2017-04-05: Celtic 1-1 Partick Thistle, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2016 – 2017 | 2016-17 Pictures

Trivia

• Midweek game not on TV.
• Celtic are in process for domestic treble, league was wrapped up on Sunday past, league cup already in the bag.
• Celtic drop points for only third time in the season, but still unbeaten domestically all season.
• Rogic back after long injury layout.
• Aberdeen won the day before, and Sevco drew tonight, so Aberdeen extend their lead over Sevco.
• Celtic in talks with Toure about his future (coaching staff role?). Very popular at Celtic.
• Record columnist claims that Brendan Rodgers is losing it with his obsession on being invincible (i.e he’s obsessed with winning). Answers on a postcard please.
• Celtic reported to be after a Romanian midfield player.

Review

(Fatboab of KDS)
all a bit "morning after the night before".

Delighted to get a chance to see Eboue make his full debut, and after a nervous first few minutes , he settled into a good game. Uses the ball quickly and efficiently, and has a good burst of speed , and there's a goal or two in him. He'll learn to cut out the more exuberant parts of his tackling, but all in all, a good hour.

Aside from that, thought the substitution of Izzy was a howler by the manager, as it left us very lopsided, and Gamboa, who was having a good game on the right, looked like a fish out of water on the left. No surprise that Thistle exploited the gaping hole wide left to equalise.

Rogic looked like a player who's been out for a few months, but the game time will have done him good, and Svietchenko needs to take a long hard look at himself, as he's a shadow of the player we know. He gets turned so easily, it's embarrassing.

These games have a tendency to be an anti-climax, and last night was just that, albeit the rest a few regulars got will hopefully see them ready and eager for the Semi-Final.

Good crowd in, and a decent away support, although reports of them "selling out" their section seemed well off the mark.
Happy to see Thistle achieve a top six place for the first time ever, as they try to play the game properly.

(atinof beans of KDS)
Hi-hum.

Still undefeated. Kouassi Eboue looked as if he may well be a player, but clearly not yet the finished article.

Rogic very rusty, good for him to get some game time.

Two right backs is not a good look for us.

Thistle deserved a point.

And it was bloody cold.

(Fergus M of KDS)
Taking Izzy off and going three at the back when we are one up was a strange one from Brendan. Erik gets pulled out to the left, gets skinned and it's 1-1.

Scott hits an identical penalty to the Hearts one with less power, score it and I'm sure we would have settled again an won comfortably.

Brendan makes mistakes, thankfully not very often.

Anyway, we didn't get beat, onwards and upwards.

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• Voting Thread
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• Winner –

Stats

Celtic
Partick Thistle

Possession
Home63%
Away37%

Shots
Home16
Away6

Shots on Target
Home5
Away2

Corners
Home7
Away2

Fouls
Home8
Away15

Articles

Celtic 1 – 1 Partick Thistle: Sinclair misses penalty
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-1-1-partick-thistle-sinclair-misses-penalty-1-4412871
ANDREW SMITH

The title party was pooped in unexpected fashion for Celtic last night as Partick Thistle left Parkhead unbowed for the first time in 23 years. And only four days after his blistering hat-trick suggested Scott Sinclair could do no wrong, victory eluded Brendan Rodgers’ men for only the third time in 31 unbeaten league games because the winger failed to convert a penalty with the scores tied at 1-1.

Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook

Sinclair seemed on course to claim his second goal of the night when one of the few Thistle defensive lapses of the evening provided him with the 66th-minute opportunity to add to a crisp opener shortly after the restart – that had been quickly cancelled out by Ade Azeez.

A much changed Celtic never achieved the fluency or the incisiveness that took them over the line at the weekend with their 5-0 mauling of Hearts in Gorgie, but in part that was because Thistle never allowed them to get into their stride. Despite saying he would not be inclined to rest any of his main players ahead of the back-to-back meetings with Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final and Premiership at the end of this month, Rodgers patently decided that a midweek break was a different matter.

Scott Brown, Kieran Tierney, Stuart Armstrong, James Forrest and Dedryck Boyata were all absent from the team that sealed the championship with the five-goal rampage against Hearts on Sunday. Of all the players who were in action during the international fortnight, only Tierney and Armstrong were given places on the bench. Such extensive changes meant a first start for Eboue Kouassi. The 19-year-old Ivorian has required to bide his time after contracting malaria in his early days in Scotland following his £2.8 million move from Russian club Krasnodar in the first week on January.

The teenager cut a lithe figure in the Brown role. Notably quick and exhibiting a presence in looking the full length of his 6ft 1in frame, there was a sleekness to his work that brought much of the interest in an encounter that struggled to catch alight despite an engaged and sizeable crowd willing it to do so. He gave way to Tom Rogic, in his first appearance since December because of ankle surgery, in the 62nd minute and Celtic lost a little drive with his departure. The encounter had started with Celtic pressing and probing incessantly but Thistle withstood all the attempts to open them up with sharp passing moves in and around the box.

