Aston Villa have directly qualified for the Champions League's round of 16 after beating Celtic 4-2 at Villa Park in a thrilling clash on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery's side raced into an early lead after some great work from Jacob Ramsey laid the ball on a plate for Morgan Rogers to finish with just three minutes gone, and the attacking midfielder netted a second just two minutes later.
At that point it looked like Brendan Rodgers's men were in for a tough night, but Bhoys striker Adam Idah scored a quickfire brace of his own to level things up with less than 10 minutes to play in the first half.
However, Ollie Watkins restored the Villans' lead on the hour mark, and could have made it 4-2 if not for an unfortunate slip that caused him to miss a penalty with 66 minutes on the clock as well as a number of exceptional saves from Kasper Schmeichel.
After a flurry of missed Villa chances, Celtic may have thought a comeback was on the cards, but Rogers completed his hat-trick in stoppage time and fired his team into the round of 16, sending the home fans into a frenzy that is unlikely to subside until the draw for the next round on January 31.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
© Imago
Ending the league phase eighth in the table, Villa have now qualified for the Champions League's round of 16 automatically - a remarkable achievement for Emery's side.
However, they will have to tighten up at the back if they are to continue their dream run in Europe's premier club competition, though they did prove their offensive prowess once again on Wednesday night.
As for Celtic, their 21st-placed finish in the league phase has qualified them for the playoffs, and this represents the first time since 2012-13 that they have gone beyond the group or league phase.
Domestically, the Bhoys are running away with the title, but a strong European campaign would certainly be the highlight of their season.
That being said, they have been dealt a tough hand in the playoff round, where they will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
ASTON VILLA VS. CELTIC HIGHLIGHTS
Morgan Rogers goal vs. Celtic (3rd min, Aston Villa 1-0 Celtic)
What a start from Villa! 🔥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
Morgan Rogers delivers the first UCL goal of the evening 🌟
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Morgan Rogers finishes off a fine run and pass from Jacob Ramsey to score the first Champions League goal of the evening!
Ramsey dribbles into the left-hand side of the area and finds Rogers on the edge of the six-yard box, where Villa's number 27 slots the ball home to give the hosts the lead.
Morgan Rogers goal vs. Celtic (5th min, Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic)
IT'S ROGERS AGAIN! 🔥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
A divine start for Morgan Rogers who delivers two goals in just FOUR minutes 👏
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/aKwjXHAanw
The 22-year-old finds a second after just four minutes!
Rogers lets fly from the right-hand edge of the box and a deflection helps to take the ball beyond Kasper Schmeichel into the top-right corner.
Adam Idah goal vs. Aston Villa (36th min, Aston Villa 2-1 Celtic)
Game on 👊
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
Adam Idah scores for Celtic to close the gap 👏
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Adam Idah reacts brilliantly to reach a deflected cross and gets the visitors back into the game!
Left-back Greg Taylor fires a powerful cross into the box and Idah manages to quickly shift his feet and stretch a leg out to poke the ball past Emiliano Martinez from five yards out.
Adam Idah goal vs. Aston Villa (38th min, Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic)
CELTIC ARE BACK LEVEL 😎
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
Adam Idah sees Morgan's 2 goals in 4 minutes and raises it to 2 goals in 2 1/2 minutes 😵
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/37zPaFzsI7
Idah has a quickfire brace of his own!
Reo Hatate is played in on the right-hand side of the box by a fantastic flick, and his cross finds Idah alone in the centre of the area for an easy finish to level the score - game on!
Ollie Watkins goal vs. Celtic (60th min, Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic)
Ollie Watkins gets his first Champions League goal and what a goal it is 🤩
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/VJTuBuoBeq
Ollie Watkins scores his first Champions League goal on the break to put the Villans back in front!
Played through by John McGinn, Ramsey finds himself in a 2v1 situation and draws the last defender towards him before passing the ball across the box to Watkins, who simply sweeps the ball into the net from 12 yards out.
Morgan Rogers goal vs. Celtic (90+1 min, Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic)
Watkins 🤝 Rogers
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 29, 2025
Rogers gets his hattrick to make it 4 goals for Villa 🔥
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Rogers completes his hat-trick and fires Villa into the round of 16!
Watkins seizes the ball in a dangerous position after chasing down some sloppy passing from the Celtic backline, and after he attempts to dribble around Schmeichel, the ball spills to Rogers, who manages to avoid a number of players on the line and find the back of the net from close range.
MAN OF THE MATCH - MORGAN ROGERS
© Imago
The Aston Villa man netted his first senior hat-trick, opening the scoring with an early brace before sealing the win for Emery's side with a late fourth.
The Villans are now into the round of 16 having finished eighth in the Champions League table, and Rogers' contribution will be remembered fondly by fans for years to come.
ASTON VILLA VS. CELTIC MATCH STATS
Possession: Aston Villa 59%-41% Celtic
Shots: Aston Villa 20-6 Celtic
Shots on target: Aston Villa 8-4 Celtic
Corners: Aston Villa 4-4 Celtic
Fouls: Aston Villa 4-15 Celtic
BEST STATS
5 - Morgan Rogers is the first player in UEFA Champions League history to score twice in the opening five minutes of a game in the competition. Blistering. pic.twitter.com/JAHFOiB4dG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 29, 2025
22 - Morgan Rogers (22y 187d) tonight became the second-youngest Englishman to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League, after Wayne Rooney against Fenerbahçe in September 2004 (18y 340d). Star. pic.twitter.com/U9de1Nxz8P
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 29, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Aston Villa have made it into the round of 16 of the Champions League and will await the draw on January 31, while Celtic are set to face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the playoff round.
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