CELTIC ARE STEADY AS TOURE LOOKS ON
HAVING defied odds of 5000-1 to lift the English Premier League title, you really would not have bet against Leicester City as this Battle of Britain went to a penalty shoot-out.
Yet despite a ‘defeat’, this was both a solid showing and a worthy work-out for Celtic ahead of a gruelling six-and-a-half hour journey to face Kazakhstani title-holders Astana in the Champions League qualifiers.
And, as prospective new signing Kolo Toure watched on from the stands, it was young defensive pretender Eoghan O’Connell who popped up to provide the goal that equalised Riyad Mahrez’s opener to take this International Champions Cup tie to its spot-kick conclusion after 90 minutes.
This grandly named International Champions Cup game may have been a match-up of the champions, yet there was no fooling the paying audience of its real function and significance.
Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri had certainly been at pains to point out that his team was nowhere near up to speed in the build-up, insisting that any direct comparisons between the sides would be redundant as a result.
Yet if the absence of Jamie Vardy and a team selection that saw Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs all start on the bench indicated a weakened Leicester, Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers’ decision to wrap some of his own players in cotton wool ahead of the arduous trip to a European fixture in Central Asia, served to further remove the edge from the contest.
Erik Sviatchenko was the most glaring absentee for Rodgers and, given Celtic’s defensive shakiness, the least surprising. In the Dane’s absence, O’Connell got a chance to pit himself against Leonardo Ulloa and ended up joining Mahrez on
the scoresheet with a long-range strike just as fine in its execution.
Emilio Izaguirre’s relish for the left wing-back role was one positive for Rodgers in the absence of Kieran Tierney, while Moussa Dembele, ominously quiet in his appearances to date, offered a flicker of menace with a superb piece of strength and control to set himself up for a shot which was well saved by Ron-Robert Zieler.
The Frenchman also won the freekick from which Leigh Griffiths forced a diving stop from Schmeichel’s understudy, yet it was Mahrez, the reigning English PFA Player of the Year, who was easily the most impressive performer afield.
He got the reward that his clever feet and attacking intent deserved two minutes after the break, dispatching a curled finish beyond Craig Gordon.
Speculation continues to link the Algerian with Arsenal and, if this is to prove his final game for the Foxes he was able to depart with the distinction of being applauded by not only the 4000-strong travelling support but also a healthy contingent of the home crowd who knew they had witnessed a class act in action.
Half-time had seen Mikael Lustig, the centre-point of the back three chosen by Rodgers, withdrawn in favour of Efe Ambrose, but no blame could be attached to the Nigerian on the back of Mahrez’s exquisite piece of skill.
Nevertheless, it will be Lustig who is of most importance to Rodgers in midweek. The Swede’s authority is likely to be crucial, regardless of whether Toure is fit to participate in Kazakhstan.
O’Connell will not be tipped by many to feature in the European tie yet he delivered Celtic’s best moment here, showing some admirable technique to sweep home a finish via substitute Schmeichel’s left-hand post from 22 yards after Patrick Roberts’ shot had rebounded into his path.
James Forrest was to prove Celtic’s fall guy in the shoot-out seeing his penalty firmly saved by Schmeichel before Daniel Amartey stepped up to slam home the decisive kick.