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Trivia
- Second friendly of the summer.
- Played at Love St as Celtic Park pitch is being relaid.
- Saidy Janko signs for Celtic from Man Utd.
- Matthews sold to Sunderland £2m.
- Black armbands in honour of Dukla legend, Josef Masopust who sadly passed away earlier this week. The midfielder was a star for both his club and Czechoslovakia in the 1950s and ‘60s and famously came up against Celtic in the 1967 European Cup semi-final when the Hoops defeated the Czech champions 3-1 on aggregate.
- Summer transfer window
Transfers in: Dedryk Boyata (Man City), Saidy Janko (Man U free) ;
Transfers out: Joe Chalmers (to Motherwell) Tonev (end loan); Guidetti (end loan); Wakaso (end loan); Zaluska (free); John Herron (free), Amido Balde (free) ; Fridjonsson (free to Reykjavik) ; Adam Matthews (£2m to Sunderland); Paul McMullan (loan to St Mirren)
Review
(Rhodas of KDS)
We are always crap at this time of year We give away awful silly goals and drop clangers left right and centre. Today, Mulgrew, Izaguirre, Brown and Johansen were poor. Only Griffiths and G.M-S were in any kind of form and we need to start giving G,M-S the kind of service that Forrest gets. He's much more potent and makes some terrific runs to get himself into scoring positions.
I was slightly surprised to see Stokes and Efe get a runout. I would've put money on one of them going before Matthews…and Deila has to accept that he made a mistake with Scepovic. It's painful watching him. He's the original little-boy lost.
Teams
CELTIC (4-2-3-1)
Gordon (Fasan 46); Lustig (Fisher 46), Boyata (Ambrose 46), Mulgrew (Tierney 63), Izaguirre (Henderson 63); Brown, Rogic (Van Dijk); Forrest (Donnelly 70), Johansen, Mackay-Steven (Stokes 63); Griffiths (Scepovic 70)
Not Used: O’Connell, Lindsay, Nesbitt, Trialist, Thomson, Boerrigter, Hazard
Goals: Griffiths pen. 28, Mackay-Steven 43, van Dijk 83
DUKLA PRAGUE (4-2-3-1)
Rada; Stetina, Jerabek, Gedeon, Povzanec, Matej Hanousek, Jurendic, Beger, Marek Hanousek, Mares, Beaguel
Goals: Hanousek 13, 36, pen. 49, Mares 59, Prikryl 85
Stadium: Love St, Paisley (St Mirren)
Referee:
Attendance:
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
- Match
Articles
Celtic 3 – 5 Dukla Prague: Friendly thriller
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-3-5-dukla-prague-friendly-thriller-1-3821652
14:33Saturday 04 July 2015
CELTIC suffered a setback to their Champions League preparations as they conceded five goals to Dukla Prague.
Dukla, who finished sixth in the Czech top flight last season, were well worth their 5-3 friendly victory at St Mirren Park as a strong Celtic side conceded sloppy goals and struggled to get going up front.
Celtic beat Dukla in the 1967 European Cup semi-finals but their opponents gave Ronny Deila plenty to mull over as he prepares for their latest assault on Europe’s elite competition, which begins on July 15 against Stjarnan, whose manager Runar Pall Sigmundsson watched in Paisley.
Celtic reintroduced nine players who were involved in international duty last month, seven of them into the starting line-up, although there was no sign of Israel midfielder Nir Bitton.
But it was Czech midfielder Marek Hanousek who stole the show with a hat-trick and an assist.
Also missing was Stuart Armstrong, who suffered a dead leg in the 2-0 friendly win over Den Bosch on Wednesday, while new signing Saidy Janko stayed on the bench.
Celtic fell behind in the 13th minute when Hanousek fired a first-time shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards after Dedryck Boyata had given the ball away.
Leigh Griffiths came close with some decent long-range efforts before levelling from the spot after Mikael Lustig had been pushed over as he ran on to Stefan Johansen’s flick.
But Hanousek struck again at the second attempt in the 38th minute after Emilio Izaguirre failed to deal with a diagonal ball.
The tall midfielder soon thundered a strike off the bar from 22 yards but Celtic equalised two minutes before the break. Johansen chipped the ball over the Dukla back four, Gary Mackay-Steven brought it down beautifully and fired into the corner from 12 yards.
Hanousek did get his hat-trick early in the second half when he despatched a penalty after Charlie Mulgrew had committed a foul while racing back following substitute goalkeeper Leo Fasan’s poor kick-out.
Johansen had a shot saved after a one-two with Mackay-Steven but Celtic fell further behind when Jakub Mares found space in the box to glance Hanousek’s cross into the far corner.
Fasan continued to struggle with the ball at his feet and Dukla had a goal disallowed for offside before Virgil van Dijk headed home Johansen’s free-kick.
But Tomas Prikryl restored the two-goal lead when he curled home from 16 yards.
