FT: Celtic 5-0 Astana - Champions League play-off

1. Shitov own goal and Forrest add to Celtic rout
2. Sinclair twice converts after getting in behind Astana defence
3. Postnikov knocked in Rogic shot for opener
4. Winners of tie progress to group stage
5. Astana top of the Kazakh Premier League, 23 games into campaign

Good night

Well, it's been quite a night for Celtic. Barring a collapse, they will be in the group stage draw for the Champions League. Thanks for logging on to our coverage of the first leg in Glasgow. You'll find plenty more reaction on our website this evening and tomorrow. All the best.

Stand-in defender Bitton

More from Brendan Rodgers: "We want to go there and win the game. We're in a better place. We have to complete the second leg and finish the job off. There was lots of speculation about Nir Bitton. There's no-one knows better than me if he was good enough. I wouldn't play him if I didn’t think he was. He made a lot less mistakes than many centre-halves I see, that are actual centre-halves. I thought he was outstanding tonight - defending, taking the ball, he gives us the composure to build the game and when he is under pressure he has the ability to find a midfield player."

'Some of our play was outstanding'

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "Every game in this qualification is a pressure game. The pleasing aspect is how the players coped with that - their calmness in possession, how we circulated the ball and how we opened up the spaces and tired Astana out. They normally don’t press. Once we found our angles we could play through them that wee bit better. Some of our play was outstanding. It was very complete. We now need to get the job done in the second game."

Rodgers proud of his players

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "It's a great demonstration of the work that the players have made over the past season - the maturity, the belief in a shape and their understanding of the game. We scored five goals and we missed one or two chances. To do this against a team that a couple of years ago was drawing with Atletico Madrid and Benfica, I'm very proud of the team."

Waiting on the media conference

We're still waiting to hear what Brendan Rodgers has to say about his team's dismantling of Astana. The media conference is about to begin in the next few minutes.

Goal number five

Leigh Griffiths looks on as his shot is deflected off Igor Shitov into the Astana net for Celtic's fifth.

SNS

The pressure's off

Celtic captain Scott Brown and some of his team-mates enjoy the post-match celebrations.

SNS

Griffiths matures

"It was a real mature performance. How much he has come on in the last year, it's been phenomenal to see. He is now the number nine for Scotland and that's because of the changes he has made in his game. Gordon Strachan now trusts him up there."

Post-match reaction

If you have time to stay with us we'll bring you some quotes from Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Elsewhere on the continent

Here are tonight's other results in the play-off first legs:

Hapoel Beer Sheva 2-1 Maribor

Istanbul Basaksehir1-2 Sevilla

Napoli 2-0 Nice

Olympiakos 2-1 Rijeka

Forrest's fire

James Forrest scores Celtic's fourth on their way to a 5-0 win, which Uefa says is a joint record-winning margin and a record home win in the Champions League play-offs.

SNS

No rest for Celtic's top players

Former Celtic players Scott McDonald and Pat Bonner, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, are certain that Brendan Rodgers should take his full squad to Kazakhstan for Tuesday's return leg. No slacking.

Celtic's progress

"This shows you how far this team have come. Last year they were nervous but they got through to the group stage. European football is the benchmark to measure any Celtic team. I think they are a team that can now compete in the group stage. I think you have to talk them up now. They have Dembele and Boyata to come back in and they may add others. Brendan will be very ambitious. I think they can go into a group and get better results than last year."

A stroll in the rain

Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic players take a stroll around the pitch applauding the fans, who return the compliment.

News coming to us that Uefa has "awarded" the fifth goal to Igor Shitov rather than Leigh Griffiths.

FULL-TIME

Celtic win a late corner

Celtic take a short corner in the dying seconds. When the whistle blows, Leigh Griffiths hoofs the ball into the stand and the celebrations begin.

More to come from Celtic

What's encouraging for Celtic is that they have won this match, and surely the tie, without two near certain starters - defender Dedryck Boyata and striker Moussa Dembele, both of whom are out injured.

ADDED TIME

There are five minutes of injury time.

GOAL Celtic 5-0 Astana

Astana are in disarray as Leigh Griffiths, in yet another move down the inside-right channel, knocks in Celtic's fifth goal, via a deflection. The Celtic fans are loving this. Griffiths is too.

Celtic too hot for Astana

"Celtic have gone through Astana like a blowtorch through butter tonight," Liam McLeod tells BBC Radio Scotland listeners.

Celtic make a change

Stuart Armstrong is on for the scorer of the fourth goal, James Forrest.

