Brendan Rodgers hails Celtic progess on Champions League stage

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his players after they made sure of their spot in the Champions League knockout phase.

A late own goal from Young Boys captain Loris Benito earned Celtic a 1-0 victory that moved them out of reach of Manchester City at the top of the bottom eight.

The Scottish champions sit 18th in the table and victory over Aston Villa in Birmingham next week would likely seal a seeded position in the play-off round. A top-eight finish and direct entry to the last 16 remains possible.

Rodgers said: “It’s a little bit of history created. We haven’t been in the knockout stages for a long time. For the supporters, it’s an amazing night. And obviously for the club, it’s really good.

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“If we look at progress, we’ve won three games, we’ve drawn three games, we’ve lost one. And over the course of the Champions League, it’s really good consistency.

“I think we’ve seen where they’ve come from from last season. I thought we played well but didn’t quite get the points.

“To now come in this season and have 12 points at this stage is absolutely fantastic from where the club has been over a number of years at this level. I think that’s clear to see.”

Celtic have now gone five matches unbeaten in the competition and kept their third clean sheet in their seven matches. They are now level on 12 points with a Borussia Dortmund side that put seven goals past them in Germany on match day two.

“There’s been so many critics of Celtic at this level,” Rodgers said. “There’s no doubt it is a challenge. But the players have stepped up. They’ve been absolutely superb over the course of these seven games. The setback that we had in Dortmund, we learned from.

“It’s a privilege to manage Celtic at this level. But I wanted to be a Celtic manager at this level and be competitive. And I think we’ve been that.”

The win could have been much more routine had Celtic capitalised on a dominant first 60 minutes. Kyogo Furuhashi had three goals disallowed and Arne Engels saw a penalty saved before the break.

Celtic’s energy levels dipped but a wonderful through ball from Reo Hatate in the 86th minute put Adam Idah through and the substitute’s saved shot went in off Benito.

Rodgers said: “The first half we were excellent, we were so creative in the game. The penetration was so good.

“Obviously when we lost the penalty, it can rock you, but it never did. The players just got the composure again, got playing.

“It’s the highest level of European football, so you expect them to come out and adapt a little bit and have a little bit of the ball, but still you’ve got to stay strong and then you’ve got to keep persevering.

“And I thought that the players earned that. And actually the winning goal, to show that level of composure in the 85th minute, to build the game from the keeper, all the way through the team, out on to the side of the pitch and in, an absolutely incredible pass by Reo.

“And then we get that little bit of luck for the winning goal that we never had in the first half.

“I’ve been involved in many of the games here, where you end up drawing that game and it’s a bit flat at the end. And even worse, lose a game when you shouldn’t have.

“But for us to win it, I think it shows the maturity and it shows the development of this squad.”