to be like London buses for Neil Lennon.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