'Tie over'

Absolutely sublime ball through from Ntcham for that goal. He's been immense this evening. Tie over. Barring a complete collapse Celtic will be in the Champions League group stages.

GOAL Celtic 4-0 Astana

Celtic are in complete control of this tie. Their fans will be looking to see who they might be drawn against in the group stage. James Forrest, in a move similar to Scott Sinclair's second goal, picks up a simple pass from Leigh Griffiths as he races into the box on the overlap and crashes a shot across Aleksandr Mokin, who really ought to have done better.

Change for Astana

Marin Tomasov is off, Roman Murtazayev his replacement for the visitors.

Are there more goals in this?

We have 15 minutes to go at Celtic Park. Can Celtic score a fourth to surely seal the tie, or will the nature of next Tuesday's second leg change with an Astana away goal?

Celtic giving it everything

Every Celtic player is giving absolutely everything out there at the moment - in defence and attack. When a ball is lost, it's chased down. When Astana come forward, they're back in numbers. Fitness certainly not an issue

Group stage 'within touching distance'

Even at this stage of the tie, Celtic will feel they are within touching distance of the group stage. If they can prevent Astana scoring an away goal, they will travel to the second leg without any tension or anxiety. Nerve and composure are the vital components for the final stage of this first leg

Ouch!

Behi-i-i-ind you! Everyone, except poor Scott Sinclair, could see it coming. Igor Shitov hammers into the back of the Celtic scorer, booting his standing leg and sending him crashing to the turf right in front of a horrified Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic boss.The Northern Irishman throws his hands up, appealing to the ref who, you can be sure, was going to book Shitov in any case.

Astana threaten

Junior Kabananga wins a corner kick out on the right as his attempted pass across the face of the goal is knocked behind. Patrick Twumasi takes the set-piece but the visitors can find no way through.

Griffiths' big chance

Leigh Griffiths, hampered by a lack of windscreen wipers as the rain comes lashing down in stair rods, is clean through on the Astana goal. With the crowd on their feet ready to celebrate a fourth goal, the Celtic striker swipes his shot wide of the target. He looks to the heavens and gets a faceful of Glasgow rain.

GOAL Celtic 3-0 Astana

Scott Sinclair scores his second of the night, knocking the ball through the keeper's legs. It looked like a few players hesitated when Tom Rogic and Ivan Maevski clashed heads going for a high ball, but in any case Sinclair was on to the loose ball in a flash, feeding it to Leigh Griffiths before running on to his return pass and dispatching it past Aleksandr Mokin.

Astana waste set-piece

Jozo Simunovic fouls Junior Kabananga and concedes a free-kick about 30 yards from the Celtic goal. Patrick Twumasi clips the set-piece into the box but sends it too close to goalie Craig Gordon who gathers with ease. Celtic are in charge but the loss of just one goal would change the complexion of the tie.

Sinclair in the mood

Scott Brown picks up the ball in the centre circle and easily sends his marker the wrong way before sliding the ball forward to Scott Sinclair. His legs are a blur as he advances at pace and passes to Leigh Griffiths in the Astana box. Alas, the linesman has his flag up for offside against Griffiths. Sinclair is beginning to show the form that made him the best player in Scotland last season.

YELLOW CARD

Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney is booked for a high tackle on Igor Shitov.

Ifs and buts

Sportsound commentator Liam McLeod points out that, with Olympiakos losing (and if they were to fail to get through their play-off match), then Celtic would be in the third pot for the group stage draw...if they can win the tie against Astana.

'A clean sheet is vital'

Celtic have shown resourcefulness so far, taking advantage of slackness in the Astana defence to take command of the scoreline. If they show their experience and game-management awareness in the second half, they could end the tie as a contest. A clean sheet is vital, but Astana's defence has been vulnerable enough to suggest that other Celtic goals are more than possible.

KICK-OFF

Celtic begin the second half and win a free-kick straight away as Igor Shitov fells Kieran Tierney.

Celtic's second goal

Another view of Scott Sinclair's goal. What a feeling that must be; that moment when the ball has left your foot and you know it's going in the net.

SNS

What now for Astana?

Astana will have to come out because they will want a goal to take back to their place and, if they do, Celtic are more than capable of picking them off. Gaps are going to appear and that should mean Celtic will have more chances.

Sinclair's moment of magic

With half-time looming, Scott Sinclair slides a shot past Aleksandr Mokin to put Celtic in command. The goalkeeper got his hands to it but just couldn't keep it out.

SNS