“Just another day at the office” – Some fans go crazy after Celtic’s 7-0 win vs Shamrock + Match Report

Match Report: Celtic 7-0 Shamrock Rovers

In their last friendly before the start of the Champions League qualifiers, Celtic hammered Irish side Shamrock Rovers 7-0 in Dublin.

Brendan Rodgers opted for a 3-1-4-2 formation with Craig Gordon in goal. Jack Hendry, Kristoffer Afer and Jozo Simunovic started in defence, while captain Scott Brown operated in front of them. Tierney, Forrest, Ntcham and McGregor got the nod in the midfield, with Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele up front.

Celtic started brightly and opened the scoring in the 5^th minute. This was Dembele’s second goal in as many games. Fellow Frenchman Edouard doubled the Hoops’ lead midway through the first half. Celtic scored another two before half-time, with Callum McGregor and again Edouard finding the net.

It was an excellent first 45 minutes for the Bhoys, who looked lively and dangerous in the attack. Rovers had very few chances and didn’t really trouble Gordon. On the other hand, the Scottish champions could have bagged another couple of goals but Edouard, McGregor and Dembele missed decent chances.

Callum McGregor was a constant threat in the midfield and tormented Shamrock Rovers with his neat footwork. He grabbed his second goal in the 57^th minute.

Three minutes later, Brendan Rodgers brought in 10 new players, almost changing his whole starting XI. Naturally, this disrupted Celtic’s rhythm a bit but the Hoops managed to gel together quickly enough and kept on demonstrating the attacking intent they showed in the first half.

Sinclair looked highly dangerous and scored an excellent goal after a great one-two with Ryan Christie; it was 6-0. Two minutes later, Morgan scored his first goal for Celtic after receiving the ball in his own half. He used his speed to outrun the opposition defenders, slotting beyond the reach of the keeper – a marvellous piece of individual skill.

Thus, Celtic recorded their 4th win in five friendly games, losing only to Czech side Bohemians. The victory against Shamrock Rovers was the most impressive one though, and gave the fans and the players the confidence that the upcoming season could bring further glory.

The next test for the Bhoys is Yerevan, Armenia. They visit Alashkert in their first match of the first qualifying round in the Champions League. The game is on Tuesday.

CELTIC (3-1-4-2) Gordon (Bain 60), Hendry (Welsh 60), Ajer (McInroy 60), Simunovic (Ralston 60); Brown (Kouassi 45); Tierney (Miller 60), Forrest (Johnston 60), Ntcham (Allan), McGregor (Christie 60); Dembele (Sinclair 60), Edouard (Sinclair 60)

SHAMROCK ROVERS (4-5-1) Mannus; Byrne, Olakanye, Miele, Shaw; Gilchrist, McAllister, Weijl, Abulu, Bolger; Watts
Subs: Horgan, Dunne, Smithers, Breslin, Oluwya, Williams, Bogdanov, Armstrong