Rodgers hails ‘sensational Celtic’ as Liam Scales scoops man of the match award in five-star Champions League performance

Brendan Rodgers declared before the game that his side were more ready than ever to make their mark on Europe’s elite competition and they vindicated his confidence as Liam Scales opened their campaign with a 17th-minute header.

The Scottish champions should have been out of sight by half-time but they finally found their range in the second half.

Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and substitute Adam Idah sent Celtic second in the league.

On paper this was Celtic’s best chance of three points, playing against a side who were making their debut at this level of the Champions League, and the visitors had other chances apart from Kevin Wimmer’s goal.

But Slovan had gone through eight games of qualifying without defeat and the resounding nature of Celtic’s performance sparked a carnival atmosphere among a support who had to wait 10 years for a home group-stage win before seeing their team beat Feyenoord in a dead rubber last year.

Maeda could easily have had Celtic two ahead before Man of the Match Scales netted. The winger fired over inside four minutes after being played in by Alistair Johnston after the home side broke Slovan’s high press. He soon headed straight at the goalkeeper from six yards after a short corner.

The opener came from another corner as Engels whipped in an inswinger and Scales made good contact at the near post. Goalkeeper Dominik Takac could only palm the ball into the net.

Rodgers’ side could have doubled their lead within 60 seconds when Nicolas Kuhn superbly set up Furuhashi but Takac saved.

The chances kept coming. Engels had a powerful shot parried, Kuhn mis-kicked from 10 yards, and Furuhashi skied over the crossbar after Reo Hatate put the ball on a plate.

However, Celtic could have gone in at half-time level had Vladimir Weiss not hesitated when played inside Alistair Johnston. The former Rangers winger, who was earlier booked for taking out Engels, delayed and saw his shot blocked.

Celtic’s last two Champions League campaigns had been undermined by missed chances when on top and they came out after half-time seemingly determined to avoid a repeat.

Within two minutes, Kuhn waltzed to the byline and drove the ball across the face of goal for Furuhashi to force home.

Engels made it three in the 56th minute after Johnston had been felled with a high challenge from Danylo Ihnatenko.

Both second-half goalscorers also forced saves as Celtic pinned Slovan back as their supporters revelled in their dominance.

However, sliced clearances from both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor offered Wimmer the chance to guide a shot into the top corner from 15 yards.

But Celtic were soon back on top. Takac scrambled to stop Callum McGregor’s long-range effort and Maeda slotted home in the 70th minute as Celtic’s Japanese trio combined to cut the Slovakian champions open.

Idah then netted his first goal of the season after being played in by fellow sub James Forrest with three minutes left.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hailed his side’s “absolutely sensational” second-half display.

Rodgers sensed a greater belief about his side as they built on their recent domestic form to record a bigger victory than they ever managed in the old group phase.

Rodgers said: “In the second half the players were absolutely sensational. The mentality, hunger, greedy for goals, greedy for the ball – working right to the very end, and we could have had more than five.

“There was a big expectation going into the game but it was important not to complicate things, just play our football and see if we could put them under stress and see if they could live with it.

“The intensity right from the off was superb and in the second half we turned the screw. We had other chances and that’s what we want, we want to be really, really difficult to play against with and without the ball.”

After making Parkhead one of the most feared grounds in European football in the early part of the century, Celtic have struggled at this level for a long time, and Rodgers felt the need to change the mindset.

“We want to change that mood and feeling and we have worked hard from the start of pre-season to get to this point where we can have that belief,” he said.

“I said ‘don’t overthink it’, that’s the key. The razzmatazz around the Champions League is amazing but we are playing against a team who defend 4-4-2, which we play against in the league. There are different tiers but it’s still the same idea.

“You can see the confidence we have from pre-season. That’s the level and we want to keep showing that.

“It’s giving he players the belief to play our game because those goals, you will have seen them a number of times.

“Sometimes when you are paying in the Champions League, people think you have to do something different. You don’t, just get the intensity in the game, make it really difficult to play against with our pressure and fight for the ball and that will activate you with the ball.

“We know where we want to get to as a club and that was a nice step.”

Slovan head coach Vladimir Weiss said: “Celtic have been very effective. I think we made a good impression even though the score says different.

“They pressed us very well, you could see their attacking players sprinting forward.

“We played to our standards. We knew we were going to face some of the best teams in the world. Credit to Celtic and Brendan Rodgers, he is a fantastic coach.

“The atmosphere in their stadium is one of the best in the world. In this atmosphere it’s almost impossible.”