OPINION
Celtic secured an all-important 1-0 win over Rosenborg on Thursday night to keep their Europa League fate in their own hands, and there were plenty of talking points to take away from the clash.
It was Scott Sinclair who grabbed the only goal of the match when he was on hand to head home James Forrest’s pinpoint cross to the back post following some nice work on the right wing involving Mikael Lustig.
This is Futbol have picked out three things we learned about Celtic v Rosenborg below.
Forrest form continues
One of the main features of Celtic’s season so far has been the form of winger James Forrest, who has been on fire for the entirety of the campaign until this point. The Scotland international’s form for both club and country has been nothing short of phenomenal, and that continued on Thursday. Forrest did not necessarily put in a storming display, but he contributed where it mattered with a pinpoint cross for Sinclair to nod home. Keeping Forrest fit and firing will be key for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic’s success over the course of the season.
Rogic slightly off the pace
Tom Rogic is Celtic’s best player by a mile when he is on the ball, but that was not quite the case on Thursday in Norway. The Australia international showed some flashes of his prodigious talent, especially in the first-half, but his decision making let him down in several important moments. Rogic then faded into total obscurity in the second period and just looked slightly off the pace all evening in truth. The Hoops will be hoping this is merely a blip for Rogic, with the midfielder key to their hopes of winning the Betfred Cup final against Aberdeen this weekend.
Sinclair must be axed despite goal
The form of Scott Sinclair has been a huge talking point for the Hoops this season, with the English winger showing glimpses of good play at times throughout the campaign so far. On the whole though the 29-year-old has been mightily disappointing, with Sinclair looking a shadow of the player who won so many accolades in their ‘invincibles’ season. And, despite the fact he scored the winning goal on Thursday, it was much the same for Sinclair. In truth, he couldn’t miss after Forrest’s pinpoint cross, and apart from that he did little of note. While Rodgers is dealing with some injury issues in attack, he has plenty of options instead of Sinclair, and he must harshly axe the 5’10” ace [Transfermarkt] for their crucial clash on Sunday.