Rosenborg 0-1 Celtic: Scott Sinclair header sees Scottish champions close in on knockout stages

Scott Sinclair heads home for Celtic
Scott Sinclair headed home his fifth goal of the season

Celtic moved to within a point of reaching the Europa League knockout stages with an efficient victory over Rosenborg in Trondheim.

Scott Sinclair headed home the only goal from a sumptuous James Forrest cross three minutes before half-time.

With Red Bull Salzburg beating RB Leipzig to win the group, Celtic have their destiny in their own hands.

They need a point against the Austrians in their final group game on 13 December to guarantee qualification.

Leipzig - who finish at home to Rosenborg - remain in contention for second spot, but Celtic will fancy their chances of progressing after their first Europa League away win - at the 17th attempt - since the competition was rebranded in 2009-10.

Their sixth victory from seven matches - the other a draw - since losing 2-0 to Leipzig on 25 October gave their swelling confidence a further boost leading into Sunday's League Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden.

One concern saw right-back Mikael Lustig forced off in discomfort with a thigh issue, although his removal appeared more of a precaution with Sunday in mind, while captain Scott Brown made his return as a substitute for the final 14 minutes.

Rogic return sparks Celtic

Tom Rogic, returning to the Celtic side in place of the benched Olivier Ntcham, looked keen to pick up where he left off before the international break.

The Australian midfielder tired late on but was a prominent figure in a first half-hour where the visitors dominated possession but initially failed to make their ascendancy count.

Rogic thumped an effort over before picking up a loose pass, driving into the Rosenborg box and threading a pass through for Odsonne Edouard, but the French striker was a little slow to react as the hosts cleared the danger.

The half-chances continued to flow. Ryan Christie's snap-shot was deflected wide, Rogic had another shot blocked; Forrest could not quite get control of a pin-point cross from Christie.

Rogic then brought an excellent save from Anders Hansen as the Rosenborg keeper got down well to save his low shot.

When the breakthrough arrived, it came in style.

The in-form Forrest turned Tore Reginiussen on the right flank and stood up a lovely cross to the far post, where Sinclair headed home emphatically.

Rosenborg, in front of a sparse crowd inside the Lerkendal Stadium, threatened only sporadically as they slumped to a fifth group defeat out of five.

Yann-Erik de Lanlay dispossessed Sinclair on the right flank and steered a powerful cross across the face of the box that eluded Nicklas Bendtner, the former Arsenal striker playing despite having a 50-day jail term hanging over his head after dropping his appeal against the sentence for assaulting a taxi driver.

Celtic were also grateful for the intervention of Filip Benkovic in the early moments of the second half, the Croatian centre-back reacting quickest to a dangerous cross from Birger Meling.

But while the hosts made it more of an even contest after the interval, the visitors saw out the game in reasonable comfort.

They might have had more goals - Edouard's close-range effort diverted wide before he made way for Leigh Griffiths, who let fly with a dipping shot in stoppage time.

But one ultimately proved enough, setting up an enticing group finale at Celtic Park in a fortnight.

Graphic of Celtic's group

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