Leigh Griffiths has told his critics he'll never tire of proving them wrong. Omitted from Celtic's starting line-up, he climbed off the bench to strike with three minutes left against Rosenborg and give his side a precious opening-night win in their Group B campaign
Warned 24 hours previously by Brendan Rodgers he had to do better to become No 1 for Celtic and Scotland, Griffiths knows he'll never gain universal acclaim from the paying public
But having recently become a Celtic centurion, the forward says he'll continue to revel in silencing his detractors
'I've done it for years. I don't know why people keep doubting me and say I can't score goals on the big occasion,' he said
'I've done it in the Champions League, Europa League, League Cup, Scottish Cup and the league
'There are still people doubting me, saying I can't do this and that. But I keep shutting people up
'I'm judged on how I play and how many goals I score. Ultimately, it's about getting three points for the team and that's what I'm good at
' At pains to state his riposte wasn't aimed at Rodgers, Griffiths added: 'The manager isn't having a go at me
He just said the game is evolving and strikers are doing more running and tracking back
I don't have to prove anything. He sees me day in day out. He knows how hard I work on and off the park
' Celtic looked destined for a frustrating stalemate until Griffiths latched on to Dedryck Boyata's header
'I'm buzzing. I just wanted to come on and make an impact. Before I went on, the manager said when we got the ball wide to make sure I was in the box
'Ultimately, it wasn't really a cross I got on the end of. It was a header from Dedryck
But I was delighted to put it away. 'You could say it's the dream scenario although I'd rather play a bit longer
But it's up to the manager. Asked if he felt the goal made him No 1 striker at Celtic, Griffiths replied: 'I don't think there is going to be a designated No 1 striker
'I think the manager and will chop and change who he goes with depending on the opponent
I need to keep working hard in training and do my job so when I come off the bench or start games I put in performances
' A week after Scotland boss Alex McLeish all but confirmed Steven Naismith as his main striker - a development Griffiths described as a 'kick in the teeth' - the Celtic star insisted: 'What I said was taken out of context
Naisy deserves his place, I'm not disputing that. He's been on fire for Hearts. It's entirely up to Mr McLeish
' Earlier on Thursday, Griffiths was convicted of speeding at a court in Dundee, fined £200 and given three penalty points
Asked if he was concerned he might miss kick-off, he said: 'I wouldn't say I rushed! The management knew what time I was going to get here and I'm thankful for their understanding
'It was one I had to take on the chin. It's done with now. I'm finishing the night on a high
I'll go home and sleep like a baby.' Just 24 hours after warning Griffiths he had to do more to adapt to the modern role of striker, Rodgers insisted he can always rely on the striker
And in reference to off-field distractions, the Celtic boss said: 'He seems to have this in-built brain to deal with all this stuff
Probably a lot of players, what happens in their world can be a real distraction
He learns to deal with it. 'He's a great boy, we all love him and I know I can rely on him, when I put him on the pitch, that he always has the possibility to score
It was a great night for him and the team and our first three points.' On his pre-match criticism of Griffiths, he said: 'It's not just Leigh
Every player needs to improve, especially in the top end of the field. We know Leigh can score goals
You fancy him in a game like that. It was the only chance he had. We got the ball into the box, he anticipated it, and it was a great finish, to hit it into the ground and get the winning goal
'Whether he plays or is on the bench, he wants to play for Celtic. He's got that hunger and he realises that, at 28, when you've got that competition then he has to fight
He does that. 'He is 28 and has signed a four-year deal. We still think there's a lot of improvement he can make
Not just him, but the rest of the players.' For 87 minutes Celtic struggled to break down a Rosenborg side boasting nine wins in their last 11 games
Dogged and organised, the goal came as a relief to a home crowd growing increasingly frustrated
'I was very happy with the goal,' said Rodgers. It was a great win in relation to our spirit in the game and our persistence to keep going to the very end
'We were playing against a Rosenborg side who have won nine games and drawn two since we last faced them to they came with a real high level of confidence and they surprised us in the first 15 or 20 minutes by playing a diamond
'But once we found the balance to defend against that we started to come into the game and created some chances, particularly down the left side
'Without being at the top of our game we kept going and that's what I asked the players to do after the game last week
'We have to find a way of winning when we are not playing as well as we would like and the players did that tonight
' Rosenborg coach Rini Coolen felt his team deserved a point for an organised display
RB Salzburg, Celtic's next opponents on October 4, beat RB Leipzig in the other game and Coolen admitted: 'We are disappointed to lose it in the end
I think we deserved a little more. 'I can be happy and proud of the boys tonight
We had a different game plan than we usually do and it worked pretty well. 'I think we could have done better defensively at the goal
It's a second ball (to Griffiths) and we need to be there. These things make a difference at this level
'
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