Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 15:00; Saturday; Celtic TV Only, league match 13
- Lot of changes todays team, made sense with packed schedule.
- Celtic now well clear on top by 4pts on 37pts with +36 GD with a game in hand after Aberdeen drew 1-1 Hearts, and now having a poor spell. Sevco won 1-1 v St Johnstone (unconvincingly) to remain in third. Hearts bottom of the league after Hibs won to move them to second bottom!
- Aberdeen played midweek and very surprisingly dropped 2pts to bottom table Hibs – 3-3. So Celtic have a game in hand.
- McGregor scored another screamer today and incredibly is the top scorer in the league to date!
- Green Brigade Food Drive today at the match.
- Reports: Barcelona decided that Alex Valle will remain at Celtic for rest of the campaign. Rumours in Spain had suggested recalling him early.
- Ex-Celt Efrain Juarez, handed 3 yr stadium ban by Columbian authorities for over CELEBRATING in a match! He went over the top apparently.
- Celtic youth player Daniel Cummings, who is out of contract next summer, watched by Burnley, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers as the 18-year-old scored his fifth goal in five Uefa Youth League games in a 1-0 win over Club Brugge.
- Idah: “(It’s) Probably not the start I wanted. I think, comparing it to last season and finishing on such a high, I thought I’d come in and score a load of goals and whatnot, so it was probably not the start I wanted.”
- On-loan to Shamrock Rover Johnny Kenny’s latest Conference League goal secured a draw away to Rapid Vienna that all but ensured their progress to the KO stage.
- Ex-Celt John McNamee died RIP, black armbands worn in his honour.
- CWT: Elena Sadiku nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach for 2024 for her achievements at Celtic so far.
- Report: Man Utd’s Christian Eriksen’s £150,000-per-week wage deal is proving a stumbling block for Celtic.
- Alistair Johnston among 77 players – 22 of them defenders – in the shortlist from which the public can choose “The Best Fifa Men’s 11” for 2024.
Summary
Joebloggscity of Thecelticwiki:
Celtic coasted it in the first half with our much changed side that gave a lot of reserves a start. Luke McCowan stole the show for some but first it was Scales who got everything going with a wonderful headed goal and it was then an incredible assist for McCowan to score. Idah, Bernardo and McGregor sealed up the match with equally good goals in the first half, but a blank second half in goals was more to do with some good luck and good goalkeeping for Ross County. A fine post-European performance, and some good cases for the reserve players for starting points. Likely Celtic has never had as much strength in depth before, not that this squad is perfect.
Brendan Rodgers: “I thought it was a complete performance. I said we didn’t want to wait on the game and I thought we were outstanding on that front. In the second half we could’ve had the same, but you have to give credit to Ross County. For a complete 90 minutes, that was so good on the back of a tough Champions League game in midweek. All the guys who came in can be called starters. We need that competition and energy because we put so much into the games. On Luke McCowan, he added: “He’s really settled in well. He’s had to be patient. He gets his reward for how hard he works. It tells you everything about him that he comes in and for 70-odd minutes he’s so good with his pressing, energy and quality.”
McStay of KDS: Excellent performance. Some of the best football we’ve played in a long time.
McCowan, Bernardo, Scales and Idah all top class. I thought Valle was good too.
The ref in the second half was so bad. Just took pity on them and did his best to keep the score down.
I thought it was interesting we cut out a lot of the short corner crap today and looked really threatening from just about every set piece. McCowan’s delivery is the best at the club by a mile.
The drop off from Johnston and Valle to Ralston and Taylor was evident as soon as they came on btw. Ralston’s first two passes were misplaced out for a throw in and goal kick and Taylor was immediately beaten in the air.
