Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava: Celtic blow visitors away in Champions League opener

Celtic achieved a significant milestone by winning their opening match in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2001, securing a commanding 5-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava. This victory represents only their fourth win in the last 33 matches within this prestigious competition.

After an impressive start to their domestic season, where they have won all five league matches without conceding a goal, Brendan Rodgers’ squad shifted their focus to the Champions League. The Scottish team has struggled in recent years, failing to progress beyond the group stage in their last seven attempts since the 2012/13 season.

In front of a vibrant crowd at Celtic Park, the home team began the match with great intensity, as Daizen Maeda sprinted to meet a long ball but unfortunately sent his shot over the crossbar.

Celtic's positive momentum continued, and they found the net shortly after the 15-minute mark when Liam Scales scored from a corner taken by Arne Engels, becoming the first Republic of Ireland international to score in the Champions League since 2011.

Just two minutes later, the home side nearly doubled their lead when Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn set up Kyogo Furuhashi in the penalty area. However, after taking a touch, the Japanese forward's shot was directed straight at goalkeeper Dominik Takac.

Slovan, making their Champions League debut, believed they had a penalty opportunity in the 30th minute when a shot from Vladimír Weiss struck Scales' arm, but referee Danny Makkelie dismissed the claims.

Despite leading by a single goal at halftime, Rodgers would have felt some frustration that his team did not extend their lead, having registered eight shots, four of which were on target.

Celtic resumed their dominance immediately after the halftime interval, extending their advantage within two minutes of the second half. A rapid team maneuver culminated in Furuhashi tapping in from Kuhn’s cross, effectively doubling the score.

The home supporters were in high spirits, celebrating once more less than ten minutes later when Alistair Johnston was fouled in the Slovan penalty area. Engels converted the resulting penalty, bringing Celtic's lead to three goals.

Slovan managed to reduce the deficit on the hour mark, capitalizing on a failure to clear the ball, which allowed Kevin Wimmer to finish decisively into the far corner.

Nevertheless, any prospect of a comeback was swiftly extinguished when Maeda scored with his fourth attempt, finishing expertly after receiving a pass from Reo Hatate.

With the victory within reach, Rodgers opted for a triple substitution to manage the final 15 minutes. One of the substitutes, Adam Idah, scored the fifth goal after being set up by James Forrest, securing a seventh consecutive win this season.

Celtic has commenced their campaign in an exemplary fashion and will next face Borussia Dortmund, while the Slovakian team will have a challenging match against Manchester City at home.