Forrest keeps up incredible scoring run as Hoops break down 10-man Staggies
ROSS COUNTY.......... CELTIC........................ 0 3
a cricket score. Turnbull’s slick finish right at the end of the first half was a kick in the guts for the Staggies after some quite heroic defending.
They had an early let off when Liam Scales’ strike inside five minutes got the VAR treatment and Oh was harshly punished for a slight shove on Jordan White.
But the video assistant stepped in again soon after to upgrade Brown’s yellow to a red after he caught Yang Hyun-Jun studs up on the calf.
Mackay said going in to the game that he didn’t want to sit deep and hang on – but he ended up with no choice.
It quickly became a backs- to- thewal l job f rom there on and the chances started to pile up for Celtic.
Time and again County defenders hurled themselves in the way of efforts at goal and any time the Hoops did get through, the impressive Laidlaw did the business.
The keeper made superb saves to keep out Ca l lum McGregor, Turnbull a few times and a point- blank volley by Paulo Bernardo tha t looked a certain goal.
The travelling suppor t were starting to get a bit tetchy after yet another VAR call.
This time they stepped in to spoil Oh’s goal celebrations after the video guys got out the set squares to
AT VICTORIA PARK
spot that Daizen Maeda had been a whisker offside in the build up.
There were questions over where the pause button was pressed but there was no need to hit rewind when Turnbull let rip, with his low fizzer finding the bottom corner.
The midfielder was almost celebrating again early in the second half when his f licked volley on the turn from a Scales cl ipped bal l in didn’t quite come off.
But it was a sign County were in for more of the same.
Laidlaw kept up the resistance aga inst some of Celt ic’s reinforcements – bravely blocking from Kyogo Furuhashi then tipping over Odin Thiago Holm’s curling effort.
But he would have needed a clone alongside him to stop the killer second.
Wing ace Palma sensationally sent a swerving, dipping 30-yarder into the top corner with 12 minutes to go.
And the scoreline started to look more like it for Celts when the Honduran stood the ball up at the back post for Forrest to dive in and bury a header.
A sticky afternoon became a stroll but Forrest is well aware that it will be a different story against Atletico Madrid in Spain on Tuesday night in the Champions League.
The La Liga high-fliers grabbed a battling 2-2 draw at Parkhead last time out and Forrest said: “It’s difficult but the boys can take confidence from the home game.
“We went toe-to-toe with them. It will be a tough game but we can take confidence from some good performances this season.
“When you’r e p l ay ing opposition in the SPFL it can help you when you play different teams.”