BOLI Bolingoli described his first experience of playing at Paradise as amazing following Celtic’s win over FK Sarajevo in a Champions League qualifier. Neil Lennon’s side won 2-1 at Celtic Park to progress to the second qualifying round, where they will meet Estonian champions, Nomme Kalju.

Bolingoli’s inclusion in the starting XI on Wednesday night saw the Belgian make his Celtic Park debut, and he admitted the atmosphere has left him excited for what he sees as a bright future with the Scottish champions.

“For me it was a great feeling for me to play the first game at Celtic Park,” said Bolingoli. “The most important thing was we won this game to qualify for the next round of the Champions League.

“It was a great atmosphere for me in my first game. I felt it. I really loved playing my first game at Celtic Park, but I know it can be even better than tonight, so my first impression was really nice.”

Celtic’s win in Glasgow meant they wrapped up the tie 5-2 on aggregate. The two legs were Bolingoli’s first games for Celtic, and the 24-year-old said experience has left him optimistic of more success.

“Celtic has always been a winning team and, going forward, we will continue to reach the top,” he said. “The most important thing is for us to reach the group stages and hopefully we can play even better when we’re there.

“We played good. We dominated in the first half and scored the first goal, which was important. In the second half we were unlucky with the goal we conceded but we kept the focus and got the second goal.

“Celtic’s tactics of playing are perfect for me because I’m an offensive type of player. They like to have the ball and, going forward, we will even better than we were tonight. Life here is great. I’m very happy to be here. The team are amazing and they’ve welcomed me very well. I’m still adapting and hopefully I can be a good player here at Celtic.”

Bolingoli positive after Paradise debut in Euro success