Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 19:30 UK time; Celtic TV; Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
- Como Cup – third v fourth place match after Celtic thumped by Ajax two days beforehand. Ajax v Como in the final.
- 1-1 FT, Celtic win 5-4 on penalties; good practise at least!
- Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia). Very wealthy side, who have spent a fortune of late, “sportswashing” as some call it funded by overmonied Saudi oil magnates.
- As expected, Brendan Rodgers has named an entirely different XI from the team that started on Thursday night.
- Celtic need to show ambition in the transfer market, says Brendan Rodgers.
- Kwon Hyeok-kyu has completed a permanent move to Ligue 1 side FC Nantes on a three-year deal.
- Former Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon was honoured in a Testimonial between Hearts and Sunderland
- Celtic upgraded the dugout seats at Celtic Park!
- Transfers in: Kieran Tierney (free from Arsenal, 27 May 2025); Ross Doohan signed on a three-year deal. Isaac English from Morton; Benjamin Nygren undisclosed fee from Nordsjaelland (est €1.5/£1.3m); Callum Osmand development fee from Fulham; Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata fee £~250k; Shin Yamada est £1.2m from Kawasaki Frontal;
- Transfers out: Scott Bain released on a free, moved to Falkirk; Daniel Cummings (£300k, pre-contract signed last Jan with West Ham); Joey Dawson (free to Scunthorpe); Matt Anderson to KV Kortrijk (Belgium, Free); Maik Nawrocki year loan deal to German side Hannover 96 with purchase clause; Lagerbielke to Braga (est up to £2.7m with 10% sell on clause); Lenny Agbaire to Rotherham (free); Luis Palma to Lech Poznan on loan with purchase option
Summary
That game was just a mess, from start to finish.
Delighted we came through injury free.
Shin looks strong, fast and technical. Well ahead of Idah. Maybe the Maeda to Brentford rumours are true?
Agree with elsewhere, thought Donovan showed up well. Think that we need to show our youth that there is a pathway forward. Bernardo looked classy and McCowan must have tweeted something about the crown Prince’s Koi Carp pond being sub standard because he was assaulted all night!
Better second half performance against a shower of thugs who could play when they wanted to
I thought Trusty, Bernardo, McCowan, Inamura, Forrest were decent
Good cameos from Donovan and Yamada
Ref was an absolute wrongun
Are Celtic currently too soft?
Pre match:
As expected, Brendan Rodgers has named an entirely different XI from the team that started on Thursday night.
Alistair Johnston has finally returned to the fold after his international exploits with Canada. Anthony Ralston, Ben McPherson and Colby Donovan have rotated at right-back, but AJ is the undisputed first-choice and his return is a massive boost.
It’s a big night for Cameron Carter-Vickers too as the USA stopper makes his first start of the season. CCV made his injury comeback as a second-half sub against Ajax after recovering from a minor knee op over the summer. The man mountain looked rusty and Rodgers will hope his top centre-back will benefit from another run-out against quality opposition.
Johnny Kenny believes he’s a future Celtic striker and the Irishman has a big opportunity to show what he can do ahead of flag day next weekend. While £9m man Adam Idah has blown hot and cold over pre-season, Kenny has made a real impact, notching a couple of goals and causing problems up front.
Pens:
Arne Engels is first to step up… and he scores!
Ben Summer is next up, and he scores!
Cool as you like from Luke McCowan as he rolls it into the bottom corner.
Stephen Welsh puts Celtic on the cusp of winning the shoot-out with a side-footed penalty high into the top corner.
Shin Yamada makes it five out of five for Celtic as he sweeps it strongly into the bottom corner.
Teams
Celtic
Sinisalo, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Inamura, Bernardo, McCowan, Engels, Forrest, Kenny, Tilio.
Subs: Schmeichel, Doohan, Rice, Scales, Nygren, Idah, Yang, Yamada, Osmand, Summers, Maeda, Hatate, McGregor, Murray, Donovan, Ralston, Welsh, Tierney
Sinisalo; Johnston (Donavan 62); Carter-Vickers (Welsh 62); Trusty; Inamura; Bernardo (Osmand 70); McCowan; Engels; Forrest; Tilio (Summers 70); Kenny (Yamada 46).
Goals: Trusty 49
Al-Ahli SCF
Al Ahli XI: Mendy, Rayan, Demiral, Ibanez, Dams, Eid, Kessie, Fahad, Mahrez, Galeno, Tony.
Subs: Al-sanbi, Abdo, Bakor, Al-Hurayi, Sumayhan, Al-Buraikan, Yaseen, Majrashi, Balobaid, Ziyad jr., Ramiz, Khaibari, Ayman, St. Maximin.