Celtic defeated by Dukla in entertaining friendly
By: Mark Henderson on 04 Jul, 2015 14:21
St Mirren Park, Paisley
Pre-season friendly
Saturday, July 4, 2015
CELTIC…3
(Griffiths pen. 28, Mackay-Steven 43, van Dijk 83)
DUKLA PRAGUE…5
(Hanousek 13, 36, pen. 49, Mares 59, Prikryl 85)
http://www.celticfc.net/news/8558
A HAT-TRICK from Marek Hanousek helped consign Celtic to a 5-3 defeat to Dukla Prague in an entertaining pre-season friendly at St Mirren Park.
The midfielder struck twice in the opening 45 minutes but a Leigh Griffiths penalty and a fine goal from Gary Mackay-Steven ensured the sides went in level at the break.
Hanousek completed his treble from the spot early in the second half, before Jakub Mares put Dukla 4-2 up.
Substitute Virgil van Dijk reduced arrears in the closing stages but there would be no grandstand finish as Tomas Prikryl added a fifth for the visitors to give them the spoils.
Captain Scott Brown, Craig Gordon, Stefan Johansen, Emilio Izaguirre Charlie Mulgrew, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths all came into the starting XI as Ronny Deila selected a strong side, making seven changes from the team who took on Den Bosch on Wednesday night.
New Bhoy Dedryck Boyata continued in central defence and Tom Rogic, who impressed against the Dutch side on Wednesday night kept his place in midfield.
Both teams wore black armbands to honour the great Josef Masopust, who sadly passed away earlier this week.
And Dukla seemed to be inspired by the memory of their legendary midfielder as they made a positive start to the contest, with Jakub Mares particularly prominent down the left. He had the first effort on goal in the fourth minute, his shot deflected narrowly wide.
It was end-to-end stuff in the opening period of the game, and Griffiths signalled notice of his intent, smashing a shot into the side-netting via a deflection.
But it was the Czech side who struck first as Marek Hanousek sent a thumping drive beyond Gordon from the edge of the area.
Celtic responded through a shot from Rogic, which took a touch off a defender before going over, before Tomas Berger fired high and wide at the other end.
Moments after Mares was off target for the visitors, Griffiths tested Filip Rada meaningfully for the first time with a blistering shot after cutting onto his favoured left-foot.
The away side remained a threat on the break but Celtic restored parity in the 28th minute from the spot. Lustig was barged in the back as he chased a return ball by Matej Hanousek and referee John Beaton awarded the penalty.
Griffiths stepped up and found the corner, despite Rada’s best efforts.
The lively Griffiths tried his luck again after combining with Johansen on the edge of the area, though his final attempt lacked power to trouble Rada.
However, just as Ronny Deila’s side looked to be building some momentum, Dukla restored their advantage. After a shot was blocked in the box, Marek Hanousek on hand to bury the rebound and claim his second of the match.
The midfielder then came within inches of grabbing a hat-trick as his ferocious drive from 20 yards cannoned off the bar.
And the Hoops capitalised on that let-off by levelling the match two minutes beore the interval with a wonderfully-worked goal.
Johansen was the architect, skipping away from one challenge before picking out Mackay-Steven’s run with a sublime pass. The winger took a touch and made no mistake, finishing with conviction beyond Rada.
It was a positive way to end the half but the Czech side hauled themselves back in front four minutes after the restart.
Mulgrew fouled Daniel Tetour in the box as they chased a long ball and it was left for Marek Hanousek to dispatch the resultant penalty and seal his treble.
Rada denied Johansen a quick-fire equaliser with an excellent save after the Norwegian had been teed-up by Mackay-Steven in the box.
It was proving a frustrating afternoon for the Scottish champions and they fell further behind before the hour-mark as Mares guided Josip Jurendic’s precise cross past substitute Leo Fasan.
Despite showing no shortage of endeavour or effort, the hosts couldn’t plot a path to goal until seven minutes from time when van Dijk planted a header in the top corner from Johansen’s set-piece.
But any hopes of a late comeback were extinguished when Prikryl rifled a shot into the corner to secure the spoils for Dukla.
After another valuable workout, Ronny Deila’s men return to action against Real Sociedad next Friday, July 10, as they continue to step up their preparations for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
CELTIC (4-2-3-1) Gordon (Fasan 46); Lustig (Fisher 46), Boyata (Ambrose 46), Mulgrew (Tierney 63), Izaguirre (Henderson 63); Brown, Rogic (Van Dijk); Forrest (Donnelly 70), Johansen, Mackay-Steven (Stokes 63); Griffiths (Scepovic 70)
Not Used: O’Connell, Lindsay, Nesbitt, Trialist, Thomson, Boerrigter, Hazard
DUKLA PRAGUE (4-2-3-1) Rada; Stetina, Jerabek, Gedeon, Povzanec, Matej Hanousek, Jurendic, Beger, Marek Hanousek, Mares, Beaguel