Champions League

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Attendance: 19,898

Champions League | Group Stage

Sep 27, 2017 at 7.45pm UK

Anderlecht
0-3
Celtic

FT(HT: 0-1)

Griffiths (38'), Roberts (50'), Sinclair (90')

Celtic secure crucial win over Anderlecht

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 27 September 2017

Celtic record their first group-stage Champions League win since 2013 as Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair score in a 3-0 victory over Anderlecht.

Celtic recorded their first group stage win in 16 European matches with a 3-0 triumph away at Anderlecht this evening.

Goals either side of half time from Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts teed up the Bhoys for what could be a crucial win in Champions League Group B.

Scott Sinclair added a third in stoppage time to round off a famous victory, and give Celtic a key advantage in their head-to-head record with the Belgians.

Despite Celtic's poor record on the continent - their previous away win was over Spartak Moscow in 2012 - Anderlecht sat off and let the visitors have the ball.

The Scottish champions wasted much of their first-half possession, with the recalled Olivier Ntcham, preferred to Stuart Armstrong in midfield, the main culprit as Celtic continued to give the ball away with sloppy passing.

However, Ntcham made amends in style with one of two excellent passes for Celtic's opener. He released Kieran Tierney with a through-ball down the left channel, and the full-back crossed for Griffiths to tap home at the far post on 38 minutes - his seventh goal of the season.

Anderlecht nearly equalised immediately when Sofiane Hanni cut inside Dedryck Boyata and unleashed a low shot which Craig Gordon gathered at the second attempt.

Rookie Anderlecht manager Nicolas Frutos, in interim charge following the sacking of Swiss coach Rene Weiler, watched on as his most experienced player gifted Celtic a second goal within five minutes of the restart.

Olivier Deschacht, making his 99th European appearance for the club that he has served for 20 years, attempted an inexplicable flick on the edge of his own box, and Roberts picked up the loose ball to shoot past Frank Boeckx with the help of a deflection.

Roberts could have wrapped up the three points just before the hour mark, but shot wide on the spin from 10 yards when a layoff to Tom Rogic on the edge of the box might have been the better option.

Having offered a slight threat on the counter in the opening stages, Anderlecht lacked the creativity to unlock Celtic when the onus was on them to attack, and only tested Gordon through Pieter Gerkens' long-range strike.

Celtic closed out the game with maturity and sealed three massive points for the future of their European campaign when Ntcham released Sinclair on the break for Celtic's top scorer to finish confidently with his left foot.

This result should flush the 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain out of Celtic's system, and puts them level on points with Bayern Munich ahead of their trip to the Allianz Arena in three weeks' time.