Thistle manager Alan Archibald had offered up a surprise selection of his own in electing to start with Kris Doolan on the bench despite the striker having netted a double to secure a victory over Ross County at the weekend that took his tally for the Firhill club onto the 101 mark.

The decision gave an indication as to Archibald’s priorities. With only one defeat in their previous eight games and having only lost by the narrowest of margins in their December visit to Parkhead, the top six-chasing Thistle were never going to be patsies. A familiar pattern was expected to take hold, though, when makeshift striker Patrick Roberts demonstrated the game intelligence that characterised his display at Tynecastle only six minutes into the second period. A deft little inside-out ball sent Sinclair away down the right channel and his surging confidence was reflected in the imperious finish he produced to slot the ball into the far corner from a tight angle.

What happened next, come the 64th minute, didn’t fit the pattern of Celtic’s imperious league form, with Christy Elliott sending over a cross from the right that Azeez squeezed in with a shot on the turn from a low angle for only the sixth goal the champions have conceded at home this season.

It appeared as if Thistle had undermined all their efforts three minutes later when Callum Booth clipped Cristian Gamboa in the penalty box and referee Greg Aitken had no hesitation but to point to the spot. Tomas Cerny’s save to deny a kick from Sinclair hit close to his body made for the first false note from the man whose hat-trick rendered last night’s dropped point academic for his club. It was, though, a point that Thistle’s intensity and adeptness meant they fully merited.

BBC

By Tom English

BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

Scott Sinclair scored and missed a penalty as newly-crowned champions Celtic were held at home by Partick Thistle.

Sinclair finished off a neat pass from Patrick Roberts early in the second half for his 22nd goal of the season.

Ade Azeez levelled on 64 minutes, diverting home a low cross from Christie Elliott.

Celtic were awarded a penalty soon after but Tomas Cerny made a good diving save to thwart Sinclair.

Brendan Rodgers' side remain unbeaten domestically but Cerny's stop ended a run of 24 consecutive victories for Celtic in this fixture and makes it seven league games unbeaten for the Jags.

This was a deserved point for Partick Thistle, a point that takes ever closer to securing their place in the top-six. That would be deserved, too. They've made big strides this season under Alan Archibald.

In the opening half, Celtic had all the ball but few chances. They had Eboue Kouassi making his first start and strolling through the game like it was a training session, but Cerny wasn't exactly peppered with shots to save.
Ade Azeez celebrates his equaliser for in-form Thistle
Azeez celebrates his equaliser for in-form Thistle

Kouassi had one that went over, Roberts had one that was easily saved, Nir Bitton had another on target, but Cerny slapped it away.

Ade Azeez had Thistle's only effort. Mostly, they had eight, nine, ten men behind the ball; hustling, harrying, stifling. That would change soon enough.

Roberts' vision and precision was the key that broke the game open, his pass in behind a retreating defence finding Sinclair, who beat Cerny with ease. At that point the smart money would have been on Celtic kicking clear with more goals, but the game took a shock twist.

Thistle have been terrific this season, losing just two games in the league this year. They weren't cowed by Celtic's goal. The opposite, in fact. They were galvanised by it.
Tom Rogic made a return to the Celtic team
Rogic made his first Celtic appearance of the year as a second-half replacement

Celtic were exposed at left-back when Elliott got the better of Erik Sviatchenko and found Azeez who put away the equaliser.

Celtic had a golden chance to go back in front when Sinclair went down in the box and won a penalty, which he took and had saved wonderfully by Cerny.

Again, Thistle responded. They had Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine on the pitch by now and they threatened. Erksine put Azeez away on goal. Celtic Park held its breath. Azeez couldn't execute under pressure from a scrambling Celtic defence.

Rodgers brought on Stuart Armstrong and fit-again Tom Rogic to add more creativity to the mix but Thistle never blinked. They gave as good as they got in the second half and deserved their point in the home of the champions – another landmark in an increasingly fine season.
Post-match reaction

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "First half, I thought we were very good. We were just missing that bit of penetration to get in behind Partick, who were very well organised.

"Second half, we score a fantastic goal. Then we made changes and there was a bit of disruption. Now the league is won, we're looking at a game time for players and amidst that change when we were adapting to the system, they got the goal.
'Our job now is to peak for semi-final'

"Then they showed why they are a team that hasn't conceded many goals.

"I'm proud of the players because sometimes a game like that can get away from you. After the huge high of the weekend, it can go the other way but the players' concentration was really good.

"Our job now is to peak for the semi-final [against Rangers on 23 April]. If there was a game to give one or two a rest it was going to be tonight."

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald: "I think it's a bonus point.

"The first half was a bit like a training exercise for Celtic. It was the worst we've played here in terms of passing the ball in my time as manager but they were working ever so hard. Much better in the second half in terms of keeping the ball and creating openings.

"I thought they were going to nick the win because we've lost a late goal here before. Delighted with the point. It was a good performance."