Sutton signals Celtic's return to grand stage

Ajax 1 Celtic 3

Martin O'Neill and his rejuvenated Celtic side can begin preparing to measure themselves at the highest level, and earn the club a few bob into the bargain, after an outstanding display in this Champions' League qualifier last night.

The Scottish treble-winners swept aside Ajax, another former European champion club, with a performance of attacking panache and defensive discipline which spoke volumes for O'Neill's influence in his 13 months at Parkhead.

While O'Neill declared himself "very pleased" his counterpart, Co Adriaanse, was even more forthcoming. "We had a lesson in football," said the Ajax manager.

O'Neill, who picked out the performances of Sutton and Neil Lennon, added: "I thought we produced some terrific football. But we still have a distance to go. There is no one in our dressing room who thinks we have won the tie."

Set up by goals from Bobby Petta, after five minutes, and Didier Agathe, after 18, Celtic were briefly endangered by Shota Arveladze's reply. But, faced with a threatened Ajax onslaught, O'Neill and his players kept their nerve and Chris Sutton, capping a fine performance, deservedly restored their dominance early in the second half.

While Ajax showed enough to suggest the second leg, in Glasgow in 13 days time, will not be a formality it is hard to envisage Celtic wasting this chance to make their Champions' League bow.

For both teams reaching that arena represents the next step on the long haul back to the game's summit. Yet, despite the stakes, this match was an open one from the first minute when Nikos Machlas headed Ahmed Hossam's cross just wide.

It was a nervous start for a Celtic team in which Tommy Boyd and Jackie McNamara were making their first starts of the season, but they soon settled. Taking the game to their hosts they reaped a quick dividend as Sutton, receiving a pass from Neil Lennon, held off Abubakari Yakubu to curl a teasing cross towards Henrik Larsson. Though the ball eluded him it tempted Fred Grim into a weak punch. The ball fell to Petta and the Dutchman coolly put his compatriots behind.

Not all the near-10,000 travelling support, the largest away following ever seen at an Ajax game, saw the goal as they were still making their way from the bars of Dam Square. Most had arrived, however, in time to see Larsson head a short corner against the bar after 15 minutes and were in place to cheer when Sutton's flick and Larsson's pass released Agathe to score.

The songs of hope and history began rolling down from the hooped hordes banked behind Robert Douglas's goal but, had it not been for a sharp intervention by the keeper, the anthems would have been abruptly interrupted. Douglas, seeing a miscued shot find its way to the unmarked Hossam, threw himself forward to block the Egyptian's close-range shot.

Seven minutes before the break Ajax's attempts to claw their way back were rewarded. Pius Ikedia, a young Nigerian winger, dribbled past three defenders before cutting the ball back and, though Douglas parried Machlas's shot, Arveladze drove in the rebound.

Ajax threw on Zlatan Ibrahimovic at half-time, forcing Celtic's defence to go man-for-man. But O'Neill decided against disrupting his team in response, backing his strikers to hit Ajax on the break. Larsson almost proved him right immediately, running onto Sutton's flick but rolling his shot just wide.

O'Neill's gamble might then have misfired as Machlas, set up by Ibrahimovic, forced Douglas into a flying save. But vindication arrived in the shape of Sutton. Having found Agathe on the right with a fine pass, the Englishman sprinted into the middle to head the Frenchman's cross in off the crossbar.

But for an athletic save by Grim Sutton would have scored again late on to seal the tie. Yet while that enabled Adriaanse to insist "we can still go through," he did not seem to believe it.

Ajax (4-4-2): Grim; Trabelsi, Pasanen, Yakubu (Van der Meyde, 74), Chivu; Ikedia (Ibrahimovic, h-t), Cruz, Van der Vaart, Hossam; Machlas, Arveladze. Substitutes not used: Lobont (gk), Vierklau, Bergdolmo, Knopper, Maxwell.

Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Boyd, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, McNamara, Petta (Guppy, 86); Larsson (Hartson, 83), Sutton. Substitutes not used: Kharin (gk), Sylla, Crainey, Tébily, Moravcik.

Referee: A J Lopez Nieto (Spain).