Celtic reaction: Brendan Rodgers lauds progress amid fresh 'done deal' Kyogo Furuhashi exit reports

Celtic joy tempered by possible £9m departure

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his team for reaching the promised land of Champions League knock-out football following a dramatic 1-0 win over Young Boys at Celtic Park amid reports that his star striker Kyogo Furuhashi is set to leave for French side Rennes.

Furuhashi had a hat-trick of first-half goals disallowed and Arne Engels missed a 41st-minute penalty as Celtic toiled to break down stubborn resistance from the Swiss team. However, they finally broke the deadlock on 86 minutes when Young Boys captain Loris Benito put the ball into his own net after keeper Marvin Keller saved from Adam Idah.

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The win moves Celtic up to 18th place and they head to Aston Villa next week safe in the knowledge that they are in the top 24 and have a play-off place. A win in Birmingham could move them into the top eight - but is reliant on an odds-against set of results.

Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates one of his three disallowed goals against Young Boys. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates one of his three disallowed goals against Young Boys. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates one of his three disallowed goals against Young Boys. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Whether Furuhashi travels to face the English Premier League side in seven days' time remains very much up in the air. The Japanese's future has been hotly debated this month and media outlets in France claim that he will move to Ligue 1 strugglers Rennes for a fee of roughly £9 million. The Breton club's boss Jorge Sampaoli spoke at the start of the week of his desire to bring in another striker.

Such speculation over a key player should not take the shine off an impressive achievement for Celtic, who have qualified for the knock-out stages for the first time in 12 years. Rodgers was full of praise for his team's achievements.

"I really actually enjoyed the game," said Rodgers. "The first half we were excellent, we were so creative in the game. The penetration was so good. Obviously when we missed the penalty, it can rock you, but it never did. The players just got their composure again, got playing.

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"The second half, it's the highest level of European football, so you expect them to come out and adapt a little bit and have a little bit of the ball, but still you've got to stay strong and then you've got to keep persevering. And I thought that the players earned that.

"And actually the winning goal, to show that level of composure, at about the 85th minute of the game, to build the game from the keeper, all the way through the team, out onto the side of the pitch and in, an absolutely incredible pass by Reo Hatate.

"And then we get that little bit of luck for the winning goal that we never had in the first half. So, I've been involved in many of the games here, where you end up throwing that game and it's a bit flat at the end. And even worse, lose a game when you shouldn't have.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (left) leaps onto assistant John Kennedy to celebrate the Champions League win over Young Boys. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (left) leaps onto assistant John Kennedy to celebrate the Champions League win over Young Boys. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (left) leaps onto assistant John Kennedy to celebrate the Champions League win over Young Boys. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

"But for us to win it, I think it shows the maturity and it shows the development of this squad. For the supporters, it's an amazing night. And obviously for the club, it's really good. And I think if we look at progress, we've won three games, we've drawn three games, we've lost one.

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"And over the course of the Champions League, it's a really good consistency. For us as a squad, let's just continue to go up the level. This has been a fantastic seven games for us. This will give the team a big belief. We've just got to keep pushing and keep developing.

Rodgers was asked where this achievement ranked for him across his two spells as manager and he responded: "Listen, the bread and butter here is always about domestic football. And then, like I said, there's been a lot of criticism around Europe at this level. So I'm just very proud for the club and the supporters.

"Because, like I said, there's been so many moments of near misses and some tough times at this level. But I don't think there's any doubt that in the 18 months that we've been here, there's been a lot of progress and some big steps this season we've shown. So we just want to keep growing.

"As I said, it's a privilege to manage Celtic at this level. But I wanted to be a Celtic manager at this level and be competitive. And I think we've been that.”

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Rodgers reserved a special mention for Kasper Schmeichel, who made an excellent double save from Darian Males when the score was at 0-0 and who earlier on Wednesday extended his contract by another year.

"He's been absolutely outstanding since he's come in, both on and off the pitch," added Rodgers. "And like you see in games tonight, his authority in the game, he's one of the world's best shotstoppers still.

"He was fantastic for me at Leicester, but I know when you see him at international level, he's such a brilliant shotstopper. So pleased for him, so pleased.

"He's fallen in love with the club. He's really, really enjoyed his time here, playing at a big club with big pressure. And thankfully he's going to continue with that work."

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