Brendan Rodgers will take all the luck that is going if it means Celtic progress to the Champions League.
The Hoops boss was delighted with the 1-1 draw against Astana in the first leg of their third round qualifier in Kazakhstan on Wednesday night, although the Scottish champions had to survive a tough test.
Defender Yuri Logvinenko headed the home side ahead from a corner in the 19th minute and the Parkhead men then struggled to stay on the ropes.
However, striker Leigh Griffiths drilled in a shot from the edge of the box in the 78th minute to stun Astana and put the Parkhead men firmly in the driving seat for the second leg at Celtic Park next week.
When Rodgers was asked by a local journalist if he felt Celtic had been lucky, the Irishman, with tongue firmly in cheek and more than a hint of diplomacy, said: "Very lucky - I am Irish.
"We had to cope with some elements of pressure but you would expect that away from home.
"I thought we dealt really well with that.
"If we continue to be lucky and get through then we will be happy."
Rodgers praised his side's fortitude on a night when they were at times defending at full stretch.
The former Liverpool boss said: "It was an outstanding result for us. Collectively the mentality was the most pleasing thing.
"The resilience and strength that we have built up over the course of the pre-season came into effect.
"I was disappointed with the goal, it is nothing new, but we showed a wonderful mentality to keep fighting and in the second half we restricted them to not so many clear chances and ended up scoring a fantastic goal.
"It is only half time but it is a very important result for us.
"I think we were all written off before the game, everyone pretty clear in their opinion of the game, that we would do well to come back with anything other than a loss.
"But the players deserve an immense amount of credit, to fight and show spirit and passion in the game."
Source: PA-WIRE
