{"id":1100510,"date":"2019-08-07T21:15:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T20:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1100510"},"modified":"2019-08-07T21:19:26","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T20:19:26","slug":"cfr-cluj-celtic-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/cfr-cluj-celtic-champions-league\/","title":{"rendered":"CFR Cluj 1-1 Celtic: Bhoys bag invaluable away goal in quest for Champions League qualification"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a fiery encounter in\u00a0Transylvania as Celtic secured a vital 1-1 draw in their Champions League third qualifier against CFR Cluj.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bhoys will be buoyed to have snatched an invaluable away goal ahead of\u00a0the return fixture on Tuesday, but the\u00a0Romanian outfit proved problematic this evening and certainly won’t lie down when they travel to Parkhead next week.<\/p>\n

CFR Cluj 1-1 Celtic: Five key points…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  • CFR Cluj went ahead through\u00a0Mario Rondon on the 28th minute.<\/li>\n
  • Celtic struck back just minutes later courtesy of James Forrest.<\/li>\n
  • Chances were few and far between but Celtic will be satisfied with a score draw.<\/li>\n
  • The second leg takes place at Celtic Park next Tuesday.<\/li>\n
  • The winner will take on\u00a0SK Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic in the final play-off phase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    The hosts got their noses in front during the first-half after Venezuelan forward\u00a0Mario Rondon timed his run to collect a neat\u00a0Ciprian Deac pass, before racing through on goal and slotting past\u00a0Scott Bain.<\/p>\n

    Cluj were in dreamland, but the goal sparked life into\u00a0Neil Lennon’s side, and just six minutes later the Glaswegians pegged back their challengers thanks to an exquisite finish from the ever-reliable\u00a0James Forrest.<\/p>\n

    In typical style the wing-wizard collected the ball, jinked, beat his man, and fired a low drive to level proceedings, providing the Hoops an imperative away goal heading into the second leg.<\/p>\n

    At times the match threatened to spill over as tempers flared and the intensity increased, but Celtic kept their nerve and held out. There is still much work to do in Scotland next week, but this was a precious result for Lennon.<\/p>\n

    Key player:\u00a0James Forrest<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    On a night where Celtic didn’t really find their usual rhythm, Forrest proved a beacon of consistency on the flank, threatening whenever in possession and doing the dirty work when his defensive capabilities were required.<\/p>\n

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    It was his moment of inspiration that has kept Celtic firmly on track to reach the Champions League group stages, and he will be key next week as\u00a0Lennon’s side look to get the job done and move on to Prague.<\/p>\n

    Opening his account for the season, the Scotland international’s finish was a trademark strike, receiving the ball just wide of the goal, before cutting inside, creating space and intelligently finding ample room between the sticks.<\/p>\n

    His low drive cannoned off the woodwork and has put Celtic in a crucial position for the return fixture. Never afraid to show for the ball,\u00a0Forrest was once again the MVP for the Scottish champions this evening.<\/p>\n