Celtic old Bhoy in no mood for mercy

On an Arctic night when any surface water turned to ice well before kick-off, Celtic's hopes of playing in the next round of the Champions League froze too.

Martin O'Neill's team can still make it through to the second stage but they will have to beat Juventus next Wednesday to do so and hope Porto do not beat Rosenborg at the same time.

Such a pair of results would amount to a surprise defrosting but Celtic are at least in Glasgow next week.

They ended their group travels last night by conceding their eighth goal in three trips, the pain of which was compounded by the fact that their former player Harold Brattbakk scored both of them.

Despite John Hartson's hat-trick against Dundee United on Saturday, O'Neill resisted the temptation to use the Wales striker with Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson fit again.

That good news was quickly offset by bad from another striker who has played for Celtic, Brattbakk. After 19 minutes of fairly uneventful activity, with neither goalkeeper forced into a save, a long pass thrown forward by Janne Saarinen which resulted in what in rugby is known as second-phase ball.

Brattbakk got to it first and struck it immediately from 25 yards. That should have given Robert Douglas time to make a block but a combination of Joos Valgaeren's challenge and the freezing surface left Douglas unsighted as the ball zipped in off the turf.

With Saarinen and Roar Strand beginning to click down Rosenborg's left, leaving Bobo Balde exposed, the Norwegian champions began to flow ominously.

Strand rocked Douglas on to the back foot with a drive just past the half-hour and nine minutes before half-time Brattbakk made it 2-0 with his second of the evening.

Collecting the ball from Strand, Brattbakk fed Sigurd Rushfeldt as he surged into the area. Rushfeldt hit a low, first-time shot, Douglas cleared it but the ball ran to Brattbakk who took his time before placing it in his left-hand corner.

Celtic were seriously cold now. Another Rosenborg move, this time down the Celtic left, produced a cross from Rushfeldt. Balde and Brattbakk challenged for it at the far post and as the ball fell free, Balde tugged Brattbakk.

Balde did not complain about the penalty award nor presumably about Douglas's impressive parry low to his right from Bent Skammelsrud.

Things, therefore, could have been a lot more difficult for Celtic in the second half and O'Neill is sure to have reminded them of that during the interval.

An early goal and they would be back in it and when Larsson swooped on to a bouncing ball in the 46th minute it looked for a moment as if Celtic had their reply. Larsson's effort, however, trickled wide.

But Celtic had at least caused Rosenborg a problem. Ten minutes later Didier Agathe did so again and from a Sutton centre Larsson made Arni Arason produce his first work of note on the night.

Arason did it well and that was only the start of Celtic's attacking frustration. In the 63rd minute Larsson hit the crossbar with a header and three minutes later Sutton put a free header from six yards into the side-netting.

It was not to be their night as Brattbakk's smile at the final whistle told its own story.

ROSENBORG: Arason, Saarinen, Hoftun, Basma, Olsen, Strand, Berg (Winsnes 73), Skammelsrud, Rushfeldt, George (Johnson 83), Brattbakk. Subs Not Used: Espen Johnsen, Frode Johnsen, Knutsen, Blixt, Stensaas. Booked: Basma, Saarinen. Goals: Brattbakk 19, 36.

CELTIC: Douglas, Valgaeren, Balde, Mjallby, Thompson (Hartson 78), Petrov (Moravcik 67), Lambert, Lennon, Agathe, Larsson, Sutton. Subs Not Used: Kharine, Sylla, McNamara, Tebily, Guppy. Booked: Petrov, Lennon.

Referee: Juan Antonio Fernandez Marin (Madrid).