Celtic move one step closer to booking their place in the Champions League group stage after thumping Kazakh champions Astana 5-0 in the play-off first leg.

It took little over 30 minutes for Celtic to break the deadlock. Tom Rogic drove into the box and lifted a ball into the area that Evgeni Postnikov could only divert to his own net.

Trevor Sinclair doubled the tally before the break for the Hoops. He scored his second goal of the night in the 60th minute.

James Forrest added a fourth, and Leigh Griffiths capped off a memorable night when his shot was deflected in off Igor Shitov for the fifth goal.

Celtic showed ruthless instincts in front of goal that made a huge difference in the match. The two sides will meet again on Tuesday for the second leg, but surely it looks like a formality for the Scottish champions.

Former Celtic player and club hero, Chris Sutton, has taken to social networking site, Twitter to express his feelings after the match.

.@btsportfootball Simply superb Champions League here we come

— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) August 16, 2017

.@btsportfootball Bitton superb!! Ntcham really mature Griffiths would stroll the English Premier but keep it quiet….Outstanding ☝️

— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) August 16, 2017

Former Premier League winger and now turned football pundit, Trevor Sinclair, has hailed Brendan Rodgers following Celtic’s win.

Very competent performance by Celtic tonight, developing and improving all the time under BR

— Trevor Sinclair (@trevor8sinclair) August 16, 2017