Match Pictures | Matches: 2022 – 2023
Trivia
- KO: 18:00 Wednesday (5pm UK time)
- Benefit/homage match for ex-Celt & ex-Legia Warsaw player Artur Boruc.
- A beautiful Celtic Cross designed Plaque presented to Artur Boruc on behalf of Celtic before his Farewell Match
- Decent size crowd but lower ticket sales than expected partly due to prices although more due to informal boycotts from Legia fans in protest against their own club due to recent poor form. Arguably but lesser so is some lingering bad blood between some of the two supporters is another contributing factor. But also inflation thru the roof and cost of living problems hitting everyone globally.
- Celtic chief exec Michael Nicholson replaced Sevco’s Stewart Robertson on SPFL board
- Weather: Wildfires ravage parts of Europe, and Britain issues its first-ever “extreme heat” warning. Record temperatures in parts the UK: +40C! 35C record hit in Scotland in the Scottish Borders.
- Government: A ‘special football match’ between Celtic and Rangers (Deidco) in Belfast to publicise the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement was proposed by No 10 adviser Alistair Campbell, according to British cabinet papers just released. The rest of us completely baffled by this idea!
- Chess: legendary 5 times world champion Magnus Carlsen WILL NOT defend his World Chess Championship title against Ian Nepomniachtchi next year.
- Reports:
- Dylan Reid rejects Celtic B team offer to remain at St Mirren. Disappointing for Celtic.
- Daily Telegraph report Leicester City interest in signing Matt O’Riley from Celtic.
- Transfers:
- Celtic sign Aussie free agent Aaron Mooy.
- Celtic sign German defender Moritz Jenz from Lorient. Loan with conversion to perm option.
- That brings Celtic’s summer recruitment drive to date to 7 in total…
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Daizen Maeda
Benjamin Siegrist
Alexandro Bernabei
Jota
Aaron Mooy
Moritz Jenz
All permanent deals, except the Jenz one which has an option to buy attached
Summary
Forget his antics, for a spell Artur Boruc was among the best keepers in the world and we had him for his best years
Looking forward to his farewell match tomorrow
@liamkelly on twitter
“It was an absolutely great time for me [at Celtic], personally and football-wise.”
Artur Boruc
@joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki: Tale of two halves, first half was the main first team and Hatate stole the show especially with an incredible opener and then set up the second. Defence was woeful admittedly too often and concerns there remain.
Twitter:
@hullbhoy: Artur Boruc looking very well tonight in the Celtic v Legia Warsaw game. Brilliant career and a genuine character at Celtic. God bless Artur.
@Etims: FT Legia 2 Celtic 2 Good first half. Could have scored 5. The least said about the second half the better after 217 subs were made. Preseason friendlies are a dire watch. Real stuff starts in just over a weeks time…hurrah! I’m hoping this Joe Hart 40 yards from his goal line experiment is just a cunning preseason ruse!
@BA: Can’t wait for the end of pre season. Don’t need to see all the players we should of moved on anymore
@HP: Celtic, really should have scored more than 2 goals given the chances that have been created. You can see where the work has been done in training in closing the opposition down.
Teams
Celtic:
Hart (Bain 45), Ralston (Juranovic 45), Carter-Vickers (Jullien 57), Welsh (Lawal 83), Bernabei (Taylor 45), McGregor (McCarthy 57), Hatate (Turnbull 45), O’Riley (Ideguchi 45), Forrest (Jota 45), Maeda (Johnston 57), Abada (Kyogo 45).
Subs: Siegrist, Lawal.
Goals:(Hatate 20, Maeda 43)
Assists:
LEGIA WARSAW:
Boruc (Tobiasz 45 (Miszta 71)), Jedrzejczyk, Rose, Wieteska (Abu Hanni 45), Mladenovic (Ribeiro 71), Slisz (Kharatin 45), Wszolek (Kastrati 63), Josue (Kisiel 71), Kapustka (Sokolowski 45), Baku (Pich 63), Rosolek (Kaminiski 71 (Stzalek 83)).
