’DEE RATTLE IN SIX, UNITED GRAB EXTRA POINT WITH PENALTIES
Riyad Mahrez tries to evade Emilio Izaguirre at Celtic Park yesterday.
KOLO TOURE watched on approvingly from the stand as his new side more than punched their weight against the 5000-1 ‘miracle’ champions of England.
The arrival of the Ivorian in Glasgow added spice to a crossborder glamour clash which was effectively a warm up for the Champions League qualifier against Astana on Wednesday.
Sure it was part of the International Champions Cup competition, a glamour tournament involving the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus.
For all the green and white clad fans at Celtic Park, though, it is only an appetiser with the main feast to be had in the lucrative group stages of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Toure, the former Liverpool and Manchester City defender, wasn’t involved in last night’s run-out but declared himself eager to do his bit in Kazakhstan.
“I am definitely ready for that one,” said the 35-year-old, eligible to play in the tie as the Hoops one wild card signing.
“Celtic is a great football club and I’m here to help the team as much as I can.
“The Champions League is a great competition to play in and I’m always looking forward to it, for sure.
“The qualifying games are really important and we will give everything we’ve got to get through.”
He joins as a free agent having been allowed to move on by Liverpool after coming to the end of his contract.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who had him under his charge at Anfield from 2013 to 2015, has no doubts about his quality though.
“Kolo is a fantastic guy. He was brilliant for me at Liverpool.
“I brought him in as a cover player and he never let the team down,“he said.
“He is an African Cup of Nations winner, one of Arsenal’s famous Invincible and a big game player who was our man of the match when we played away against Real Madrid
“The games he played for me at Liverpool, he gained huge respect from the players.”
Given the challenge that lies 3,000 miles away, Celtic’s starting line-up was a strong one.
Leigh Griffiths and new signing Moussa Dembele lined up together up front, again with an attack minded five man midfield behind them including Patrick Roberts, man of the match against the Lincoln Red Imps.
And, as against the side from Gibraltar, they went with a back three which meant Mikael Lustig pressed into action as a centre-half alongside the inexperienced Eoghan O’Connell.
They were to see early action with Leo Ulloa going close after a terrific through ball from England internationalist Danny Drinkwater.
Ulloa, of course, was one of the heroes of Leicester’s title win and at the start of second half the 5,000 travelling fans were treated to an even more welcome sight.
Marshalled by two Celts on the wing, Riyad Mahrez looked to be posing no obvious threat.
Not for nothing though was the Algerian last season’s PFA Player of the Year.
Cutting back inside he lost his markers with two trademark stepovers and unleashed a curling, dipping beauty of a shot past Craig Gordon and in at the back post.
It was a little bit harsh on Celtic for they had had their moments too up until the opener.
Most eye-catching of their efforts was the vicious 25-yard free-kick from Leigh Griffiths which visitors’ keeper Ron Robert Zieler to throw himself lengthwise to push wide.
Always lively, the Scotland striker would have been most fans best guess of the source of an equaliser, if one was to come.
When it did materialise, though, it came from a very unexpected source – the right boot of youth team defender Eoghan O’Connell.
And what an effort it was, too. Where Mahrez’s effort had been all about precision, the Irishman’s was sheer power, a rasping drive drilled into the far corner from 30 yards.
Both teams huffed and puffed after that but it wasn’t to be and the contest went to penalties, Leicester shading it 6-5.