Guttman was surprised that Hapoel finished above Tony Mowbray's side

Hapoel Tel-Aviv coach Eli Guttman thought Celtic deserved to win in Glasgow but that their meeting in Israel was key to Group C.

Celtic exited the Europa League despite beating Hapoel 2-0, but in the previous meeting the Scots had squandered a 1-0 lead before losing.

"The second 45 minutes in Tel Aviv was the main point," said Guttman, whose side qualify along with Hamburg.

"Celtic were leading 1-0 and we won - and that was the main point."

Hapoel now face a showdown with Hamburg for top spot after the Germans' 2-0 win over Rapid Vienna.

Celtic wholeheartedly deserved their win Hapoel Tel-Aviv coach Eli Guttman

"We started as the underdog," said Guttman. "If you were going to tell me we would qualify with Hamburg, it's a big surprise. I'm proud we did it."

However, Guttman praised Tony Mowbray's side for their performance in Glasgow.

"Celtic wholeheartedly deserved their win," he said.

"They played much more aggressively than we did and blocked off our key players very effectively.

"And they were very, very effective on the counter-attack."

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