Neil Lennon hailed his heroic Omonia Nicosia players after taking a huge step towards the Europa League group stage with a stunning 2-0 win over Gent in Belgium with the help of two his former charges. Rangers flop Brandon Barker - who played under Lennon at Hibs - netted the late goal to put the seal on the victory while former Celtic full back Adam Matthews was introduced as a substitute in the playoff first leg tie.
Lennon was only appointed boss of the Cypriot side in March and led them to silverware a couple of months later when he won the Cypriot Cup and is now firmly on course to lead them to the group stage of a UEFA competition for only the second time in the club’s history.
The ex-Easter Road gaffer could then be on a collision course with former Edinburgh rivals Hearts if they can overcome their 2-1 first leg deficit against FC Zurich to secure a group stage place or even Rangers if they fail to reach the Champions League group stage after a 2-2 first leg draw with PSV Eindhoven and drop into UEFA’s second tier competition, where they reached the final last season.
Lennon, who masterminded Celtic’s famous victory over Barcelona, was beaming with pride and spoke of their detailed homework on the opposition to exploit their weaknesses. The Irishman said: “We dissected AA Gent very well and knew where their weaknesses lay. Together with the staff, we analysed AA Gent very well. I knew where their strengths were but also their weaknesses.
“We immediately pinned them and they couldn't get out. In the second half we dropped back a bit, but we managed to make it 2-0 on the counter. I call that a good result, but we are only halfway through the stage.
“I am extremely satisfied and proud of my players. I think the fans who travelled along also share that opinion. The way we played here was excellent. We managed to score twice on a visit to the Belgian cup winner.
"But I immediately push everyone with their feet on the ground again. We are certainly not there yet, even though we are pulling back to Cyprus with a nice 2-0 lead. If you watch the second half, you know that AA Gent has a lot of qualities. We can be satisfied with the result, but we will work very hard to extend that fact next Thursday.”
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