RONNY DEILA today revealed he ran the gamut of emotions in coming to terms with the fact Celtic have qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League.

The Hoops boss is delighted to have led the side to the knockout stages, which kick off in February.

He is disappointed they got there on the night they lost 3-1 at home to Group D winners Salzburg.

But he is proud the defeat did not stop them going through because they had already done enough in their previous unbeaten four-game run.

Finally, Deila is relieved the last group game, against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on December 11, now has nothing riding on it.

Zagreb's shock defeat to Astra as Celtic were going down to Salzburg means the top two spots are already established, with Red Bull going into next month's draw as group winners, and Celtic as runners-up.

It means Celtic will be unseeded and are guaranteed a tough draw.

But Deila believes his side can improve in the interim and saw enough signs in the second half against Salzburg to give him confidence they will not be out of their depth.

The Norwegian concedes, however, that it will take a 90-minute performance to make them competitive at that level, and said: "There were a lot of emotions going through my mind at the final whistle.

"I was very happy with the second half. We put Salzburg under pressure, and that's what we should do for 90 minutes. But we showed we had energy and the intensity that we wanted to show.

"That got the fans behind us and that is how we want to play. So, we take forward the positives from the second half."

Deila is not allowing the joy of getting through blind him to the shortcomings shown by his side last night, in particular in the early stages.

He said: "Of course I am disappointed with the start we made to the game and the fact we conceded two easy goals and made it very hard for ourselves.

"But we have to remember we have put ourselves in the position of being able to qualify because of the results we achieved in the first four games."

That included taking one of their eight points when they played Red Bull in Salzburg, a result which looks even better three months down the line as the Austrians have won all four games since.

Deila said: "You have to say that Salzburg are a good team and deserve to be No.1 in the group. They showed that last night. They are dangerous.

"They have played together for several years now, and you can see that. They have a clear style of play, and everyone is committed to it. That's how we want to be as well."

The leap to that level will not happen before Celtic head to Croatia next month, and Deila is happy his side do not have to go into that closing group match needing a point.

"It makes going into this game a lot easier now," said the manager, who can use the match to give some of his fringe players a run out while resting some of those who have carried most of the burden in the 11 European games played to date.

Deila said James Forrest and Kris Commons were fit, but started on the bench last night for tactical reasons.

Likewise, Leigh Griffiths was given the striker's role ahead of Stefan Scepovic because they wanted to exploit space behind the Salzburg back line.

It did not produce the win they wanted, but the news of Astra's win over Zagreb was greeted by huge cheers when it was announced at the end of the game.

The Romanians were considered the whipping boys of the group.

But Deila saw huge improvement in them when they fought back to grab a draw against his Hoops side in Giurgiu on Match Day Four.

And he was not surprised that they got their first win to leapfrog Zagreb last night.

He said: "I was not surprised by that result because it is always hard for teams playing away from home in Europe.

"But, I'm just happy we are through, and I'm sure there are going to be some exciting games in February when the knockout rounds begin.

"We want to be stronger by then.

"Everything is possible when it is two games."