Subs: Skibicki, Celhaka, Strzalek.
Goals:(Rosolek 46, Josue 58)
Assists:
Ref:
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Honours even in Warsaw as Celts help pay tribute to Artur Boruc
By Ryan Maher
Sharehttps://www.celticfc.com/news/2022/july/20/honours-even-in-warsaw-as-celts-help-pay-tribute-to-artur-boruc/
Pre-season friendly
Warsaw, Poland
July 20, 2022
LEGIA WARSAW… 2
(Rosolek 46, Josue 58)
CELTIC… 2
(Hatate 20, Maeda 43)
Celtic played out a competitive 2-2 draw in the last away match of pre-season against Legia Warsaw in the Polish capital city.
Goals from Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda gave the Hoops a commanding lead at half-time, before two second-half strikes from Legia meant the friendly would end all-square
It was an important exercise, but it was also an occasion where the Hoops celebrated a former Celtic hero, as Artur Boruc pulled on his goalkeeping gloves for the final time.
Making his name at Legia Warsaw, Boruc signed for the Hoops in 2005, winning three league titles, one Scottish Cup and two League Cups over five years, becoming a fans’ favourite along the way, and both teams entered the pitch with t-shirts honouring the keeper, while Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson presented Boruc with a special Celtic cross to mark the occasion.
When the game started, it seemed to motivate the home side who began the brightest inside the opening 10 minutes, testing the Celtic defence with two dangerous crosses from the right, but thereafter, the Hoops were in control.
Beginning to dominate the play, James Forrest almost made the possession count on 14 minutes, but the winger’s close-range attempt was denied by Boruc, who rolled back the years to produce a fine stop with his legs after Matt O’Riley’s defence-splitting pass set up the opportunity.
From the resulting corner, Forrest again went close, this time seeing his volley just steer wide of the top right corner.
It wouldn’t take long for Celtic to get the goal their play deserved, as Reo Hatate opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a goal of the highest quality.
A tremendous passing move pushed and pulled the Legia team, opening space for the midfielder to bomb inside the box. Callum McGregor picked out the Japanese internationalist with a sublime pass from deep and Hatate stretched to meet the ball and volley into the left of the net.
At this point, Ange Postecoglou’s side was brimming with confidence and their football displayed that.
The Legia goal was leading a charmed life and nine minutes after scoring, the bottom right post saved the Polish side from going two goals down on two quick occasions.
First, O’Riley clipped the upright from eight yards out after more quality build-up play and then McGregor smashed the same post after striking from distance following a short corner routine.
A minute later and it was Maeda’s turn to have an effort, the striker pouncing on a slack back-pass, but he could only just steer his shot wide from a dangerous position.
Having hit one post nine minutes earlier, O’Riley then proceeded to strike the other side of the goal frame, this time glancing a header from Anthony Ralston’s cross over Boruc but straight on to the foot of the post.
It was inevitable that Celtic would get the second goal and two minutes before the break they managed to grab it.
Hatate was the provider this time around, playing an inch-perfect through ball into Maeda, who beat the offside line and tucked beyond Boruc with a first-time left-footed shot.
Artur1.jpg
However, inside the first minute of the second half and the deficit was reduced as Legia Warsaw got back into the game.
A long clearance from Kacper Tobiasz, who replaced Boruc in goal at half-time, found its way to Maciej Rosolek, who raced in on goal and tucked his shot beyond Scott Bain. And just before the hour mark Legia almost equalised, but Rosolek couldn’t add his second goal after he was found unmarked in the box.
On 66 minutes, the home side did equalise, with Josue controlling a clipped ball from the left with his chest, before swivelling on the edge of the box and reversing a volley into the bottom left corner.
