- Second-half goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren secured a morale-boosting victory for the Scottish champions.
- The manager admitted he was seeking a positive reaction following Sunday’s lacklustre Premiership defeat at Dundee.
Brendan Rodgers insisted he got the desired reaction from his Celtic side as they roared back from the loss of an early goal to beat Sturm Graz in the Europa League.
Having unflatteringly compared them to a Honda Civic after last Sunday’s shock loss to Dundee, he quipped that their response wasn’t quite the equivalent ‘of a Ferrari, but a Range Rover Sport’ as they motored to a 2-1 win over the Austrians.
Celtic looked as if they were heading for successive defeats after Kelechi Iheanacho and Alistair Johnston had to be taken off injured either side of Toni Harvat’s 15th-minute wonder strike.
But they turned the game on its head within three second-half minutes as Liam Scales scored before Benjamin Nygren headed the winner.
Delighted to overcome a Graz side who had Tochi Chukwuani sent off for a foul on Callum McGregor, Rodgers said of this week’s criticism of his team: ‘Very rarely will I come after the players. The boys know that. I’ve been managing a long time, and sometimes, you have to be harsh to be clear.
‘These are men. This is a big club that has huge expectations and pressure. And you have to know when a level’s not good enough.
Manager Brendan Rodgers was thrilled to register a first European win of the campaign
Liam Scales produced a composed finish early in the second half to draw Celtic level
Benjamin Nygren nodded home the winner within minutes to complete the turnaround
‘The players know they won’t have a more empathetic coach. But we knew we needed to respond.
‘And I’m so pleased with that progress and that response tonight because you can see the performance level is there. But you have to have that determination. At the weekend, it wasn’t good enough.
‘So tonight, we weren’t quite the Ferrari — a Range Rover Sport, I would have thought. Hopefully, we have no more Morris Minors in the performance — not that they’re a bad car. It’s a fantastic car.
‘We showed the level with determination tonight. And that’s what I expect to see going forward.’
The only negatives were muscular injuries for Iheanacho and the returning Johnston which forced the pair off early. Cameron Carter-Vickers is also nursing a complaint with Daizen Maeda doubtful for Tynecastle on Sunday too.
Effusive in his praise for the way his players reacted to multiple setbacks, Rodgers added: ‘The performance was outstanding. As disappointed as we were at the weekend, I thought that was a really, really good level.
‘Obviously, we picked up the injuries early on, so that could have disrupted it. But the two young guys that came in, (Johnny Kenny and Colby Donovan) worked their socks off and contributed to the performance.
‘We went behind to an absolutely brilliant goal. But throughout the game, we were really creative and had lots of opportunities to score more goals.
Kelechi Iheanacho was forced off through injury and is a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Hearts
‘Everything you want in a team, the tempo, the speed, the aggression, the energy, everything was there against a good side.’
Rodgers now hopes the character his players showed bodes well for Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash at Tynecastle.
‘I said before the game to the players that we really have to show leadership qualities. When those types of players are under pressure, they progress.
‘I’m so happy for the likes of Benji (Nygren) because he had so many chances and he’s playing out of position really.
‘But he gets into the areas to get those opportunities and showed so much courage to keep going. Eventually, he gets his goal.
‘Arne Engels was outstanding. Coming back in, he gave us that energy and fight.’
Rodgers reserved special praise for man of the match Scales. ‘He’s been my most consistent player (second time around). He’s been absolutely fantastic.’
