CELTIC 2 BLACKBURN ROVERS 2
IF Ange Postecoglou was looking for a stiff work-out for his players at Parkhead this afternoon he certainly got it in the shape of the Championship side.
It was abundantly clear they were not appearing in the east end of Glasgow simply to make up the numbers and they went about their task with a certain amount of verve and gusto.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men were not slow to put in crunching tackles and referee Kevin Clancy found himself overworked in a pre-season friendly as he flashed his yellow card six times – four for the visitors and two for the Hoops – as the action roared on from start to last.
WELCOME BACK, ANGE…the Celtic boss watches the action at Parkhead this afternoon.
In the end, it was honours even with Filipe Jota and David Turnbull the men who took the Hoops’ pre-season goal tally to 16 in four games.
Celtic Park was silenced in only 21 SECONDS when the visitors scored in a swift breakaway as they pounced on a ball that came off Callum McGregor’s shins following a heavy pass from Matt O’Riley.
The Championship outfit sliced through the centre of the Hoops rearguard and Sam Gallagher was presented with an opportunity smack in front of Joe Hart and he couldn’t miss as he swept a low drive wide of the despairing keeper.
It took the champions a couple of minutes to recover, but they started to take control with Liel Abada and Jota looking lively on the flanks.
NO CHANCE…Joe Hart is left helpless as Sam Gallagher slams in the opening goal.
In the 11th minute, Josip Juranovic and Abada combined before the Israeli winger whipped in a lot cross that was booted over the crossbar by a desperate defender with Kyogo Furuhashi waiting to pounce.
Sixty seconds later, Jota sent Turnbull clear in the box and he elected to shoot as a couple of team-mates screamed for a pass. Unfortunately, the midfielder’s curling low shot edged wide of Thomas Kaminski’s left-hand post.
A goal just had to come, though, and it duly arrived when Jota displayed lightning reflexes after a right-wing corner-kick from O’Riley had been cleared to the edge of the box.
The Portuguese personality didn’t hesitate as he burst forward at speed to strike the ball first time with his right foot and his effort left the keeper helpless low at his left.
THE EQUALISER…Filipe Jota (extreme left) wallops in a right-foot drive past keeper Thomas Kaminski.
And the Hoops upped the pace before claiming a second goal in the 27th minute. Justice was done after O’Riley had been cynically sent crashing by a trip from an opponent and ref Clancy awarded a free-kick 25 yards out.
A posse of players lined up to take the award and it was Turnbull who stepped forward to drill a low drive at goal. It took a deflection on its way past the wrong-footed Kaminski.
Postecoglou made some expected changes at the start of the second-half when he sent on Benji Siegrist, Anthony Ralston, Alexando Bernabei, James Forrest and Daizen Maeda as they replaced Hart, Juranovic, Taylor, Abada and Kyogo.
The Swiss keeper, captured on a free transfer after leaving Dundee United, was brought into action within four minutes as he threw himself to his left to push away a troublesome swerving, dipping 25-yarder from Chilean international Brerton Diaz.
THE PERFECT RUN-UP…David Turnbull, watched by Matt O’Riley, prepares to take a free-kick.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Celtic players acclaim David Turnbull’s effort to give them a 2-1 lead.
THAT’S OUR BHOY…Matt O’Riley and Liel Abada congratulate goalscorer David Turnbull.
Celtic, understandably, were still attempting to find a rhythm with five newcomers as the former Dundee United No.1 had to make two excellent saves from Gallagher as the Championship outfit continued to hit swiftly on the break.
Just before the hour mark, Yosuke Ideguchi and and Mikey Johnston joined proceedings as Turnbull and Jota were withdrawn.
Kaminski had to look lively to make two blocks from an O’Riley drive from outside the box and then get down to his left to turn away a drive from McGregor.
In the 72nd minute, there was another burst of substitutions with Christopher Jullien, Bosun Lawal, James McCarthy and Rocco Vata coming on for Carter-Vickers, Welsh, McGregor and O’Riley.
Three minutes later, Rovers claimed the equaliser after Jullien was sold short with a pass across the box. The Frenchman was adjudged to have brought down Diaz and the busy attacking midfielder took the free-kick.
Siegrist was left standing as a superbly-executed effort swept in at his left-hand post.
ROVER AND OUT…Brerton Diaz fires in the leveller from a free-kick with Benji Siegrist helpless.
That was the end of the scoring, but there was a moment of concern for Posetcoglou when Ralston went down after a challenge from Ryan Hedges.
The manager took no risks and sent on Osaze Urhoghide for the international right-back for the remaining handful of minutes.
It was a good work-out against a team who meant business and had four players booked by match official Clancy for a variety of offences.
The match official also added the names of Johnston and McCarthy near the end.
Now all eyes are on Poland in midweek as the champions continue the countdown to the big kick-off.
TEAM: Hart (sub: Siegrist 46); Juranovic (sub: Ralston 46; sub: Urhoghide 89), Carter-Vickers (sub: Jullien 72), Welsh (sub: Lawal 72), Taylor (sub: Bernabei 46); Turnbull (sub: Ideguchi 59), McGregor (sub: McCarthy 72), O’Riley (sub: Vata 72); Abada (sub: Forrest 46), Kyogo (sub: Maeda 46), Jota (sub: Johnston 59).
