Celtic 3-2 Malmo: Leigh Griffiths double earns advantage in Champions League qualifier
1 Leigh Griffiths Two goals from Leigh Griffiths gave Celtic the edge in their Champions League qualifier against Swedish side Malmo.The hosts found themselves 2-0 up inside 10 minutes after Griffiths and Nir Bitton took advantage of some slack defending.Former Celtic man Jo Inge Berget pulled one back for the visitors after the break but it was cancelled out with Griffiths’ second less than 10 minutes later.However, Malmo had the last word as Berget made the most of a scrappy corner to score his second of the game.Celtic started on the front foot right from the kick-off as Griffiths – who was preferred to Nadir Ciftci up front – opened the scoring after only three minutes.Stefan Johansen picked up the ball outside the area and slipped it through two Malmo defenders for Griffiths, who had beaten the offside trap expertly, to slot home.Celtic doubled their lead inside 10 minutes as Bitton glanced home another Johansen ball, this time from a corner, as he rose unmarked to head in from inside the six-yard box.It was a simple goal with Malmo’s goalkeeper Johan Wiland poorly positioned and the defence unable to pick up the Isreali’s run.Celtic began the second half as they did the first but it was Malmo who scored against the run of play after a breakaway goal from Berget, who scored two goals in four games for the Hoops while on loan from Cardiff in 2014.The Swedish side piled forward and Magnus Wolff Eikrem’s cross missed everyone before reaching Berget at the back post, who fired in for that potentially important away goal.However, shocking defending from the Swedes saw Celtic retake the initiative after an hour as Griffiths scored his second of the match.Malmo failed to clear the danger and with the ball hanging in the air, Griffiths rose highest to lob the ball over Wiland with a precision header off the post and into the goal.But, with virtually the last kick of the game, Berget got his second to set up a finely balanced tie ahead of next week’s second leg.