Celtic are officially back in the Champions League proper.
Quoted by The Glasgow Evening Times, Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney has described Tuesday’s aggregate Champions League win over Hapoel Be’er Sheva as madness.
Brendan Rodgers’s side progressed into the Champions League group stages with a nervy 5-4 aggregate victory over the Israeli champions.
Celtic brought a 5-2 first-leg win with them to Israel as the second leg in Beersheba seemed like a mere formality, but strikes from Ben Sahar and Ovidiu Hoban within the first 48 minutes left the Bhoys knowing that one more goal would see them eliminated on away goals.
But the Scottish giants kept the hosts at bay during a torturous 45-minute spell in Israel, as Celtic gear up for a return to the big time for the first time since 2013.
“Madness, that’s all I can say to describe that,” Tierney said to Celtic’s official site, via The GET.
“We’re through and that’s all that really matters. It was nervous for everybody and it must have been dreadful for the fans to watch the last half-hour but we’re through and that’s what matters.
“You’re obviously hoping for a better performance but at this stage you’d rather just get through than play well.
“The manager said to us we need to believe we deserve to be there. We’ve worked hard all pre-season and that’s the reward of us getting through now. It’s well-deserved.”
Celtic will land a record £22 million windfall from their group-stage progress, according to The Daily Record.
Rodgers and co will now gleefully await Thursday’s draw which will determine the three teams Celtic will face in the next phase of Europe’s elite competition.
Celtic’s Kieran Tierney celebrates
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