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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Joe Donnelly

Five brilliant images from Celtic UCL win – including heart-warming Liam Scales snap

Celtic's emphatic 5-1 Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava was an emotional occasion for fans and players alike.

The home supporters sang their hearts out for 90 minutes, while the Celtic players impressed with five goals from five different scorers.

A series of rough tackles unfolded all over the pitch from the first whistle to the last, with Liam Scales' standout performance earning the Irishman UEFA's Man of the Match of the award at full-time.

The header image above of Arne Engels slotting home Celtic's third of the night from the spot is a bonus - here are five pictures that illustrate the passion that infused proceedings at Parkhead under the lights.


Exasperated Weiss on the sidelines

Celtic's incessant and ferocious pressing ran Slovan Bratislava's stars ragged, which saw Vladimir Weiss cut an animated figure on the touchline. The visitors' manager was seen raging at his players, calling for calm in the scant moments his side enjoyed any share of the possession.


Explosive excitement in Kasper

Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel didn't have much to do for the duration of the match, but he celebrated every single goal with explosive enthusiasm. Here he is mid-scream while celebrating from the opposite end of the pitch.


Sad Vlad

Vladimir Weiss junior, Slovan Bratislava captain and former Rangers player many moons ago, spoke frankly after the match about how strong Celtic were and how powerless he and his teammates were against them. Subbed towards the end of the night, this image captures his mood perfectly.


Calm as you like from Rodgers

Cool, calm and collected – at least in front of the cameras. Brendan Rodgers hailed his players to a man after the match, but the Irishman naturally deserves a distinct degree of praise himself. The team are playing ever so well for the manager at the moment, and his shrewd signing and man management are paying dividends on the pitch. Still, he said after the game his focus lies on the next game already – a state of mind reflected in his calm demeanour at full-time.


From the fringes to front-and-centre

The Man of the Match award could really have gone to any number of Celtic players, but a solid showing from Liam Scales made him a well-deserving winner. Who'd have thought Scales could go from questioning his place at the club at all 18 months ago, to being one of the first-team's most consistent, high-profile performers.

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