Lennon hopeful Celtic can qualify after Ajax win

Lennon hopeful Celtic can qualify after Ajax win

Neil Lennon says Celtic's 2-1 Champions League home win over Ajax has left his side in a great position to progress from Group H.

Ajax's Viktor Fischer (L) and Celtic's Beram Kayal during their Champions League in Glasgow, Scotland on October 22, 2013

The Hoops kick-started their campaign as a first-half James Forrest penalty and a second-half Beram Kayal strike handed them their first points after defeats to AC Milan and Barcelona in their opening two fixtures.

The result sees the Scottish giants leapfrog Ajax into third place to trail Milan by just two points and move four behind table toppers Barcelona.

And Lennon said Celtic's performance in Glasgow left him with the belief that his side could emulate their success of last season and qualify for the last 16 of the competition.

"The result leaves us in a very good position. We now have to get a result at Ajax if we can," Lennon said.

"That's going to be very difficult on tonight's evidence but it's not beyond us. That gives us three points and we are only two points behind Milan now so it leaves it open for us again.

"I knew that the group was going to be tight and difficult and I was happy with our performances in the first two games so it gave me a lot to be encouraged by coming into this double-header with Ajax.

"If we had lost the game that would have been no points after three games and we would have been out and chasing our tails.

"If we had got a point it wouldn't have been the end of the world but we got the win and it's wide open now.

"It is a massive win in the context of the group and we have given ourselves a great chance now."

The two sides are due to clash again in Amsterdam in three weeks time and Lennon knows his side's hard work in Glasgow would all be undone by defeat in the Netherlands.

"Ajax at home in Amsterdam are a formidable side. You can see that in the amount of possession they had tonight," Lennon said.

"They pass the ball and move the ball very well but I thought we coped with the majority of the stuff that they threw at us."

The Hoops were without first-team regulars Kris Commons and Adam Matthews through injury while captain Scott Brown was suspended and Lennon was full of praise for the players who came in to replace them.

"We have to give huge credit to the players here. This is their 19th competitive game already and that's half a season.

"The squad is really stretched with players coming back from injury and players out with injury and players suspended.

"The players got better as the game went on. It was a heroic effort tonight and hopefully we will get a few more back for the game in Amsterdam and we can go into the game confident."

It proved to be an unhappy return to Glasgow for Ajax coach Frank de Boer - who had lost both his previous matches at Parkhead as a player during a brief spell with Celtic's fierce rivals Rangers in 2004 - with his side now languishing at the bottom of the group with just one point.

However, Ajax had good chances to score through Christian Poulsen, Siem de Jong and Thulani Serero before substitute Lasse Schone netted in stoppage time.

And De Boer refused to write off his side's chances of qualifying and was disparaging about Celtic's performance at Parkhead.

"I have mixed feelings about the result. Celtic didn't create anything. Although they scored twice one was a penalty and the other one wasn't really a chance," de Boer said.

"We dominated the game but we only scored one goal. We should have equalised and then moments later it was 2-0 so I am very disappointed.

"For second place it is going to be very hard but we have one point and if we win at home against Celtic we will be one point ahead of them."

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