Celtic’s pre-season excursion through the United States continued on Tuesday night with Brendan Rodgers notching two wins out of two.
The Hoops held off English Premier League giants Manchester City for a 4-3 win in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Nicolas Kuhn scored twice, while Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma also discovered the back of the net for the reigning Scottish Premiership winners.
Summer signing Kasper Schmeichel made his Celtic debut, scoring forty-five minutes from the start. The Danish foreigner made several key saves against City’s star striker Erling Haaland, giving Celtic enthusiasts a taste of what lies ahead next season.
Kuhn broke the impasse for Celtic in the 13th minute after turning away a pass from Matt O’Riley. O’Riley brought Kuhn onto the field before the German fired a low shot into the corner to give Celtic a 1-0 lead.
Haaland came to tie the game in the 22nd minute, but Schmeichel held the Norwegian’s point-blank shot.
Schmeichel denied Haaland a second straight time, stretching to fend off the star striker’s failed attempt.
Oskar Bobb tied the score at 1-1 in the 32nd minute, after his left-footed shot was first stopped by Schmeichel, but rebounded.
Kuhn recaptured the lead for Celtic in the 36th minute, beating Stefan Ortega to the bottom-left corner. Reo Hatate’s through-ball pass allowed Kuhn to pick up possession on the right wing before slotting home his second of the night.
Furuhashi made it 3-1 in the 44th minute after a pass from Anthony Ralston put the forward in first position to score. It was Kyogo’s first goal on the US tour after coming close on several occasions last weekend against DC United.
Máximo Perrone helped reduce Manchester City’s deficit in the 46th minute after coming on at half-time. Bobb created an area on the right flank before passing to a wide-open Perrone for a left-footed finish.
Haaland equalized for Manchester City in the 57th minute after sending a header past Viljami Sinisalo. Bobb’s cross from the left flank fired through Haaland for his first goal of the summer.
Luis Palma had an instant effect after coming on in the 65th minute, needing just 3 minutes to put the Hoops back in front for good. Kwon Hyeok-Kyu set up the Honduran foreigner in the box before Palma fired a left-footed shot into the left back corner.
Mikey Johnston almost scored an insurance goal in the final minutes, but his header missed after a clever build-up from Palma, who was deadly.
Youngsters Colby Donovan and Matthew Anderson came off the bench, as did veteran forward James Forrest.
Celtic’s three-game tour of the United States concludes Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, Chelsea.
Photos. . . Getty Images
Unique angle. . .
Brendan after the game. . .
Comments after type adjustment Nicholas Kuhn. . .
Other must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, tailored to your favorite sports and teams. Sent via email. Always free!