Celtic ease through despite early scare in Iceland

Stjarnan 1 Celtic 4 (Celtic progress 6-1 on agg)

Celtic eased past Stjarnan in their Champions League second qualifier but not before an early scare against the Icelandic part-timers.

The Hoops travelled to the tiny Samsungvollur stadium with a 2-0 advantage from last week’s first leg in Glasgow but found themselves under some unexpected pressure after only six minutes when Olafur Karl Finsen shot the home side into a shock lead.

However, midfielder Nir Bitton eased the nerves when he levelled in the 32nd minute from a Stefan Johansen corner and when defender Charlie Mulgrew fired in a second early in the second-half it was all over as a contest with late goals from substitute Leigh Griffiths and Johansen making it 4-1 to see the Hoops through 6-1 on aggregate.

Ronny Deila’s side will play Qarabag in the third qualifier, with the first game at Celtic Park next week, and are sure to be tested to a greater degree against the Azerbaijan outfit who came through their tie against Montenegro’s Rudar Pljevlja.