Bhoys win Battle of Britain, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Celtic’s preseason tour in the United States continued on Tuesday evening with Brendan Rodgers’ squad making it two victories out of two.

The Hoops held off English Premier League giants Manchester City for a 4-3 result in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nicolas Kuhn scored twice while Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma also found the back of the net for the reigning Scottish Premiership winners.

Summer signing Kasper Schmeichel made his Celtic debut by logging 45 minutes from the start. The Danish international made several key stops against City star forward Erling Haaland, giving Celtic fans a glimpse of what to expect this coming season.

Kuhn broke the deadlock for Celtic in the 13th minute after slotting home Matt O’Riley’s pass. O’Riley sprung Kuhn upfield before the German drilled a low shot into the far corner for a 1-0 Celtic lead.

Haaland came close to tying the match in the 22nd minute but Schmeichel punched away the Norwegian’s point-blank range effort.

Schmeichel denied Haaland a second time in quick succession, stretching big to repel the star striker’s chipped effort.

Oskar Bobb tied the match at 1-1 in the 32nd minute after his left-footed shot was originally saved by Schmeichel, but bounced its way in.

Kuhn recaptured the lead for Celtic in the 36th minute, beating Stefan Ortega to the bottom-left corner. Reo Hatate’s through-ball pass allowed Kuhn to pick up possession on the right wing before slotting home his second of the night.

Furuhashi made it 3-1 in the 44th minute after Anthony Ralston’s upfield pass put the attacker in prime position to score. It marked Kyogo’s first goal of the U.S. tour after coming close on several occasions last weekend against DC United.

Máximo Perrone helped cut the deficit for Man City in the 46th minute after coming on at halftime. Bobb created space on the right flank before passing to a wide open Perrone for a curling left-footed finish.

Haaland equalized for Man City in the 57th minute after powering a header past Viljami Sinisalo. Bobb’s cross from the left wing was finished off by Haaland for his first goal of the summer.

Luis Palma made an instant impact after entering the match in the 65th minute, needing only three minutes to boost the Hoops back in front for good. Kwon Hyeok-Kyu set up the Honduran international in the box before Palma stroked a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner.

Mikey Johnston came close to adding an insurance tally in the final minutes, but saw his header miss wide of the target after a good set up from ever-deadly Palma.

Young players Colby Donovan and Matthew Anderson featured off the bench, as did veteran attacker James Forrest.

Celtic’s three-match U.S. tour will conclude on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana against Chelsea.

Larry Henry Jr
Managing Editor – SBI Soccer
Staff Writer – MLS NEXT Pro
The Celtic Star – Special Contributor

Photos…Getty Images

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