Match Reports

Linfield 0 Celtic 2

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Image for Linfield  0 Celtic 2

Celtic eased to a 2-0 victory against Linfield in their Champions League qualifying second round first-leg at Windsor Park.

Scott Sinclair headed the visitors in front on seventeen minutes and midfielder Tom Rogic swiftly added a second.

Both Stuart Armstrong and Rogic had seen early efforts before James Forrest returned a Leigh Griffiths corner and Sinclair’s deflected header found the net.

Former Manchester United keeper Roy Carroll then twice denied goalscorer Sinclair, until Rogic met another Griffiths corner at the near post and fired in to double the advantage.

Mark Haughey was comfortably wide at the other end, while Griffiths had an early second-half effort ruled out before Armstrong struck towards Carroll.

Newcomer Jonny Hayes and Moussa Dembele were both brought off the bench – and the former allowed Rogic to shoot wide, and then crossed for Armstrong to once again challenge veteran Carroll, who also twice kept out Mikael Lustig.

Linfield: Carroll, Lowry, Haughey, Stafford, Clarke (Stewart 54), Smyth, Casement, Waterworth, Mulgrew, Quinn, Garrett

subs (unused): Robinson, Stewart, Millar, Burns, Mitchell, Deane

Celtic: Gordon, Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Tierney, Brown, Armstrong, Rogic, Forrest (Hayes 70), Sinclair, Griffiths (Dembele 69)

subs (unused): Izaguirre, Bitton, de Vries, McGregor, Kouassi

Goals: Sinclair (17), Rogic (22)

Ref: A. Hernandez

Att:

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