Just before full-time, Artur Boruc re-entered the field to say his final goodbyes, as Celtic ended their own pre-season journey away from Paradise, with Norwich City the final warm-up game at home on Saturday.
LEGIA WARSAW: Boruc (Tobiasz 45 (Miszta 71)), Jedrzejczyk, Rose, Wieteska (Abu Hanni 45), Mladenovic (Ribeiro 71), Slisz (Kharatin 45), Wszolek (Kastrati 63), Josue (Kisiel 71), Kapustka (Sokolowski 45), Baku (Pich 63), Rosolek (Kaminiski 71 (Stzalek 83)).
Subs: Skibicki, Celhaka, Strzalek.
CELTIC: Hart (Bain 45), Ralston (Juranovic 45), Carter-Vickers (Jullien 57), Welsh (Lawal 83), Bernabei (Taylor 45), McGregor (McCarthy 57), Hatate (Turnbull 45), O’Riley (Ideguchi 45), Forrest (Jota 45), Maeda (Johnston 57), Abada (Kyogo 45).
Subs: Siegrist, Lawal.
“I have one final dream left at Legia and that is to have a full stadium,” Boruc’s plea
By Editor 14 July, 2022 No Comments
( PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
https://thecelticstar.com/i-have-one-final-dream-left-at-legia-and-that-is-to-have-a-full-stadium-borucs-plea/
Ange Postecoglou talked up the benefits of avoiding bounce games at training grounds, or summer friendlies in empty stadiums as he looked back with some satisfaction last night in the two games over the past five days against Rapid Vienna in Austrian capital last Saturday and then against Banik Ostrava in Czech Republic yesterday afternoon as the hosts celebrated their centenary in front of a large crowd.
The Celtic fans at yesterday’s game.
Speaking to Celtic TV after yesterday’s 4-2 win in what was a competitive and entertaining encounter on and off the park the manager said: “It was a big occasion for the club and great for us to be a part of it. They gave us a real contest and it was great for us. We started a wee bit slow and in in general were sloppy with some of our play and our passing.
“When we had our good moments, we were really good and it was another good game for us. We don’t have any competitive games in the pre-season this year. I didn’t want to play friendly games that aren’t in main stadiums, I wanted to play in big stadiums and good crowds and the last 3 games have been perfect for us.”
Next up is Blackburn Rovers at Celtic Park on Saturday lunchtime and you would expect that there will be a sizeable crowd there to see the re-enactment of the Men Against Bhoys from two decades ago as Celtic progressed in the UEFA Cup on the road to the final in Seville.
The same might not be the case in midweek with the rather surprising news that the Legia Warsaw fans have been less enthusiastic than you might have expected in buying tickets for the Artur Boruc testimonial match.
Given that the former Celtic goalkeeper started his career and ended it at the club he supports is a positive there’s also the fact that he did leave to play most of his football abroad including of course his impressive spell playing for Celtic.
But it’s maybe more than that, the Legia fans are unhappy about the team’s poor showing last season and also the price of tickets for the match against Celtic, and we are hardly among their favourites after the events that occurred at that Champions league qualifier at Murrayfield in August 2014. While Legia were clearly authors of their own misfortune, some of their fans will clearly still hold a grudge, even if both clubs have clearly moved on from the controversy.
Yesterday Legia confirmed that ticket sales were dire for Wednesday’s encounter and Boric issued a plea to the Legia supporters to come out and let him play his last match in front of a packed stadium. That is looking unlikely to say the least as Legia revealed yesterday that just 3,825 tickets have been sold for the 31,800-capacity ground after complaints from the support that the ticket prices for the testimonial match were far too high.
Boruc said, as reported by Scottish Sun: “First of all, I won’t make any money from the tickets, nor did I set the prices. I signed a contract with Legia to arrange this match. My only priority is to say goodbye to the fans.
“I left Celtic a long time ago and there is practically no one at the club left that I know.
“I know there are plenty of players over the years at Legia who are more deserving than me for this game. And I am well aware what the fans think after such a disastrous season.
