2014-07-15: KR Reykjavik 0-1 Celtic, European Cup 2nd Qualifying Rnd

Match Pictures | Matches: 2014 – 2015 | 2014-15 Pictures

Trivia

• Champions League 2014-15
• First leg, second qualifying round of the Champions League.
• First competitive match of the new season, and first competitive match for new Celtic manager Ronny Deila. Unbeaten in first run of games (albeit friendlies).
• Celtic will have three rounds to conquer to get thru to Group Stages.
• Home and away legs switched due to the Commonwealth Games being hosted in Glasgow.
• McGreoger Debut Goal for Celtic
• Scott Brown out due to injury from friendlies. Not good news.
• Celtic Park announced as venue for Scotland v England game in November.
• Some Rangers fans announced they are going to protest outside Celtic Park before the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Comical.
• World Cup just ended: winners Germany with 1 nil victory over Argentina in Brazil. Holland third, Brazil fourth.
• Scotland playing Germany in European Championships qualifiers soon.
• Transfer Window open:
• Transfers in: Craig Gordon
• Transfers out: –

Review

(egan 46 of KDS forum)
VVD looked lacklustre and seems to think 1 good season and speculation from the EPL makes him a great player – it doesn't.
Mulgrew (I am not his biggest fan), played very well in the deep midfield role – always available and kept the ball.
Griffiths and Boerrigter looked sharp.
Johansen looked pretty average yesterday, needs to move the ball on quicker.
Delighted for McGregor and a win's a win…but should have been more.

(Forza KDS forum)
Grim to watch and more tricky than it needed to be, but job just about done.

Never going to be the pinnacle. Plenty of mitigation based on opposition and their tactics, pitch, venue, time of season, and the fact that most of the other qualifiers seem to turn out a similarly grim reading spectacle, Sparta Prague aside. Happily, some of the genuine lurker outfits for the next round seem to have struggled a bit.

One of those ones where if you score a couple reasonably early, like last year against Cliftonville, which we could have to be fair, the perspective would be pretty different.

It's just all about getting through this one with the maximum coefficient points.

Had plenty to say during the match about the performance of a few, but think I'll refrain from sharing. 😆 Much still to do, but clearly the management team will be aware of this more than anyone else.

Teams

Attendance:

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)
• Audio Report: Paradise Report

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

KR Reykjavík Celtic

Possession
25% 75%
90 Mins
Shots
3 28
On target
1 7
Corners
2 11
Fouls
12 9

Articles

KR Reykjavík 0 Celtic 1 McGregor 84′ .

FT 90 +4
HT 0-0
.
Play mediaJump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.Highlights – KR Reykjavik 0-1 Celtic
15 July 2014 Last updated at 23:11

Share this page ShareFacebookTwitter.print..By Roddie McVake
BBC Scotland Callum McGregor scored a debut goal to get Celtic boss Ronny Deila's reign off to a winning start in the Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik.

The Scottish champions dominated but had to wait until the last few minutes before 21-year-old midfielder McGregor netted on his first start for the club.

Play mediaJump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Interview – Celtic manager Ronny Deila

Kris Commons had struck a first-half volley against the bar and Leigh Griffiths did the same after the break.

The return leg of the tie takes place at Murrayfield next week.

The surroundings were modest to say the least but Celtic took to the field at the KR Vollur Stadium hoping this would be the first step on their way to the glamour and riches of the Champions League group stages for the third consecutive season.

The hosts are 11 games into their league campaign and currently sit third in Iceland's top flight. Yet their superior match sharpness was not evident in the opening seconds.

Charlie Mulgrew, captaining Celtic in the absence of the injured Scott Brown, released Griffiths with an inch-perfect through ball but the striker's touch let him down and Stefan Magnusson raced off his line to snuff out the danger.

Celtic midfielder Kris Commons is out of luck with a dig from distance in the first half Commons is out of luck with an effort from distance in the first half

Griffiths then controlled a high ball brilliantly, lobbed it over the head of a defender and laid off to Commons, who crashed a superb volley against the crossbar.

Scotland's reigning player of the year tried his luck again from distance minutes later and this time Magnusson pushed it past a post.

English striker Gary Martin had the home side's first effort on goal, pouncing on a poor header from Emilio Izaguirre and slapping in a shot that proved no test for England's World Cup goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

Seconds after half-time, Griffiths linked well with Commons again but the latter's right foot curler from 18 yards was just too high.

Commons had further chances as the pressure on the home defence grew but could not seriously trouble the goalkeeper.

