Celtic Dominates Slovan Bratislava 5-1 In Champions League Opener With Engels' Stellar Performance

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Celtic made a strong start in the Champions League by defeating Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in their opening match. Arne Engels set up Liam Scales for a powerful header in the 17th minute at Celtic Park. Later, Engels scored from the penalty spot in the second half. Kyogo Furuhashi had earlier added Celtic's second goal, just nine minutes before Engels' penalty was awarded due to Danylo Ignatenko's foul on Alistair Johnson.

Kevin Wimmer, a Swiss defender, managed to reduce the deficit with a skilful outside-of-the-boot shot on the hour mark. However, Daizen Maeda quickly restored Celtic's lead ten minutes later after combining well with Reo Hatate. Substitute Adam Idah completed the scoring with four minutes left, capitalising on James Forrest's pass to seal a comprehensive victory.

Engels' performance was notable as he became only the second player to both score and assist on his Champions League debut for Celtic. The first was Henrik Larsson against Juventus in September 2001. Brendan Rodgers' team dominated throughout, achieving an impressive expected goals (xG) tally of 3.22 compared to Bratislava's mere 0.30.

This match marked only the second instance where Celtic scored four or more goals in a single Champions League game. The previous occasion was a thrilling 4-3 win over Juventus in October 2001. Additionally, this game saw five different players score for Celtic in a European Cup or Champions League match for the first time since September 1973 against TPS Turku.

The diverse scoring lineup included Dixie Deans, George Connelly, Harry Hood, James Johnstone, and Thomas Callaghan back then. This recent victory highlights Celtic's attacking prowess and sets a positive tone for their Champions League campaign.