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Trivia
- Dublin Super Cup
- Celtic play League of Ireland XI tomorrow.
- Diddy friendly summer tournament. Not full stadium but healthy number….
- Ill-tempered match apparently.
- Not full stadium, reflects high prices for tournament, recession and so on…
Review
Mulgrew was again excellent – something i admit i did not think i would ever see myself typing at this stage last season
For me the 2 stand out CB performers of the pre season so far have been Chas and Kelvin – can we see please Lenny in the final 2 pre season games if they can perform as a partnership
Cha – couple of decent balls into the box – but schoolboy defender at their first goal – all he needed to step was step out and the guy was offside instead of following him like a headless chickend – 3rd choice rb for this season behind Wilson and Matthews – surplus to requirements
Tin Hat on here
Kayal and Izzy – certainly top of the tree in a poor quality SPL but still to be tested in Europe – think we have to see more of them at that level before we start talking in terms of being worth in excess of £10 Million which many on the board have done
Sammy – nothing changes – some neat play but should have burst the net with the chance from Mulgrews first class cross – shouldn't have shut his eyes from Cha's first class ball when he should have crashed in a header from 8 yards instead of letting it hit of his shoulder.
For Sammy's apologists – just imagine we signed a forward who could link up play and also score goals – and at the end of the day that's what he is paid for first and foremost.
Little bit worried about Hooper what with his poor end to last season and not great start to this – although i am sure he will come good.
Finally – GK – sign someone soon please
The organisers would have said you got to watch 2 games but in reality people are only interested in their own team but they were charging more for a friendly than Celtic charge for most competitive games.Hardly a cheap day out.
The problem with the attendance wasn't the Celtic fans as they were the only fans in the ground. Man City brought / attracted a few hundred. Inter a handful. There were next to no neutrals or LoI fans. So the vast majority of the thousands of fans in the ground were Celtic fans.
Teams
CELTIC (4-4-1-1) Zaluska; Cha (Matthews 67) K. Wilson, Loovens (Stokes 60), Izaguirre; Brown, Kayal, Ledley, Mulgrew; Maloney (Hooper 60); Samaras (McCourt 76)
Not Used: Cervi, Twardzik, Majstorovic, Wanyama, Murphy
INTER (3-4-3) Castellazzi; Ranocchia (Caldirola 85) Samuel, Chivu; Santon (Biancheti 78) Stankovic (Mariga 56) Motta, Nagatomo (Faraoni 11); Pandev (Eto’o 45), Pazzini, Castaignos (Sneijder 45)
Not Used: Alvarez, Obi, Crisetig, Natalino, Muntari
Stadium: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: not full stadium….
Referee: M Hancock
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
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Articles
Celtic lose to Inter in fiery friendly
By: Mark Henderson on 30 Jul, 2011 18:39 Dublin Super Cup,
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Saturday, July 30, 2011
INTER MILAN…2
Castaignos 7, Pazzini 45
CELTIC…0
CELTIC suffered a 2-0 defeat to 10-man Inter Milan in a fieryencounter onthe opening dayof the Dublin Super Cup.
Luc Castaignos fired the Serie A side in front in the seventh minute and Giampolo Pazzini doubled their advantage just before the break.
Seconds earlier Thiago Motta was dismissed for his second yellow-card as tempers frayed, due in most part to some reckless fouls fromthe Italian outfit.
Lennon had made wholesale changes to the team which had started against Wolves on Wednesday night, restoring much of the team who had appeared against Hibernian on the opening day of the SPL.
And Celtic made a bright start, in front of a vocal Hoops support,stroking the ball around purposefully and getting several crosses into the box.However, theysoon found themselves behind.
The Hoops were caught napping as Goran Pandev burst in from the right and he slid a pass through for Luc Castaignos, who struck a fine finish inside Lukasz Zaluska’s near-post, giving the Pole no chance.
Celtic recovered switfly from that setback but their attempts to hit-back were hindered as the match became increasingly tempestuous, with some robust fouls committed from the Nerrazzuri.
Thiago Motta and Dejan Stankovic entered referee, Damien Hancock’s book in quick succession and Pandev was fortunate to escape punishment after kicking-out at Beram Kayal. Friendly in the title but certainly not in reality.
While Lennon’s men held territorial advantage, their opponents were a real threat on the break, and only a last-gasp intervention from Charlie Mulgrew prevented Giampolo Pazzini from releasing Stankovic.
Samaras was then unfortunate not to restore parity as his deft volley from Mulgrew’s raking pass was touched round the post by Castellazzi. Then Brown tried his luck. Picking up Kayal’s long pass, cutting inside but his low shot failed to trouble Castellazzi.
The momentum was swinging in Celtic’s direction. An incredible mix-up among the Inter defence -when Walter Samuel passed the ballacross the box-allowedSamaras turn and shoot in the box but the busy Castellazzi denied first him and then Mulgrew from the rebound.
At the other end, Pandev, operating in the space behind the strikers was proving a real thorn for the Hoops rearguard. Finding space again he found Pazzini in the box and only a brilliant stop from Zaluska kept it out.
