Comfortable win to start Celts’ European campaign

GOALS FROM Mikael Lustig, Georgios Samaras and James Forrest gave Celtic a comfortable win over Cliftonville last night and ensured there is little chance of an upset when the part-time Irish side travel to Parkhead on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League second qualifier.

It had promised to be a nervy night for the visitors, who had lost all four of their pre-season games and who had a clutch of players missing for various reasons.

Neil Lennon’s side, especially in the first 45 minutes, however, showed the professionalism and purpose that had taken them to the last 16 of the tournament last season.

Full-back Lustig gave the Scottish champions the lead at Solitude in the 25th minute when he broke away from the Reds defence at the near post to head in a Kris Commons corner.

Six minutes later Greek forward Samaras, who had revealed his aversion for the ground’s artificial pitch before the game, finished off a move involving Forrest and Commons by turning at the edge of the box and driving an unstoppable shot past Reds keeper Conor Devlin.

In a one-sided first half, watched by almost 5,000 fans who had packed into the tiny ground in north Belfast, Commons also hit woodwork twice.

With nothing to lose, Tommy Breslin’s side rallied in the second half, with Stephen Garrett missing a good chance in the 48th minute from close range after Lustig was short with a headed backpass.

Anthony Stokes hit the bar for Celtic with a drive before he set up Forrest in the 84th minute to hammer the ball low past Devlin from inside the box to make the return game in Glasgow a formality. Celtic started the game with purpose. Commons hit the bar with a header after two minutes when Forrest stood a cross up for the former Derby player at the back post.

The home side, for all their obvious determination in the early stages, could not make much headway.

The Hoops were in control and in the 12th minute Samaras headed an Emilio Izaguirre cross over from eight yards.

Brown then picked out Commons, who had raced past the Cliftonville defence — but he failed to control the ball and the Irish rearguard cleared their lines.

Reds skipper George McMullan then almost put in his own net from just under the bar as he cleared a Lustig header.

With the corner, however, Commons drilled in a cross and Lustig rose to flash a header past Devlin from six yards out.

Cliftonville responded and for the first time in the game, a minute later, Hoops keeper Fraser Forster was forced into a save, from Liam Boyce’s low drive.

Just after the half-hour mark and in impressive style, Samaras finished off a Celtic attack with a drive from the edge of the box which whistled high past the helpless Devlin.

Celtic were clearly in the mood and in the 39th minute Commons turned at the edge of the box before beating Devlin with a curling shot, only to see it crash off the post.

The home fans might have had something to cheer about three minutes after half-time when Garrett pounced on a mistake by Lustig but his flick from six yards was too feeble to beat Forster.

Still, it gave Cliftonville encouragement and in the 55th minute only a saving tackle from Ambrose on Joe Gormley prevented the Reds striker getting his shot away as the Hoops defence looked vulnerable.

On the hour mark Celtic’s defending was again sloppy, requiring Kelvin Wilson to throw himself to block a goalbound drive from former Morton player Marc Smyth.

Devlin made a save from Commons’ drive and Stokes sent a shot from the edge of the box spinning back off the bar before Forrest to extend Celtic’s lead. Att: 5,000 Cliftonville: Devlin, McGovern, Caldwell (Martin Donnelly 73), Marc Smyth, Ronan Scannell, Johnston, Gormley (O’Carroll 69), Garrett (Curran 78), McMullan, Catney, Boyce.

Celtic: Forster, Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Izaguirre, Forrest (McGeouch 86), Kayal, Brown, Commons (Rogic 81), Stokes, Samaras (Watt 76).

Ref: Sergiy Boiko (Ukraine).

Picture: SNS Group. James Forrest fires in Celtic’s third goal in the second half.