Callum McGregor scores via a deflection to secure victory in Ronny Deila's first match in charge McGregor scored with the help of a deflection to secure victory in Deila's first match in charge

Griffiths' thunderous drive did have the beating of Magnusson but it came back off the underside of the bar.

Anthony Stokes and Griffiths made way for Derk Boerrigter and Teemu Pukki as Deila shuffled his pack and the latter became the next Celtic player to hit the frame of the goal.

Magnusson denied Commons and McGregor in quick succession and Pukki struck the outside of a post after latching on to a loose ball.

At the other end, former Celtic youth player Kjartan Finnbogason found himself in acres of space on a rare foray forward for the hosts but was unable to make it count.

Magnusson then saved well from Dutchman Boerrigter before the impressive stopper denied Pukki minutes later.

However, he was unable to prevent Celtic finally breaking through with six minutes to play. McGregor cut inside from the right before firing in a low left-foot shot that took a deflection before nestling in the net.

The goal means Deila's side go into next week's second leg – which will be at Murrayfield with Celtic Park unavailable due to the Commonwealth Games – in a strong position to complete an aggregate victory.
Henderson
.

KR Reykjavik 0-1 Celtic: McGregor bags late winner

Celtic's Mikael Lustig, right, battles with Baldur Sigurdsson. Picture: SNS

Celtic's Mikael Lustig, right, battles with Baldur Sigurdsson. Picture: SNS
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/kr-reykjavik-0-1-celtic-mcgregor-bags-late-winner-1-3477834
by ANGUS WRIGHT AT KR-VOLLUR

Published 15/07/2014 21:51
CELTIC began their landmark 50th season of European football with a slender but thoroughly merited victory in Reykjavik which heralded the beginning of Ronny Deila’s managerial tenure in a satisfying, if unspectacular manner.

Scorer: Celtic – McGregor (83)

Midfield prospect Callum McGregor marked his first-team debut with the only goal of the night in the Icelandic capital, setting the stage for what should be a comfortable passage to the third qualifying round of the Champions League for Deila’s men when they face KR in the second leg of this tie at Murrayfield next Tuesday.

McGregor’s strike, seven minutes from time, finally earned the Scottish champions a reward for their general superiority over spirited but limited opposition. Tougher tests lie in wait if Deila is to guide Celtic to the group stage of Europe’s elite competition but this was a steady first step along that road.

In an otherwise familiar-looking Celtic line-up, the first significant selection call of Deila’s reign was the inclusion of 21-year-old McGregor in a positive 4-2-3-1 formation.

McGregor’s only previous European involvement was as an unused substitute against Cliftonville at the same stage of the Champions League a year ago before he joined Notts County on loan and enjoyed a free-scoring campaign in the third tier of English football.

Celtic enjoyed as much possession and territorial dominance as Deila could have wished for in the opening stages but they found penetration difficult to achieve in the face of a well-drilled and compact KR defensive set-up.

Efforts from distance appeared the likeliest source of an early breakthrough and Kris Commons was extremely unfortunate not to open his account in the ninth minute.

Griffiths, operating on the right of the advanced midfield trio, collected a pass from Johansen and neatly worked the ball inside to Commons. From around 22 yards, he struck a sweet volley which struck the crossbar with KR goalkeeper Stefan Magnusson grasping at thin air.

Two minutes later, Commons tried his luck again from even further out but his shot was straight at Magnusson who was less than convincing as he bundled the ball wide at the expense of a corner.

The Icelandic champions had offered little apart from dogged resistance in the first 20 minutes, but they suddenly posted a warning on the counter attack. Gary Martin, the English striker who has thrived in Iceland after failing to make the grade at Middlesbrough, was allowed all the time he needed to seize upon a weak header out by Emilio Izaguirre. Happily for Celtic, Martin’s right-foot shot from 20 yards was straight at Fraser Forster, who saved it comfortably.

Not surprisingly at this stage of the season, Celtic appeared short of sharpness in certain situations. That was typified by Stokes who wasted a good opportunity when he badly miscued a shot from just inside the penalty area after he had done well to engineer the position from a smart exchange of passes with Commons.

Following Deila’s first half-time team-talk as Celtic manager, there was a greater sense of urgency about the work of his players after the break. Commons continued to wage a one-man assault on the KR goal from the fringes of the penalty area but remained out of luck.

He drove a 22-yard shot just off target in the 48th minute, then perhaps should have done better than guide his next attempt just wide of Magnusson’s left-hand post after Stokes had touched the ball invitingly into his path. The KR goalkeeper was then forced into action in the 55th minute, doing well to drop to his left and clutch the ball after Commons had latched on to Stokes’ cutback from the left.

