| Match Pictures | Matches: 2010 – 2011 | 2010-2011 Pictures |
Trivia
- Friendly played on Saturday with reduced team; free day due to international matches weekend.
- Neil Lennon got sent to the stand for questioning a decision!!!!!
- Derided Murphy was man of the match acc to Celticfc.net
Review
Good little friendly, no scoring but notable for Lennon getting sent to the stands for an innocuous challenge to a decision!!!!
Teams
ATHLETICO BILBAO (4-2-3-1)
Raul; Amorebieta (Balenziaga 45), Iturraspe, Gabilondo, Susaeta; Orbaiz (Koikili 66), Gurpegui (Guarrotxena 45); Aitorocio, Castillo (Cerrajeria 66), Diaz De Cerio; Ekiza
Subs not used: Iraizoz
CELTIC (4-4-2)
Zaluska (Cervi 85); Fraser (Jones 85), Loovens, Mulgrew, Chalmers; Cha, Herron (Watt 60), Conroy (Lowdon 73), Ljungberg; Stokes (Spence 88), Murphy
San Mames
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
KStreet
Articles
Athletic Bilbao 0 – 0 Celtic
Published Date: 27 March 2011
Celtic 0
IT was only a friendly but Neil Lennon found himself in bother with officialdom once again as Celtic played out a goalless friendly with Athletic Bilbao in Spain’s Basque country last night.
Lennon, who is serving a touchline ban in Scotland, had a disagreement with the match referee in the 33rd minute of the match at the San Mames stadium. The official asked Lennon to leave the technical area after the manager complained about a foul.
Celtic’s manager then sat with the Bilbao fans directly adjacent to the dugout for the remainder of the match, which finished goalless.
Lennon later used his Twitter account to comment on the incident.
“Ref over fussy as I disputed a f kick…,” he said. “Anyway we played some scintillating stuff against a class side and we should have won.”
The match was otherwise notable for a rare appearance in a Celtic shirt of Freddie Ljungberg. The former Arsenal midfielder was signed in a blaze of publicity in January but has featured only sporadically since.
He played the whole match and there was also an appearance for Tony Watt, the 17-year-old former Airdrie striker, He appeared on the hour mark and looked lively, almost opening the scoring with his first shot.
- Last Updated: 26 March 2011 11:22 PM
- Source: Scotland On Sunday
- Location: Scotland
Honours even as Celtic draw with Bilbao
By: Laura Brannan on 26 Mar, 2011 22:31 Friendly
Saturday, March 26, 2011
San Mames
ATHLETIC BILBAO 0
CELTIC 0
CELTIC held Athletic Bilbao to a goalless draw in an entertaining friendly in the Basque city. Despite neither side finding the net, it was an enjoyable end-to-end match in which saw Celtic put in a strong and professional performance.
Neil Lennon fielded a mixed side consisting of first-team regulars and youth players in front of an almost full capacity San Mames. Freddie Ljungberg and Cha Du Ri made their long awaited comebacks from injury and started on the left and right wing respectively.
The match also allowed youngsters Marcus Fraser, Joe Chalmers and John Herron to make their first starts for the senior side, and the Under-17s put in mature displays before being substituted in the closing stages.
Ljungberg created Celtic’s first chance of the evening, playing in Anthony Stokes, but the striker couldn’t control the ball and slammed it just over the bar from close range.
But the home side looked strong and created chances for themselves at the opposite end of the pitch, making it an entertaining opening match from the start.
Athletic Bilbao made another promising attack on 15 minutes but when the ball was crossed to the far post no one was on hand to tap it into the net. Instead, Stokes cleared the danger.
And their attacks continued in quick succession but the Hoops were saved again, this time when Bilbao hit the side netting three minutes later.
Ljungberg crossed a free-kick into the Celtic box on 20 minutes but it came to nothing, again Athletic switched play and broke down the left keeping up the game’s quick pace.
There was a moment of excellent play from the visitors just before the half hour mark when Ljungberg read Cha’s run towards goal. Passing the ball inside the halfway circle, the South Korean collected it on the edge of the box but his low drive was blocked by Athletic keeper Raul.
There was a moment of madness on 35 minutes when, despite the match being played in good spirits, the referee, who came from Bilbao, sent Lennon to the stands for complaining about a foul.
With Johan Mjallby now leading the side from the touchline, Celtic continued to string good passes together and break through the Bilbao defence. Raul pulled off a fantastic save five minutes from half-time when he blocked a powerful header by Murphy, the Irishman’s second good attempt on target. That sent the sides into the break level at 0-0.
The second-half continued at the same entertaining pace but it was Athletic who began the stronger team in the opening 15 minutes.
The La Liga side had a number of chances to open the scoring within this period, with Diaz De Cerio attempting a scissor kick six yards before Glenn Loovens blocked another effort seconds later.
Tony Watt was introduced on the hour mark, though, and the 17-year-old former Airdrie striker almost opened the scoring with one of his first touches. Tapping the ball beyond a Bilbao defender, he ran onto his own pass but before he could unleash a shot, Raul dived low to collect it from his feet.
The substitution brought the Hoops back into the game and most of their attacking play was being orchestrated by Ljungberg, who had swapped positions with Ryan Conroy at the break and played the second half in the centre of midfield.
And it was the Swede who played in Stokes on 65 minutes, which saw the striker unleash an effort towards the far top corner. The outstretched keeper had been beaten but the captain’s shot went just wide of the upright.
Guarrotxena spotted Zaluska off his line on 81 minutes and attempted to chip the keeper from inside the centre circle but his ambitious try dipped just beyond the bar.
Celtic made three late substitutions, handing Curtis Jones and Greig Spence their first appearances for the first-team. Dominic Cervi also entered the fray but he didn’t have many Bilbao threats to deal with in the closing stages.
ATHLETICO BILBAO (4-2-3-1) Raul; Amorebieta (Balenziaga 45), Iturraspe, Gabilondo, Susaeta; Orbaiz (Koikili 66), Gurpegui (Guarrotxena 45); Aitorocio, Castillo (Cerrajeria 66), Diaz De Cerio; Ekiza
Subs not used: Iraizoz
CELTIC (4-4-2) Zaluska (Cervi 85); Fraser (Jones 85), Loovens, Mulgrew, Chalmers; Cha, Herron (Watt 60), Conroy (Lowdon 73), Ljungberg; Stokes (Spence 88), Murphy