I think we’re better with Idah leading the line than Kyogo
Highland__Paddy @Highland__paddy ·”You can’t have a petted lip when you are not playing in this team you have got to be ready to come on and do your bit. The squad is massive but it is full of quality and there are so many games in the season that you just have to be ready when called upon Luke McCowan
Teams
Celtic:
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
01 K. Schmeichel
11 Álex Valle, subbed for G. Taylor at 80mins
05 L. Scales
20 C. Carter-Vickers
02 A. Johnston, subbed for A. Ralston at 61mins
28 Paulo Bernardo
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain, subbed for A. Engels at 61mins
14 L. McCowan, subbed for R. Hatate at 70mins
38 D. Maeda, subbed for Yang Hyun-Jun at 46mins
09 A. Idah
49 J. Forrest
Subs:
27 A. Engels
08 K. Furuhashi
41 R. Hatate
10 N. Kühn
56 A. Ralston
12 V. Sinisalo
03 G. Taylor
06 A. Trusty
13 Yang Hyun-Jun
Goals:
L. Scales (10′)
L. McCowan (27′)
Paulo Bernardo (35′)
C. McGregor (36′)
A. Idah (40′)
Assists:
L. McCowan (10′, 36′, 40′),
L. Scales (27′)
Ross County
Manager: Don Cowie
Formation: 3 – 4 – 2 – 1
01 R. Laidlaw, subbed for J. Hamilton at 48mins
19 E. Campbell
03 R. Leak
04 A. Wright
16 G. Harmon
23 J. Nisbet
21 C. Telfer
02 J. Brown 23′, Yellow Card at 23mins, subbed for M. Efete at 46mins
26 J. White (c), Captain, subbed for S. Allardice at 46mins
10 N. Chilvers, subbed for V. Loturi at 61mins
09 R. Hale, subbed for A. Samuel at 73mins
Subs:
06 S. Allardice
27 E. Brophy
24 M. Efete
14 J. Grieves
22 J. Hamilton
07 V. Loturi
43 J. Reid
25 A. Samuel
12 M. Sheaf
Referee Calum Scott
Video Assistant Referee Greg Aitken
Assistant Referee 1 Gordon Crawford
Assistant Referee 2 Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official John Beaton
Assistant VAR Official Graham McNeillie
Att: 58436
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall Possession
Celtic 75.7% Ross County 24.3%
Shots
Celtic 25 Ross County 2
Shots on target
Celtic 9 Ross County 1
Shots off target
Celtic 4 Ross County 1
Blocked shots
Celtic 12 Ross County 0
Total touches in the box
Celtic 40 Ross County 7
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 1 Ross County 4
Fouls
Celtic 11 Ross County 6
Corners
Celtic 19 Ross County 0
Articles
Five-star Celts light up Paradise
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2024/november/30/five-star-celts-light-up-paradise/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
Share
30 Nov 2024, 5:12 pm
Scottish Premiership
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Celtic Park
CELTIC… 5
(Scales 10, McCowan 27, Bernardo 35, McGregor 36, Idah 40)
ROSS COUNTY… 0
It was an afternoon to remember at Celtic Park as the champions proved why they are the finest team of Scotland with a brilliant 5-0 victory over Ross County.
Brendan Rodgers made six changes to his starting XI for today’s Scottish Premiership clash, and the first-half performance highlighted the depth of quality in the Hoops’ squad, as the Bhoys controlled all of the possession and linked up wonderfully well all over the pitch.
Just before the 10-minute mark, the Celts were rewarded for their early dominance as Luke McCowan, claiming his first of three assists in the match, whipped a dangerous corner-kick into the box which was headed in off the bar by Liam Scales to give the champions the lead.
With 25 minutes played, Ross County, who had been chasing shadows up until that point, had a half-chance to equalise as they picked up on a loose ball outside the Celtic penalty area, but Charlie Telfer blazed his shot high over the bar.
A moment later, Celtic’s lead was doubled in superb style, as Liam Scales and Luke McCowan switched roles, with Scales returning the favour and clipping a perfect through ball in to the penalty area to set up McCowan.
The midfielder’s touch to bring the ball under control was classy, and his finish from inside the area was emphatic as he drove it across the keeper and in to the net to make it 2-0.
With just shy of 35 minutes played, the points were secured as Paulo Bernardo made it 3-0 to the Hoops. Once again, Luke McCowan was involved, slipping the ball through to Daizen Maeda with a cute flick.
The Japanese forward then set up Paulo Bernardo who fired home from close-range to put the Celts out of sight.
The celebrations for the third goal had barely subsided when Callum McGregor, who has made a habit of scoring from distance so far this season, smashed the ball beyond Ross Laidlaw to make it 4-0.
Luke McCowan, who had set up Callum McGregor’s goal, was on hand again a few minutes later as he slipped the ball to Adam Idah on the edge of the area.
The Irishman capped off an incredible first-half performance from the Celts with a sensational strike from outside the box, which Laidlaw could do nothing about as the ball thundered in to the net, making it 5-0 to the champions.
