MARTIN O’NEILL watched forgotten man Shin Yamada sweep in a stoppage-time penalty-kick to give Celtic a 1-1 draw against Shelbourne in the pre-season friendly at Tolka Park last night.
And then the Hoops boss prepared to welcome new striker Camilo Duran to the champions “in th e next 24 hours.”
O’Neill also stressed the need for Scotland’s double winners to add more recruitments as he gets ready for the challenges at home and abroad in the forthcoming campaign, with the opening Premiership encounter against Dundee at Parkhead due on Monday August 3.
THE WAY AHEAD…Camilo Duran is due to sign for Celtic within 24 hours.
The squad are now heading for their training camp in Portugal to step up their preparations.
Confirming Colombian frontman Duran, 24, is on his way from Qarabag pending a medical, the Irishman said: “Physio Tim Williamson has gone to meet up with him.
“I think that the player should join us in Portugal, certainly in the next 24 hours.
“He’s still very young. What he can do is hold up play. He’s strong in that department. I do think that he will be a good addition.”
When asked about more signings, O’Neill, speaking to the Glasgow Times, answered: “Absolutely. We have been making inroads into it, like everything else.
“Sometimes you get thwarted with things.”
ON THE RUN…Shin Yamada was Celtic’s penalty-kick saviour.
Without the goal threat of Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren, both on extended leave following their World Cup exertions for Japan and Sweden respectively, Celtic started with Callum Osmand leading the attack in Dublin.
He was replaced by Yamada at the interval as O’Neill changed his entire starting line-up.
It looked as though the Hoops were going to kick off their pre-season friendlies with a defeat after local hero Harry Wood netted an 88th-minute penalty-kick.
However, in the first minute of added-on time, the visitors were also awarded a spot-kick and the Japanese forward, who failed to score a solitary goal for the club in his debut campaign before going on loan in January, made a first-class job with his effort.
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