There was a running joke amongst Celtic fans that Rosenborg and the Hoops would end up forging a rivalry at some point; with the Eliteserien side being pitted against Celtic in the Champions League for what seemed like year upon year.
Despite the first meeting between ourselves and the Norwegian giants landing in 2017 – in which Celtic won 1-0 on aggregate in a tense tie in Trondheim – the clubs were pitted against each other once more a year later.
The Hoops progressed 3-1 on aggregate under Brendan Rodgers, and fans joked that they would meet the 26-time top-flight winners in next season’s qualification process for the third time in three seasons.
They didn’t even make it that far – the pair met in the Europa League just two months later in the group stages after failing to qualify for the Champions League proper, with Celtic prevailing victorious on both occasions.
But it was the 3-1 win over Rini Coolen’s men in 2018 that sticks out as the most memorable performance as a brace from Odsonne Édouard and a howitzer from Olivier Ntcham put the Celts in the driving seat ahead of the return leg.
Proceedings got off to the worst possible start on the quarter hour mark when Rosenborg broke on the counter. Some slick passing football and a pirouette found a bleached-blonde Birger Solberg Meling, whose cultured left-footed finish got the better of Craig Gordon in the Celtic goal to give the visitors a vital away goal.
Time ticked on, and it appeared Celtic would be left pining for an equaliser going into the interval as fans feared the worst; though Edouard had his answer.
Callum McGregor brought the ball up the pitch before finding Scott Sinclair down the left-hand side.
The Englishman was afforded space, and his deft cut-back found Edouard, before his reverse finish bamboozled Andre Hansen to lift the weight off of 60,000 Celtic fans.
It was a mere matter of seconds following the break that the Hoops took the lead through a moment of brilliance from Olivier Ntcham.
McGregror was once again the architect, feeding the ball to Ntcham about 25 yards from goal – although it was the Frenchman that stole the show.
A shimmy wrong-footed a Rosenborg midfielder, giving the now-Swansea star space to operate in the middle of the D – and when you leave Ntcham that much space, you are asking for trouble. His right-footed strike curled superbly into the top corner to give Celtic the lead after just 45 seconds of the second-half.
And with 15 minutes left, the tie was all but wrapped up when Edouard raced clear after a Rosenborg defender failed to step up from a James Forrest through ball.
25th July 2018, Celtic 3:1 Rosenborg.
Edouard(2) and Ntcham. @Oedouard22 @OlivierNtcham pic.twitter.com/pOLAH0Tzkz
— Li’l Ze (@LilZe_7) July 24, 2022
Calm, composed and as cheeky as ever, Eddy lifted the ball over Hansen to send Celtic Park into raptures on that warm Wednesday evening.
The team that day was as follows: Gordon, Gamboa, Hendry, Ajer, Tierney, Brown, McGregor, Ntcham (Rogic, 76), Forrest, Edouard, Sinclair.
Unused subs: Christie, Allan, Bain, Ralston, Johnston, Kouassi.