76%
Possession
24%
25
Shots
2
9
Shots On Target
1
19
Corners
0
11
Fouls
6
0
0
Cards
1
0
Brendan Rodgers made one change at half-time, bringing Yang in to the action in place of Daizen Maeda.
However, there was no change to the Celts’ attacking intent at the start of the half and with 55 minutes played, Adam Idah almost made it six as his header from a Luke McCowan corner crashed off the crossbar.
Alex Valle then went close to extending the Celtic lead as he burst in to the box with the ball, but the Ross County keeper made a good stop to keep the left back’s effort out.
For the most part, the second half was a quieter affair than the first 45 minutes. However, Brendan Rodgers’ men continued to dominate the match and carve out opportunities against a Ross County side who were desperately trying to keep the scoreline down.
In the final few minutes of the match, Greg Taylor, who had been brought on for Alex Valle, hit the post with a shot from inside the box.
Adam Idah then drew a brilliant save from the County keeper after his volley looked like it would flash into the back of the net.
Unsurprisingly, Luke McCowan was named as Man of the Match after his brilliant goal and three assists in the first half which helped the Hoops to victory.
The Celts will now spend the next few days preparing for the trip to Pittodrie on Wednesday night where they will face Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Alistair Johnston (Ralston 61′), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Valle (Taylor 80′), McCowan (Hatate 70′), McGregor (Engels 61′), Paulo Bernardo, Forrest, Idah, Maeda (Hyunjun Yang 45′)
Subs: Taylor, Trusty, Kyogo, Kühn, Sinisalo, Hyunjun Yang, Engels, Hatate, Ralston
Ross County: Laidlaw (Hamilton 48′), Wright, Leak, Campbell, Brown (Efete 45′), Telfer, Nisbet, Harmon, Chilvers (Loturi 61′), White (Allardice 45′), Hale (Samuel 73′)
Subs: Allardice, Loturi, Sheaf, Grieves, Hamilton, Efete, Samuel, Brophy, Josh Reid
‘Wow’: Relentless Celtic lavished with praise as Brendan Rodgers singles out ‘unfortunate’ player
Alan Pattullo
By Alan Pattullo
Specialist Sports Writer
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/wow-relentless-celtic-lavished-with-praise-as-brendan-rodgers-singles-out-unfortunate-player-4890405
Comments
Published 30th Nov 2024, 19:37 GMT
Updated 30th Nov 2024, 19:39 GMT
Champions bring their A game as some of their football is immense
What a difference 11 months make. Celtic were booed off after only managing to beat Ross County 1-0 in January. A 5-0 win over the same opponents was considered far more acceptable, with Brendan Rodgers summing up the performance in one word: “Wow!”
The Celtic manager did not get where he is by forgetting the small details. Even amidst the delirium of this handsome victory, with a performance he described as “everything you would want as a coach”, Rodgers recalled a game last season when his side were jeered off the park after beating Ross County 1-0 with a deflected Alistair Johnston goal.
It was the first game after the winter break. Celtic were still to get into their stride, and the fans let them know about it. “Listen, it is not lost on me, we got booed off here earlier this year!” he smiled. “We actually won 1-0. But what I know from my time and obviously knowing Celtic, it isn’t just about the scoreline. It is about the performance.”
Luke McCowan was impressive for Celtic.
Luke McCowan was impressive for Celtic. | SNS Group
Celtic produced on both fronts here to go five points clear of nearest rivals Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership. The Pittodrie side take on Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday before hosting the champions on Wednesday.
Rodgers has plenty of options to consider before then. He made six changes to the starting line-up after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Club Brugge and looked on as four of those he brought in celebrated goals. Skipper Callum McGregor joined Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah on the scoresheet.
“Wow!” said Rodgers later. “Some of the football we played… ” He added: “I said before the game that it’s not a game we want to wait on. We want to go and create the game. From the very first whistle you see the hunger and the determination in the players and the mentality to impose our style in the game.
“Scalesy gets us off to a great start – great ball in, gets the header in. We were relentless after that. We played equally as well in the second half but you have to give credit to the goalkeeper, who’s made some brilliant saves.”
Ross County substitute ‘keeper Jack Hamilton had stepped into the breach after Ross Laidlaw suffered a knee injury near the end of the first half, when it was 5-0. Hamilton could feel satisfied with his contribution after helping stem the flow but Celtic also hit the woodwork three times.
