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Trivia
- 125th Celtic anniversary match friendly reflecting our greatest match from 1967.
Review
(Ujio of KDS forum)
Enjoyable game, thought we played quite well.
Missing a spark in the middle and it's causing the strikers to drop too deep. They need to look at their forward movemnet in the channels to feed off Commons and Samaras, or get in the box – languishing 10 yards behind play in the centre won't cut it.
Big Vic's tackling was solid as eff.
Yeah, enjoyable day, disappointing attendance and ticket office was a shambles, but all in all enjoyed it. Got the new away kit too
Teams
CELTIC (4-4-2)
Forster; Matthews, Lustig (Irvine 66) Mulgrew, Izaguirre; Commons, Wanyama, Ledley (McCourt 66) Samaras (McGeouch 73) Hooper (F. Twardzik 66) Stokes (Bangura 36)
Not Used: Zaluska
Goal: Commons 41
INTER (4-2-3-1)
Handanovic; Silvestre (Mudingayi 52) Ranocchia, Chivu, Zanetti; Cambiasso, Guarin; Jonathan (Nagatomo 46) Sneijder Livaja 76 Coutinho (Palacio 52); Milito
Not Used: Castellazzi, Benassi, Mbaye, Bianchetti, Garritano,
Goal:Palacio 88
Referee:
Attendance:
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
- Audio Report: Paradise Report
Pictures
Forum
Articles
Celtic impress against Inter Milan
By: Mark Henderson on 28 Jul, 2012 15:33 Pre-season friendly
Celtic Park, Glasgow
Saturday, July 28, 2012
CELTIC…1
Commons 41
INTER…1
Palacio 88
A LATE goal from Rodrigo Palacio denied 10-man Celtic a deserved victory over Inter Milan in an entertaining pre-season friendly in Paradise.
Kris Commons had put the Hoops ahead just before the break with a wonderful volley from the angle of the box which flew into the top corner. However, an injury to themidfielder late in the game, after Celtic had used up all their substitutes, forced the Scottish champions to play the closing stages with 10 men.
With just seconds remaining, the Italian giants capitalised on that advantage as Palacio stabbed home from close-range to earn them a share of the spoils.
This was the final opportunity for Celtic to hone match sharpness prior to next Wednesday´s UEFA Champions League third round qualifier first-leg against HJK Helsinki.
And with that in mind, Neil Lennon selected a strong starting XI, with most of those likely to feature in the crucial clash with the Finns.
There was a rousing minute´s applause before kick-off for Celtic goalscoring great Joe McBride who sadly passed away last week. Joe was a crucial component of the Lisbon Lions´ squad, scoring an incredible 35 goals in 26 games in 1966/67 until a knee injury picked up on Christmas Eve robbed him of a chance of playing in the final. It was a fitting tribute to a Celtic legend.
Among the former Celts taking a bow on the Paradise pitch was Billy McNeill, Sean Fallon, John Clark, Stevie Chalmers, Jim Craig, Bertie Auldand John Fallon, along with George Connelly, Tommy Callaghan, Dixie Deans, Pat McCluskey and Evan Williams.
All of them played in Celtic’s two competitive games against Inter Milan, either in 1967 or in 1972.
And perhaps inspired by the presence of so many Celtic greats, the current Hoops team made a brisk start, taking the game to their star-studded opponents.
In the opening minutes, Anthony Stokes made a surging run down the left and his dangerous cross forced Javier Zanetti into a hurried clearance. Mulgrew met the resultant corner but could only head wide at the far post. It was a decent chance for the defender.
Celtic were making inroads on either flank, highlighted by their growing corner count. Commons swung in another excellent delivery from the right which narrowly evaded the head of Gary Hooper.
Commons, who looked lively from the start, had the first attempt on target, winning back possession and driving into space before unleashing a stinging effort on target. However, Samir Handanovic was well-positioned and able to collect with ease.
In the 24th minute, Commons was to the fore again, delaying his pass before releasing Ledley inside the box. And the Welshman was only denied a clear shot at goal by a last-gasp challenge from Fredy Guarin.
The hosts were continuing to cause consternation in the Italian side´s defence with the amount of good deliveries they were sending into the mix, and another one from Emilio Izaguirre was flapped at by Handanovic with Hooper in close attendance.
It had been an excellent start from the Hoops but an injury to Stokes following an innocuous challenge on the touchline, which saw the striker leave the fray on a stretcher, will have given Neil Lennon cause for concern.
However, Commons swiftly lifted the gloom in Paradise from that incident as he made the breakthrough with a wonder goal. Mulgrew picked out the winger on the angle of the box from a free-kick and, after controlling the ball on his chest, he sent a magnificent dipping volley into the top corner.
Brimming with confidence, Commons tried his luck again shortly after the restart but this time his effort from distance flew over.
Inter, who had failed to create a meaningful chance in the first-half, began to grow as an attacking force after the interval, helped by several substitutions which seemed to add some extra urgency to their play. One of them, Rodrigo Palacio, showed some neat footwork, cutting inside but his shot was deflected wide for a corner.
At the other end, Commons forced Handanovic into a smart stop with an excellent effort from an acute angle.
However, following that, he was forced to leave the fray prematurely, leaving Celtic, who had already sent on all their substitutes, to play out the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Cristian Chivu tested Fraser Forster from distance and the keeper made a terrific save from Diego Milito, but just as it looked like the Hoops were set to secure a well-deserved victory, Palacio pounced with his late leveller.
CELTIC (4-4-2) Forster; Matthews, Lustig (Irvine 66) Mulgrew, Izaguirre; Commons, Wanyama, Ledley (McCourt 66) Samaras (McGeouch 73) Hooper (F. Twardzik 66) Stokes (Bangura 36)
Not Used: Zaluska
INTER (4-2-3-1) Handanovic; Silvestre (Mudingayi 52) Ranocchia, Chivu, Zanetti; Cambiasso, Guarin; Jonathan (Nagatomo 46) Sneijder Livaja 76 Coutinho (Palacio 52); Milito
Not Used: Castellazzi, Benassi, Mbaye, Bianchetti, Garritano,
Website Man of the Match: Kris Commons