BUCKFAST IN BELFAST MAY LEAD TO FINE FOR LINFIELD
AMID all the anxiety about the state of play in the Windsor Park stands, Celtic found some serenity through their actions on the pitch. As an actual game of football, this victory in Belfast made for a simple first step on the Champions League path. There would be no repeat of the facereddening false start suffered against Lincoln Red Imps 12 months ago. With only the odd flicker of concern defensively, any frustration was confined to the moderate size of their first-leg lead. Goals from Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic before the interval had dispelled any thoughts of a shock outcome, veteran keeper Roy Carroll playing a key role in keeping the scoreline respectable. Both Celtic goals came from corners by Leigh Griffiths, who was the target of various missiles — including a half-bottle of Buckfast — thrown by Linfield supporters as he attempted to take subsequent set-pieces. Attempting to clear the area of objects to take a corner in the second half, Griffiths was actually booked — presumably for timewasting — by Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez. It was a deplorable decision by the official and did nothing to discourage those targeting the Celtic striker. That task fell to Linfield chairman Roy McGivern, who ventured down to the guilty area of the South Stand to strongly urge an end to actions closely watched by UEFA officials. A hefty fine looks inevitable. There was further rancour in the minutes after the final whistle. Police in riot gear stood on one portion of the touchline after fans reacted furiously to Griffiths tying a Celtic scarf onto a goalpost. With the match already moved back to avoid a clash with Orange Order marches, the Parkhead club had declined to take an official ticket allocation on security grounds. However, a public sale meant it around 300 Parkhead fans were present. Some 1,500 Linfield fans will be in Glasgow for the second leg next Wednesday evening. Only the most wildly optimistic will harbour hope of a revival. LINFIELD (4-4-2): Carroll; Stafford, Haughey, M Clarke (J Stewart 54), Casement; Garrett, Mulgrew, Lowry, Quinn; Smyth, Waterworth. CELTIC (4-5-1): Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Forrest (Hayes 70), Armstrong, Brown, Sinclair, Rogic; Griffiths (Dembele 69). Scorers: Sinclair 17, Rogic 22 Referee: Alejandro Hernandez (Spain). Man of the match: Tom Rogic.