Match Pictures | Matches: 2021 – 2022
Trivia
- Veolia Trophy
- Celtic, some French sides and Sevco in pre-season tournament in France.
- Celtic & Sevco will not face each other as teams from the same country are kept apart.
- Ex-Celts Dembele & Denayer in Lyon side.
- Sevco defeated Nice and won the trophy.
- Full sides changed at 60mins
- Sides take the knee for the Black Lives Movement.
- Second Celtic match after COVID-19 suspension of football.
- Limited numbers allowed at the match.
- Reports that Celtic has practically sold out season tickets for next season with a large 17k waiting list.
- PM announces that football fans can return in October to the stadiums; prior some would be allowed in some tests from August.
- Ex-Ireland manager Jack Charlton sadly passed away. RIP
- Celtic chief Exec Peter Lawell set to replace Sevco rep on SPFL board; Peter Lawwell expected to be voted on to key role, with Ibrox MD Stewart Robertson stepping down
- New Celtic kit released by Adidas is a huge hit.
Summary
(JBC of TheCelticWiki):
As expected, ex-Celt Dembele scored a cracking goal. Team who started were the reserve side. Disappointing attitude from a couple of players. Boli seemed well out of place in this match, and his stature is declining by the match, you’ll struggle to find any Celtic fan with a kind word on his ability. Appears out of his depth.
Klimala continues to develop & impress, but Elynoussi stole the headlines for Celtic with a great goal with Forrest’s assist.
Good warm up for all, but a lot more needs done.
Teams
CELTIC:
Bain; Elhamed, Bitton, Welsh, Bolingoli, Karamoko, Soro, Ntcham, Robertson, Henderson, Klimala
Subs: Doohan, Hazard, Jullien, Taylor, Brown, Christie, Edouard, Elyounoussi, Connell, Frimpong, Ajer, McGregor, Forrest, McInroy
Goals:
(Elyounoussi 87)
LYON:
Lopes, Marcelo, Denayer, Marcal (Tete 80), Dubois, Cprnet, Bruno, Aquar, Mendes, Dembele, Memphis
Goals: (Dembele 4, Memphis 40)
Veolia Trophy
Groupama Stadium, Lyon
Saturday, July 18, 2020
CELTIC… 1
Lyon… 2
Ref:
Att:
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Articles
Celtic suffer narrow defeat to Lyon despite late comeback
http://www.celticfc.net/news/18335
CELTIC were narrowly edged out by Lyon in their second pre-season game as the French side claimed a 2-1 win over the Scottish champions.
Moussa Dembele scored against his former team and Memphis Depay doubled Lyon’s lead just before the break. Celtic grabbed a goal back late in the game with a wonderful Mohamed Elyounoussi goal.
It was a disappointing start for Celtic with the home side grabbing an early lead. The goal scorer was none other than former Hoops striker Dembele. The Frenchman rose high at the back post to head in Marcelo’s cross to put his side in front in the fourth minute.
Celtic responded well to going behind as they pressed their opponents deep inside their own half. The pressure led to a set piece 10 minutes after the opening goal which was taken by Olivier Ntcham. The French midfielder’s effort nearly found its way in after taking a deflection off the wall but the ball came back off the post and was quickly scrambled clear.
Lyon looked determined to build on their early lead but the Hoops defence coped well with the attacking pressure poised from Dembele and Memphis Depay. Nir Bitton was a commanding presence in the centre of defence and swept up many of Lyon’s efforts to penetrate the Hoops back line.
Klimala worked hard to pressure the Lyon defence with his pace, and the French side were troubled by the Polish striker’s attacking intent. The referee awarded Celtic a penalty midway through the half when Klimala was brought down former Celtic defender Jason Denayer. A VAR review changed the decision to a free-kick and Bitton’s effort couldn’t get past the wall.
Celtic suffered another setback when Lyon doubled their lead five minutes before the break. Dubois drilled a low cross in towards the back post which Memphis managed to squeeze in front of and back heel.
Ewan Henderson forced a good save from Anthony Lopes just before the break. The 20-year-old worked some space for himself on the edge of the area and fired off a shot but the French stopper showed his qualities to deny Celtic a way back into the game.
Lyon came close to increasing their lead early in the second half but, thankfully, Memphis’s effort from the edge of the six-yard box came back off the crossbar.
Neil Lennon fielded an entirely new outfield side on the hour mark with Bain the only player staying on for the remaining 30 minutes. The changes resulted in a more experienced side and they didn’t take long to test the opposition defence. A good period of possession ended with Mohamed Elyounoussi curling shot towards the bottom far corner but Lopes made another good save to protect his clean sheet.
Lyon’s first string team weren’t able to trouble Celtic too much for the remainder of the game. Memphis won a header inside the box but his effort was off target.
Celtic’s pressing and attacking intent paid off three minutes from time when Elyounoussi grabbed a goal back for Celtic. James Forrest did well to hold off a challenge before feeding a great pass through for the Norwegian. Elyounoussi darted into the box, cut across goal and calmly tucked the ball beyond Lopes.
CELTIC: Bain; Elhamed, B
Lyon 2-1 Celtic: Moussa Dembele haunts former club
Neil Lennon’s much-changed side suffer friendly defeat in France
By Angus Wright
Saturday, 18th July 2020, 10:27 pm
Moussa Dembele was on target against former club Celtic as Neil Lennon’s men went down to a 2-1 pre-season defeat by Lyon.
Lennon made ten changes to the team that started in the midweek draw with Nice and his inexperienced side fell behind in the fourth minute when Dembele, who has been linked with Manchester United, headed home.
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Memphis Depay doubled the hosts’ lead before the break but Celtic improved after Lennon made ten substitutions around the hour mark and Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled a goal back.
Lyon’s Houssem Aouar keeps an eye on Celtic’s Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong. Picture: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty
Lyon’s Houssem Aouar keeps an eye on Celtic’s Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong. Picture: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty
Rangers had already won the Veolia Trophy before hosts Lyon and Celtic lined up at the Groupama Stadium but Lennon was more focused on getting his squad players fit. He started with teenagers Karamoko Dembele and Scott Robertson plus 20-year-old Ewan Henderson in midfield, with goalkeeper Scott Bain the only player to keep his starting place.
Dembele was left unmarked to head home early on but the visitors came close to an equaliser when Olivier Ntcham’s free-kick deflected off the post.
Celtic had a penalty award reversed by VAR when it was ruled that Patryk Klimala had been fouled inches outside the box and Depay netted just before the interval with a clever flick after Boli Bolingoli had been caught out by a cross-field ball.
Depay hit the bar after the break with Bain possibly getting a touch. Elyounoussi had a decent effort saved before the winger netted an impressive solo goal late on.
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