Samaras unconventionally nodded over with his shoulder from Cha'sdelivery.However, play quickly moved back towards Celtic’s goal as Castaignos passed up a golden chance for his second of the game, firing wide when clean through from Pandev’s lofted pass.
It had been an open, entertaining contest but the antagonism between both teams was still bubbling away beneath the surface and it reappeared minutes before the interval as Motta earned his second booking and therefore his marching orders for a reckless foul on Brown.
But the 10-men of Inter ensured they finished the half on a high as some slack defending saw them add to their tally. Chivu launched a hopeful ball forward, Pazzini raced clear and beat Zaluska to the ball, fining the unguarded net.
That allowed them to retreat into a defensive shell after the break, which they did so effectively – sitting deep when the Hoops were in possession but, through the pace of Eto’o and guile of Sneijder, remaining a threat on the counter.
Brown, Davide Faraoni and Cha all entered the book as the match threatened to boil over once more.
And it took until the introduction of Stokes and Hooper on the hour mark to spark some urgency back into Celtic’s attack.
After forcing a succession of corners, it was Stokes, playing in his home city, who passed up Celtic’s best opening. Scampering on to Hooper’s flick, his low effort across goal forced Castellazzi into a smart stop. From the resultant corner, Kayal’s sweetly struck strike whistled past the post.
Evidently desperate to make an impression, Stokes then flashed a powerful ball across the goal. But there were no takers.
However,Zaluska also had to be alert at the other end, pushing Faraoni’s curling effort away.
Mulgrew had Celtic’s final chance yet Castellazzi was equal to his 25-yard free-kick, leaving the Hoops in third place in the group table after the first day.
CELTIC (4-4-1-1) Zaluska; Cha (Matthews 67) K. Wilson, Loovens (Stokes 60), Izaguirre; Brown, Kayal, Ledley, Mulgrew; Maloney (Hooper 60); Samaras (McCourt 76)
Not Used: Cervi, Twardzik, Majstorovic, Wanyama, Murphy
INTER (3-4-3) Castellazzi; Ranocchia (Caldirola 85) Samuel, Chivu; Santon (Biancheti 78) Stankovic (Mariga 56) Motta, Nagatomo (Faraoni 11); Pandev (Eto’o 45), Pazzini, Castaignos (Sneijder 45)
Not Used: Alvarez, Obi, Crisetig, Natalino, Muntari
Website Man of the Match: Beram Kayal
Irish Times
Super Cup wins for Inter and CityDublin Super Cup:Celtic were beaten 2-0 by Inter Milan in an ill-tempered friendly match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Luc Castaignos gave the Nerazzurri an early lead in the Dublin Super Cup encounter with a well-taken goal and Giampaolo Pazzini added the Italian side’s second moments after they had Thiago Motta sent off.Neil Lennon’s team, who actually began their Scottish Premier League campaign last weekend, were unable to find a way past goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi when they did manage to break down the Inter defence. Inter claimed the lead in the seventh minute as Goran Pandev played a one-two before slotting a pass through to Dutch forward Castaignos, who gave Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska no chance at his near post.
The Italians were forced to make an early change when Yuto Nagatomo suffered a shoulder injury, with Marco Faraoni coming on. Inter had Motta and Dejan Stankovic booked, with Pandev lucky not to be yellow-carded too after lashing out at Beram Kayal.
Georgios Samaras almost levelled it in the 23rd minute when he raced onto a ball over the top from Charlie Mulgrew but his cushioned volley was diverted wide by the fingertips of Castellazzi.
The Inter stopper then dealt comfortably with a low shot from Scott Brown and somehow kept the Hoops at bay to deny Samaras and Mulgrew in quick succession.
Zaluska prevented Inter doubling their lead as he produced a fingertip save to deny Pazzini following Pandev’s tee-up. The Macedonian was proving to be Inter’s key creative force and his delicious pass played in Castaignos, who clipped the ball past the onrushing Zaluska but also wide of the post.
The temperature rose even higher in a tetchy friendly when Motta was sent off for a challenge on Brown, although the 10 men extended their lead seconds later. A ball over the top caught out the Celtic defence and Pazzini got to the ball before Zaluska to prod it home right at the end of the first half.
Brown was booked for a foul on Faraoni, who then launched into a wild challenge on Cha Du-ri, and though he failed to make contact the South Korean took exception to it and both players were shown yellow cards by the busy Damien Hancock.
Inter Milan substitute McDonald Mariga saw a shot blocked as Celtic’s defence again looked vulnerable, although they were unlucky not to pull one back 15 minutes from time when the substitutes Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes combined.
Hooper played Stokes through on goal but Castellazzi was equal to his low effort. Inter substitute Faraoni then tested Zaluska with a rising drive as Celtic failed to get on the scoresheet.
In the day’s earlier match, Manchester City beat an Airtricity XI 3-0 with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Adam Johnson the most impressive performers for the Blues.
Wright-Phillips gave Roberto Mancini’s men the lead eight minutes into the second period as he latched on to a chip over the Irish defence by Gareth Barry.
Johnson applied a similarly cool finish when City’s summer signing Stefan Savic played the ball over the top and trialist Luca Scapuzzi sealed the win late on.
Celtic will take on the Airtricity XI tomorrow while Inter face City next.