Celtic refute 'free punch' suggestions as knee slide pushed into touch amid Champions League drama

Celtic's players returned to their Lennoxtown training base with a serious spring in their step following their thrilling 5-1 Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava. This is uncharted territory for them, winning the opening match in Europe's top competition. Usually such sojourns end in soul-searching. Not this time.

Granted, Celtic had been widely expected to defeat the Slovakians. Vladimir Weiss' men are novices at this level and made it through four gruelling qualifying rounds to reach the main phase of this revamped competition. Celtic were given a kind opener but needed to seize the moment. And boy did they do that.

“It was just such a great start to the competition,” said defender Liam Scales, who opened the scoring on 17 minutes. “In the first half we were a little bit tentative but we played our way into the game. The second half we came out and blew them away. So that was brilliant. What we wanted was three points and we got that and the performance and the scoreline were brilliant as well, so we’re delighted.”

Scales, remarkably, became the first Irishman to score in the Champions League with that goal since 2011, when Darron Gibson netted for Manchester United. Irish goals are like London buses, with compatriot Adam Idah coming on and completing the rout. In between those strikes, Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda got on the scoresheet. Celtic could have scored more, too. They were several levels above Slovan on the night.

Liam Scales says it was 'pure joy' when netting for Celtic in the Champions League. | SNS Group

“It was just pure joy,” Scales said of his goal. “You could probably see that on my face. I wanted to do a knee slide but someone pushed me over! I was delighted and it was such an amazing feeling. Obviously getting the result is the main thing but to get a goal in the Champions League is something I'll have forever.”

The new structure of the Champions League benefits Celtic, of that there is no doubt. When the draw was made last month, some onlookers predicted four wins from their quartet of home matches. Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys are also due in the east end of Glasgow. But given Celtic's recent strife when rubbing shoulders with Europe's elite, nothing is a given. Celtic Park was a raucous cauldron that spurred on the hosts and spooked the visitors, who are not used to such a stage. The same will be needed when German, Belgian and Swiss foes come to town – all of whom have more pedigree than Bratislava.

“Obviously you feel the atmosphere here,” continued Scales. “The teams coming here are going to feel that. It is important for us to pick up as many points at home as we can. It's a perfect start really. You never know. It might come down to goal difference so to get five goals is brilliant as well.

"Now can we build on it? We have to use it as a platform to continue to get good results. I think we're in a really good place at the moment. We're probably in the best place we can be to go and do well this year in the Champions League. That's the hope. We need to take it game by game and focus on picking up results.”

Celtic next take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. | AFP via Getty Images

The acid tests for Celtic in the Champions League come next. Last year's finalists Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park lie in wait on matchday two, followed by a trip to Bergamo to play Europa League winners Atalanta. October will shape whether Celtic have genuine aspirations of finishing in the top eight or whether a play-off spot – positions nine to 24 – are more realistic ambitions. As well as the three aforementioned home games, Celtic also visit Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa.

“They will be, on paper, probably the toughest ties that we have," admitted Scales of facing Bundesliga and Serie A opposition. “Some people might say it's a free punch, but for us it's not. We want to go and approach every game the same way. We're seeing them as games that we can potentially win. That's how we prepare for them.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers has stated in the media that his team would attack the Champions League this season and not be cowed by the opposition. It is music to Scales' ears. "I wouldn't have known that he was saying that publicly, but we're getting it in the dressing room. We get that belief off him as well, first hand in the dressing room.

"He's saying the same thing to us, that this is a year where we can really go and do well. I don't think it really adds pressure to us, because we're fully invested and we believe it as well. It's just the mindset we have now."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. | SNS Group

What helps this group of Celtic players is experience of playing at the highest level. The past two season have brought some tough defeats and harrowing moments against the best, but such events have steeled this group of players. Scales believes the squad has learned and is better equipped now to deal with Champions League football.

“Last year was my first experience of it,” the ex-Aberdeen loanee said. “I was blown away in the first few minutes of the first game with the atmosphere. Now I can go in and I know what it's going to be like.

“That makes a difference for me, I suppose, because I can stay calm and just play the game. Personally, I feel better equipped this year than I was last year. As a team, we were in the first half of last season when we were playing in the Champions League.

“The manager was new in and we were building, learning what ways he wanted to play. Now we've started the season really well. We're at a different stage as a team, because we know exactly what we're doing and we're playing well.”