Celtic and Manchester City produce a goal fest for the supporters in North Carolina…
Celtic and Manchester City produced a goal fest for the supporters at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill North Carolina last night with Celtic emerging as 4-3 winners in a hugely entertaining match.
EPL Champions City weren’t at full strength although they did have the likes of Stefan Ortega, Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland on show from the start. Two of those players cost City a whopping £150 million, which highlights the gulf in finances between the two sides.
Celtic started nearer to full strength, with the side minus Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter Vickers, and took a 3-1 lead going in at the interval thanks to a double from the hugely impressive Nicholas Khun and a brilliant finish from Kyogo, with Kuhn getting the assist of the new season. It is unlikely to be beaten Kasper Schmeichel also made his debut in the first 45 and made a couple of trademark super stops.
Manchester City would show their strength bringing on the likes of Ederson for the second period while Celtic made a few changes with the likes of James Forrest, Mikey Johnston, Tomoki Iwata, and Viljami Sinisalo coming on for the second 45 minutes.
Celtic were weakened in the second half as it showed as City clawed back a two goal deficit to level the game at 3-3 on 58 minutes.
On the 65th minute we replaced Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Antony Ralston, Greg Taylor, Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh with Kwon, Kobayashi, Michael Anderson, Luis Palma, Odin Thiago Holm, and Gustaf Lagerbielke.
That understandably interrupted the rhythm of our play but within three minutes we were back in front thanks to Luis Palma who tapped into an empty net thanks to a great assist by fellow substitute Kwon.
There were no more goals to entertain an already enthralled crowd, and despite it being a friendly it was good to see the Bhoys emerge winners in the battle of the British Champions with Scotland coming out on top. It’s just not been England’s summer has it?
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
From our Special Correspondent for the Celtic USA 2024 Tour, Larry Henry Jr…
READ THIS…Celtic 4-3 Manchester City – Bhoys win Battle of Britain, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Photos…Getty Images
Unique Angle…
Brendan’s post match comments…
Man of the Match Nicholas Kuhn’s post-match comments…
Very enjoyable game last night, and produced everything and more for a pre season match?
Brilliant workout, and some of our attacking play, especially on the counter attack was so impressive.
The quality of the goals were outstanding.
Really impressed with kyogo and adding that extra dimensions to his game now, with being able to drop in and starting to become very productive in our link up play?
Maeda and kuhn terrorised the city full backs and both won there individual battles easily enough, and Palma and forrest produced some great moments also out wide?
Yet in a pre season match, there was still plenty that needs to be improved upon also imo?
The goals conceded, and the chances handed up, were on many occasions caused by ourselves with sloppy in possession with misplaced and poor choice of pass?
Tend to get away with the likes within the SPFL, but against the higher quality opposition like city, you will get punished?
The only real disappointment for myself anyway, was this experiment by Rodgers with trying to use Mikey Johnston as a potential 3rd striker?
Can understand Rodgers trying it out, to see if it might work out, but little to no evidence on show that it will imo?
Still looking like Rodgers may be trying to find a role for Mikey, especially as it’s far from clear who will be taking up the 3 homegrown positions, within our squad for next season, that have to be filled and finalised yet, especially as the other 5 are looking straight forward?
With CCV and AJ not available, along with Paulo and Idah still expected to be confirmed, along with 22 players used last night, and without yang, Murray and lawal, not used?
The competition for squad places within our 25man squad is really starting to become competitive, especially with a few unexpected players throwing there names into the equation also imo?
So some tough decision making for Rodgers to be making now, is a great sign of how well pre season is currently going imo?
City were hardly stengthened by bringing Ederson on !!! And in the first half we had Kalvin Philips. Trying winning the SPL with that deadleg in the team !!!
Good workout for our kids all round and our future looks bright from our academy
Good luck in the SPL
Just for the record, our missing players were,
Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Rodrigo, Bernardo Silva and Savinho (New signing) Oh, and Julian Alverez who is off to the Olympics to earn more silverware !!
Must be something about teams that play in blue, don’t like to give ourselves much credit?
In general we are well use to our team being dismissed, especially from within England?
Yet regardless of the player’s you claim where missing, you seem to overlooked the fact that City still had way more on money spent upon player’s than we could ever afford?
Jack grelish alone cost more than our full 22 player’s on show last night, yet overshadowed by meada in the same position and handled by our backup option at RB and for a joint cost of both players around the 1M mark?
Sometimes the money spent upon player’s with it to spend, isn’t as cracked up as it’s made out to be either?
Suppose City would like to draw ourselves in the CL for a revenge mission, yet the beauty of it still remains that we would look forward to such a challenge, possibly moreso than yourselves because of who we are?