Brendan Rodgers was very impressed with Celtic.
Brendan Rodgers was very impressed with Celtic. | SNS Group
Rodgers hailed playmaker McCowan’s performance. The midfielder scored once and produced three assists in the 70 minutes he was on the field. “He has just been unfortunate,” said the manager, with reference to McCowan’s limited number of starts since signing from Dundee. “It is about bedding into the system and the demands of how we play. But now you see he is totally ingrained into the touch-pass tempo that we play and the movement and the pressing and the work. I thought he was absolutely brilliant today with his goal, (and putting) his personality in the game.”
Ross County manager Don Cowie summed up the sense of hopelessness that inhibits domestic visitors at Parkhead. “We’re playing against a Champions League team and it’s having that realism that if they play really well that it’s a really tough afternoon,” he said. “They had a 15-minute spell where they didn’t let us breathe. They were relentless and that’s what they do. That’s why they’re playing at the level that they do.”
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c5yrn0ngdd9t#Report
Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland
Manager Brendan Rodgers hailed the impact of Luke McCowan after the midfielder scored one and assisted three as five-goal Celtic stormed to a five-point lead at the Scottish Premiership summit by dismantling Ross County.
Rodgers made six changes to the side that started Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Club Brugge, which only underlined his squad depth as each player drafted in made a positive impact.
The standout was McCowan, whose corner set up Liam Scales to power in a near-post header before the former Dundee midfielder, making his first start in a month, smashed in a deflected effort on the spin.
McCowan provided the final pass for captain Callum McGregor to slam in a stunning 20-yard strike – his sixth league goal of the season – just a minute after Paulo Bernardo had netted a third from close range.
And a clinical first period was capped off by a thumping finish from Adam Idah, who was also assisted by McCowan, as Celtic extended their unbeaten domestic run to 28 games, stretching back to March.
“He’s really settled in well,” Rodgers said of McCowan. “He’s had to be patient. He gets his reward for how hard he works.
“It tells you everything about him that he comes in and for 70-odd minutes he’s so good with his pressing, energy and quality.”
Despite the chastening defeat, County remain eighth as their away day woes continue.
Their only real opportunity came through Joshua Nisbet, who lashed a big chance to level over the bar before the visitors collapsed at Celtic Park.
Celtic news, views & analysis
Keep up to date with Ross County
McCowan deserving of more prominent role?
The embarrassment of riches at Rodgers’ disposal was highlighted by the fact five of the six players who came into the starting line-up scored goals in a scintillating first half.
McCowan was the most impressive of that group and the 26-year-old must be seriously knocking on the door of a Scotland call-up.
There is also nothing to suggest the ex-Dundee captain is not ready to start more regularly for the league leaders following a shrewd summer move from Dens Park.
Double figures would not have flattered Celtic, who have now scored at least two goals in each of their last 22 league games.
The County woodwork was hit three times after the break by a visiting defender, Greg Taylor and Idah, who was also denied twice by substitute goalkeeper Jack Hamilton.
The only lingering negative on a positive day for the league leaders is the fact there were no academy prospects on the bench, especially given it was a match they could have received valuable game-time in.
Another miserable away day for County
County’s season will not hinge on defeats at Celtic Park, but their potential is being severely limited by a woeful run of form away from home.
They have not won in 24 league games on the road, with their last away Premiership victory dating back more than a year ago against Kilmarnock in September 2023.
Although Celtic passed up a catalogue of chances to extend their advantage in the second half, Don Cowie will take a crumb of positivity from the fact his team did not concede after the interval.
They have Hamilton to thank for that, the substitute keeper pulling off a string of fine stops from Idah and Alex Valle after replacing the injured Ross Laidlaw.
What they said
Media caption,
Rodgers delighted with Celtic’s 5-0 win over Ross County
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “It was a complete performance. I said we didn’t want to wait on the game and I thought we were outstanding on that front.
“In the second half we could’ve had the same, but you have to give credit to Ross County. For a complete 90 minutes, that was so good on the back of a tough Champions League game in midweek.
“All the guys who came in can be called starters. We need that competition and energy because we put so much into the games.”
Ross County manager Don Cowie: “I’ve been in that scenario as a player, I recognise the challenges, you feel like you can’t breathe and the pressure becomes too much.
“It’s a massive gap. It’s about realism and recognising that, but it doesn’t mean you don’t face the challenge face-on and give the best version of yourself.”