“But I have one final dream left at Legia and that is to have a full stadium. This is more than just a match to me. I want to say thanks to the fans. If you are still hesitating and want one more chance of abusing me, then please come along too… you also contributed to my career and made sure I worked even harder.
“So I cordially invite you to my final game of football.”
Legia even released a clothing range for their fans to purchase to commemorate Boruc’s last game, as shown above That seemed an exercise in maximising revenues at the expense of their fans, as indeed the ticket pricing appears to be as well.
Hopefully the Legia fans will put their concerns to one side and come out and give the 42 year old club legend a fitting send off which will also provide Celtic with another tough challenge in what has been an entertaining pre-season fixture list so far.
Celtic Aaron Mooy questions amid exceptional Reo Hatate showing in ultimately sloppy Legia draw
The benefits that can be derived from signings don’t always even require them to contribute on the pitch.
By Andrew Smith
Wednesday, 20th July 2022, 7:17 pm
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-aaron-mooy-questions-amid-exceptional-reo-hatate-showing-in-ultimately-sloppy-legia-draw-3776360comments
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Aaron Mooy, fresh from signing a two-year deal with Celtic earlier this week, wasn’t involved as Ange Postecoglou’s men fought out a 2-2 draw with Legia Warsaw. The case, too, for this week’s other arrival in centre-back Moritz Jenz, who has pitched up in a loan deal from French club Lorient. Yet, simply the fact that the combative Mooy now finds himself added to the plethora of options his fellow Australian has for his central midfield triangle seemed to impact on Celtic dominant first-half in Waraw. A 45 minutes that gave way to a poor second half as a comprehensive rejig of the visiting team precipitated the loss of a two-goal lead. But the Mooy factor initially seemed to inspire Reo Hatate, in particular, with the Japanese midfielder appearing on a mission in his run-out to show he should not to be the man to have his opportunities squeezed by the Australian international.
Hatate has confessed to struggles with fatigue on the back of arriving in Scotland in January straight offf the back of a full season in his homeland. It resulted in his form shading towards the end of Celtic title-winning season. Now refreshed, his exceptional, energy-fuelled, craft-filled display, served to remind of his destructive talents when operating at full pelt.
Flanked by Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley, Hatate was central to Celtic suffocating their hosts and taking, what should have been, an unassailable lead. He conjured up the first with an exquisite lofted volley over the shoulder of the helpless Boruc after he had been picked out by a measured ball hoisted into him by Callum McGregor 14 minutes in. At the centre of all that was good about Celtic as they overwhelmed Legia – they three times struck the goalframe – he then fashioned a delightful defence-splitting pass close to the interval that allowed Daizen Maeda to drift off the shoulder of his marker and slot in.
Celtic desperately lost their way as Hatate and O’Riley were replaced by Yosuke Ideguchi and David Turnbull before James McCarthy later took over from McGregor amid wholesale changes. Once he is up to speed, Postecoglou will surely turn to Mooy, with the experienced head capable of performing as the aggressive, enforcer type that has been a missing element in the Celtic side. Idegchi and McCarthy will be entitled to wonder where their game time comes with the pair among the most vulnerable among the seven possibilities for central midfield roles. Hatate showed in Warsaw he will be in the frame when it comes to the perming that will see two from the Japanese, O’Riley, Turnbull and Mooy miss out match to match.
Shaking off the cobwebs in this pre-season hasn’t come without concerns over Celtic’s defensive set-up. These were exemplified when, straight after the interval, Maciej Rosołek capitalised on Cameron Carter-Vickers making a hash of dealing with high ball to pounce and steer into corner. A further Celtic lapse in 66 minutes, wherein Jouse was able to clip in a low effort from the edge of area, meant for their fourth straight prepatory encounter Postecoglou’s men conceded at least twice. Middle to front, Celtic are certainly finding them rhythm, but not when it comes to their backline solidity.