Champions League

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Attendance: 54,016

Champions League Qualifying | Playoffs

Aug 16, 2017 at 7.45pm UK

Celtic
5-0
Astana Astana

Postnikov (32' og.), Sinclair (42', 60'), Forrest (79'), Griffiths (88')

FT(HT: 2-0)

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Brendan Rodgers hails development of Celtic squad after thrashing Astana

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 17 August 2017

Manager Brendan Rodgers hails the development of his Celtic squad after they recorded a 5-0 win over Astana in the opening leg of their Champions League playoff tie.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has said that his squad demonstrated their progression during their 5-0 victory over Astana on Wednesday night.

Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths were among the goals as Celtic moved to the brink of the Champions League group stages ahead of the second leg of their playoff tie in Kazakhstan.

However, while refusing to believe that the job is done, Rodgers was full of praise for his players after proving that they had made improvements since his arrival at the club last summer.

The Northern Irishman is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "It was a brilliant performance and now we need to get the job done there. It's a great demonstration of the work the players have made and progressed over the course of the last season.

"You could see the physical courage when I came, but having the ability to be composed, to have maturity, to handle the ball, and have the belief in a shape and understanding of the game, that was perfectly demonstrated tonight."

Last season, Celtic secured a 1-1 draw from their trip to Astana in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.