Celtic stormed to a memorable 3-1 victory in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier with Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA this evening to edge them closer to a first appearance in the group stages of Europe's premier club competition. The Glasgow giants got off to a dream start when Holland's Bobby Petta struck the opener with just seven minutes on the clock. The winger was first to pounce when Ajax 'keeper Fred Grim indecisively punched a cross-come-shot from Chris Sutton to his feet, and Petta calmly slotted the ball high into the net to give the Hoops a shock lead.
A confident and composed start from the Scottish treble winners saw them dominate the early exchanges, and Henrik Larsson went close to giving them a two-goal advantage when he headed against the crossbar in the 16th minute. But with Celtic growing in confidence and revelling in the space afforded to them by the attack-minded Dutch, it was no surprise when they went two up with just 20 minutes gone through Didier Agathe.
Again Larsson was involved, his incisive through ball from half-way found the Frenchman in space on the right flank, and he outpaced Cristian Chivu before coolly slotting the ball past Grim. Celtic's composure and control proved too much for the cavalier approach of their hosts, who were finding it difficult to break their opponents who defended with conviction all over the pitch. Ajax eventually found a way through when Abubakari found Mido in space in the 25th minute, but Robert Douglas in the Celtic goal was equal to his stinging right foot shot.
However, Martin O'Neill's side were stunned when Ajax grabbed a goal back six minutes from time, when Georgian dangerman Shota Arveladze pounced to reduce the deficit to one at half-time. Pius Ikedia burst through to the byline and pulled it back for Machlas, whose effort was saved by Douglas, but the ball fell to Arveladze to side-foot home.
Larsson went close after the re-start, but had to watch in agony as his well worked effort rolled past Grim's upright to safety, but a deserved third goal did arrive in the 55th from the head of Chris Sutton. The former Chelsea striker scored the goal of the game when he met a right wing cross from Agathe with power and precision to restore Celtic's two-goal advantage. Recent signings John Hartson and Steve Guppy came on as late replacements for Larsson and Petta as Celtic played out a memorable victory, with a place in the lucrative group stages now just 90 minutes away for the Parkhead outfit.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's place in the group stages looks a formality following their comprehensive 5-0 hammering of Finnish side Haka in Helsinki this evening. Michael Owen helped himself to a superb hat-trick, with Emile Heskey and Sami Hypia scoring the others to leave the Anfield outfit in a comfortable position for the home leg in a fortnight's time.
Elsewhere, a depleted Rangers side could only manage a 0-0 draw with Turkey's Fenerbache at Ibrox, to leave Dick Advocaat's men facing a nervous 90 minutes in Istanbul in two weeks.
Filed by Shane Murray
