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SWPL1 Match Report – “I was fuming with the initial decision to not give the goal,” Celtic boss

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‘Summer Green makes me feel fine

Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind’

Is there a better way to win a Glasgow Derby away from home than with an injury time penalty? Probably not.

Particularly when you’ve already had the ball in the net but it’s been disallowed as the penalty had allegedly already been awarded. Honest Mistakes transcend all levels of Celtic FC? Surely not.

Celtic’s first Glasgow Derby of the season, and the opportunity to leapfrog theRangers to second place behind early SWPL pacesetters Glasgow City, saw an injury time Summer Green penalty wrap up the points for a side who played a counter attacking approach to perfection in this afternoons encounter, as Fran Alonso continues to emphasise his credentials as the master tactician of SWPL1.

Summer Green is the Celtic hero!

Summer Green’s execution of the penalty at the death will get all the plaudits, but a special mention must also go to goalkeeper Chloe Logan with some vital saves at key times for the Hoops today.

Summer may have finished the contest but right from the beginning she was the first to threaten theRangers goal, as she strode down Celtic’s left and forced Gers keeper Fife into an early save.

Three minutes later Keenan supplied Green again who committed theRangers backline, this time forcing Fife to tip the ball over. The sight of Green and her shooting boots was something Fife was going to have to get used to.

It wasn’t only to be Green forcing the issue however, as with 23 minutes on the clock Jodie Bartle supplied Donaldson, who in turn played it into the box for Natalie Ross but the ball went just over the bar.

It took until ten minutes before half time before Celtic goalkeeper Chloe Logan was called into action, as theRangers Ness ended up one on one with the Celtic ‘keeper who denied theRangers for the first and not for the last time this afternoon. Only three minutes later the Celts were called on for some last-minute defending, but eventually cleared their lines as the hosts started to exert the expected pressure.

With five minutes to half time Jodie Bartle again attempted to test theRangers backline but Fife was easily in control of Bartles’ low drive.

With the game goalless at the break, the Celts had had the best of the chances despite some decent possession play from their rivals. The indication at the interval was it was going to take something special, or a bit of luck, to break theRangers rear-guard but the second half was to see a lot more pressure on Celtic than the first half had delivered.

How The SWPL1 Table this evening

Yet from the start the Celts tried to push home the advantage. Straight from the re-start Donaldson and Green linked well to feed Sarah Ewens who sent the ball just over from a difficult angle, before Lisa Robertson then tested Fife from distance.

TheRangers then started to exert their own influence on proceedings as Chloe Logan made an impressive save from the Gers Gemmell, before the game broke into a bit of a lull for the first time. The next big opportunity fell to Celts Sarah Ewens again, as a switch in play saw the Celtic attacker afforded a sight of goal, but the shot went a matter of inches wide of Fife’s goal.

TheRangers continued to have plenty of possession in areas with little threat, but it seemed Celtic had enough to contain them and hit on the break. Some of the patient possession of the football was a joy to watch. However patient and deliberate as it was, you felt the Celts had to take their chances when they arose.

Another opportunity arrived with 20 minutes left to play, as Summer Green was brought to the ground. Robertson’s effort was then deflected away, and Hayes headed goalward only for another corner to be conceded by the home team.

Late on Celtic looked to have the quality in the final third as twice Anita had chances, first linking with Green but finding her effort go off target, then with two minutes of time left a brilliant effort, and what seemed a certain goal fizzed wide.

Then as theRangers pushed forward they forced Chloe Logan into the save of the game. From the resultant break Celtic forced the ball into the net only to find the goal disallowed as it was brought back for an earlier infringement.

Despite the protestations, Celtic’s Summer Green stepped up and sent the winning kick past Fife for a memorable Celtic win. Though the seven minutes injury time of course could be called into question, it made no difference as Celtic won the first derby of the season and moved into second place behind Glasgow City in the table.

Speaking post-match Fran Alonso was delighted if not a little perplexed at some of the decisions:

“We executed our plan almost to perfection. I am very proud of the work displayed by the players.”

“This is my first Glasgow Derby. It is unfortunate we cannot have our fans here but I know what Celtic people feel so this result is for all you Celtic fans from my players, the coaching staff and myself, I hope you enjoy this result as much as we have.”

“I was fuming with the initial decision to not give the goal. We score, but it is called back for a penalty. I almost couldn’t even look.”

“These players are used to the pressure, so they so don’t feel it as much. Summer (Green) took the penalty well, back of the net which is what we want.”

Meanwhile Derby hero Summer Green certainly enjoyed the moment if not the pressure:

“Everyone is stoked. It is a crazy result, both teams fought to the end. I am super happy that we have come out with the win.”

“I am just excited; the whole game was a fight. Both sides played well. It was so slippery out there; it was raining so much. The environment was crazy.”

“Everyone talks about this derby, I didn’t know too much about it until I turned up today, and you see everyone is just excited and ready to go.”

“I had to keep my cool, take a breath and go onto the next minute and you just go with it.”

A fine 1-0 away win then for Celtic in the first Glasgow Derby of the season. Fran Alonso and his team can be proud of the tactical approach and the patience exhibited throughout, even when denied what seemed a perfectly good goal, they settled for the penalty executed by Summer Green. It’s the first Derby win of Fran Alonso’s time in charge but it’s also a third straight win for the Celts as they move behind Glasgow City in the table as their City rivals drop to third place.

A brilliant win for the Ghirls as they look to challenge their other City rivals for top spot. You can check out today’s winning Celtic goal against theRangers in the article below.

Niall J

WATCH THIS…Video – Enjoy Celtic’s dramatic stoppage time winner against theRangers

https://youtu.be/j2X0jyftQy

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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