‘We were better than Celtic at everything’ - Helsingborgs’ Age Hareide believes Swedes can still overturn deficit

Midfielder Kris Commons volleyed the Hoops into the lead in the Olympia Stadium after two minutes, but goalkeeper Fraser Forster pulled off a string of saves to deny the home side who, after losing a second to striker Georgios Samaras in the 75th minute, might then have lost by more.

Neil Lennon’s men are odds-on to qualify for the group stages of the competition for the first time since season 2008-09. However, the former Norway coach was animated at the pre-match press conference at Celtic Park yesterday as he explained why his players can provide what he admits would be the best result of his managerial career.

Hareide said: “To be honest, I thought we had a fair chance to beat Celtic before we played them in Helsingborg. I was disappointed that we gave them the chances to score goals and we didn’t score ourselves.

“But I saw all the stats in that game and we were better than Celtic at everything; in possession, we ran more than the Celtic players, and we actually played really well apart from the beginning and the end of the game.

“But the vital thing in football is to score goals. You can’t take that away from them, they did that. They got the goals and we have to chase them – and we will chase them.”

Hareide stressed the importance of belief to his side’s chances of pulling off what would be a remarkable feat.

“There is always a possibility and it is always about believing,” he said. “If we were outplayed (in Sweden) or the result showed everything then we would have probably come across just to play the game, but I thought we were really unlucky.

“I know that Celtic looked sloppy against Ross County and Inverness. They have some good players, of course, but if you look at the players we have, we can come at them again.

“I spoke to the players and told them we don’t have to think about two or three goals but about one goal because then Celtic have the pressure of the crowd.

“Celtic are favourites, of course, but football can be strange on some occasions.

“Bigger things have happened than Helsingborgs beating Celtic and we have to believe in it. The tactics are done and we have to get the players to believe it.”

While attempting to put some doubt into the Celtic camp, the former Manchester City and Norwich City defender admitted being a fan of the Parkhead club’s tradition and their supporters.

“This is one of the best places to play football in Europe and I hope the players enjoy it,” said Hareide.

“These are probably the best fans in Europe and this is why football will survive, because of teams like Celtic, the fans of Celtic and the footballing tradition.

“I was brought up with it, I know it from when I played in England and I enjoyed Hampden with Norway and the way the fans reacted after we beat them.

“You never see that in the rest of the world. You see anger and bitterness and people shouting.

“So if Helsingborgs can’t get into the Champions League it will be good for Celtic to be there because of their fans.”