It remained one-way traffic and Celtic struck the frame of Magnusson’s goal for the second time on the hour mark. It was a tremendous effort by Griffiths who was making the first European appearance of his career. Cutting inside from the right, he smashed a left-foot shot from a challenging angle against the underside of the crossbar and watched in frustration as it bounced down to safety.

Deila made a double substitution in the 74th minute, replacing Griffiths and Stokes with Derk Boerrigter and Teemu Pukki. Finnish international Pukki should have put Celtic in front just three minutes later when he passed up a premium chance, finding Magnusson’s left-hand post from little more than six yards.

But the victory Deila’s team unquestionably deserved was finally earned two minutes later when McGregor cut in from the right and drilled in a low left foot shot which wrong-footed Magnusson with the aid of a slight deflection and found its way into the net.

KR Reykjavik: Magnusson, Hauksson, Josepsson, G Sigurdsson, Gudmundur Gunnarsson, Atlason (Ormarsson 88), Saevarsson, B Sigurdsson, Lorenzo (Zato 58), Finnbogason, Martin (Ragnarsson 81). Subs not used: Jensson, Jonsson, Gunnar Thor Gunnarsson, H Sigurdsson.

Celtic: Forster, Lustig, Van Dijk, Ambrose, Izaguirre, Griffiths (Boerrigter 74), Johansen, Mulgrew, McGregor, Commons, Stokes (Pukki 74). Subs not used: Zaluska, Matthews, Kayal, O’Connell, Henderson.

KR Reykjavík 0 Celtic 1 McGregor 84′ .
FT 90 +4
HT 0-0
.
Play mediaJump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.Highlights – KR Reykjavik 0-1 Celtic
15 July 2014 Last updated at 23:11

Share this page ShareFacebookTwitter.print..By Roddie McVake
BBC Scotland Callum McGregor scored a debut goal to get Celtic boss Ronny Deila's reign off to a winning start in the Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik.

The Scottish champions dominated but had to wait until the last few minutes before 21-year-old midfielder McGregor netted on his first start for the club.

Play mediaJump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Interview – Celtic manager Ronny Deila

Kris Commons had struck a first-half volley against the bar and Leigh Griffiths did the same after the break.

The return leg of the tie takes place at Murrayfield next week.

The surroundings were modest to say the least but Celtic took to the field at the KR Vollur Stadium hoping this would be the first step on their way to the glamour and riches of the Champions League group stages for the third consecutive season.

The hosts are 11 games into their league campaign and currently sit third in Iceland's top flight. Yet their superior match sharpness was not evident in the opening seconds.

Charlie Mulgrew, captaining Celtic in the absence of the injured Scott Brown, released Griffiths with an inch-perfect through ball but the striker's touch let him down and Stefan Magnusson raced off his line to snuff out the danger.

Celtic midfielder Kris Commons is out of luck with a dig from distance in the first half Commons is out of luck with an effort from distance in the first half

Griffiths then controlled a high ball brilliantly, lobbed it over the head of a defender and laid off to Commons, who crashed a superb volley against the crossbar.

Scotland's reigning player of the year tried his luck again from distance minutes later and this time Magnusson pushed it past a post.

English striker Gary Martin had the home side's first effort on goal, pouncing on a poor header from Emilio Izaguirre and slapping in a shot that proved no test for England's World Cup goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

Seconds after half-time, Griffiths linked well with Commons again but the latter's right foot curler from 18 yards was just too high.

Commons had further chances as the pressure on the home defence grew but could not seriously trouble the goalkeeper.

Callum McGregor scores via a deflection to secure victory in Ronny Deila's first match in charge McGregor scored with the help of a deflection to secure victory in Deila's first match in charge

Griffiths' thunderous drive did have the beating of Magnusson but it came back off the underside of the bar.

Anthony Stokes and Griffiths made way for Derk Boerrigter and Teemu Pukki as Deila shuffled his pack and the latter became the next Celtic player to hit the frame of the goal.

Magnusson denied Commons and McGregor in quick succession and Pukki struck the outside of a post after latching on to a loose ball.

At the other end, former Celtic youth player Kjartan Finnbogason found himself in acres of space on a rare foray forward for the hosts but was unable to make it count.

Magnusson then saved well from Dutchman Boerrigter before the impressive stopper denied Pukki minutes later.

However, he was unable to prevent Celtic finally breaking through with six minutes to play. McGregor cut inside from the right before firing in a low left-foot shot that took a deflection before nestling in the net.

The goal means Deila's side go into next week's second leg – which will be at Murrayfield with Celtic Park unavailable due to the Commonwealth Games – in a strong position to complete an aggregate victory.
Henderson
.