Goals: Galeno 22
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como Italy
Ref:
Att: (as expected low due to price, location & teams for a 3rd place match)
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Celtic sign off pre-season with Como Cup win over Al-Ahli
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/july/26/celts-signs-off-pre-season-with-como-cup-win-over-al-ahli/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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26 Jul 2025, 9:43 pm
Como Cup
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como
CELTIC…1
(Trusty 49)
AL-AHLI…1
(Galeno 22 )
CELTIC WIN 5-4 ON PENALTIES
Celtic signed off pre-season with a penalty shoot-out win over Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the Como Cup after the game finished 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
The first real opportunity for Celtic came with 20 minutes on the clock, when a ball crossed in to the box from the left-hand side found Johnny Kenny, buhis header from 12 yards out drifted over the bar.
It was Al-Ahli who took the lead a few moments later when Galeno produced a brilliant overhead kick inside the box from a Riyadh Mahrez cross to fire the ball beyond Vil Sinisalo.
Celtic went looking for an equaliser and James Forrest used his experience to cause Al-Ahli problems on the left wing, but the Celts were limited to very few chances.
Yaseen Al-Zubaidi found himself with a good shooting opportunity for Al-Ahli with just under 10 minutes of the half left, but his curling effort drifted high and wide of the target.
With just a few minutes of the half remaining, Arne Engels sent a dangerous ball through the Al-Ahli defence which Johnny Kenny was unfortunate not to get on the end of, with the Irishman being narrowly beaten to the ball by the keeper.
Brendan Rodgers made one change at half time, bringing Shin Yamada on for his first appearance for Celtic in place of Johnny Kenny.
Less than five minutes into the half, Celtic found the equaliser. A Luke McCowan corner found James Forrest at the back post. The winger immediately picked out Auston Trusty with a first-time pass, and the American made no mistake as he fired the ball beyond Mendy to make it 1-1.
It looked like Yamada had given Celtic the lead 10 minutes later when he picked up on a pass in to the box from Marco Tilio and fired the ball into the net, but the flag went up for offside, denying the Japanese forward his first Celtic goal.
Celtic began to dominate the match as the second half progressed, and with 25 minutes to go, Engels had a big opportunity to give the Celts the lead, but his shot from inside the box sailed over the bar.
Vil Sinisalo was called in to action as Al-Ahli went looking to put the Bhoys under pressure, and the Finnish keeper made a smart stop with his feet to deny St. Maximin who tried to pick out the bottom corner with a strike from close range.
The Saudi Arabian side had another big opportunity when Eid Al-Muwallad took a shot from six yards out, but somehow Auston Trusty and Vil Sinisalo were able to block the effort and send it behind for a corner.
James Forrest found himself with a similar chance just seconds later, and this time it was Al-Ahly who defended well and blocked Forrest’s effort.
From the resulting corner, another chance came Celtic’s way, and Luke McCowan was denied by the post when it looked like his effort from outside the box had given the Celts the lead.
With the match ending 1-1 after 90 minutes, the result was settled by a penalty shoot-out, which the Celts won thanks to a Vil Sinisalo save and five perfect spot-kicks, the last of which was taken by Shin Yamada.
The victory rounds off Celtic’s pre-season in the best possible way, and the Cchampions will now look ahead to the start of the season next Sunday when they play host to St Mirren.
CELTIC: Sinisalo, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Inamura, Bernardo, McCowan, Engels, Forrest, Kenny, Tilio.
Subs: Schmeichel, Doohan, Rice, Scales, Nygren, Idah, Yang, Yamada, Osmand, Summers, Maeda, Hatate, McGregor, Murray, Donovan, Ralston, Welsh, Tierney
CELTIC 1 AL-AHLI 1 (Celtic win 5-3 on pens): YAMADA SPOT ON FOR DREAM DEBUT
https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/celtic-1-al-ahli-1-celtic-win-5-3-on-pens-yamada-spot-on-for-dream-debut/By CQN Magazine on 26th July 2025 Match Report
CELTIC 1 AL-AHLI 1 (Celtic win 5-3 on pens)
SHIN YAMADA had a dream debut for Celtic when he hit the deciding penalty-kick in the dramatic shoot-out against the Saudi Arabian champions in Como tonight.
The Japanese striker, who had been brought on in the second-half, was handed the responsibility of settling the third-place play-off encounter.
Arne Engels, Ben Summers, Luke McCowan and Stephen Welsh had already made impeccable jobs with their efforts from 12 yards while Viljami Sinisalo had produced a superb save to deny the opponents at their third attempt.
All eyes were on Yamada as he stepped forward and he nonchalantly buried his low drive in at the keeper’s right.
It was the least the Celts deserved after a spirited second-half display.
HAPPY DAZE…new Bhoy Shin Yamada celebrates his dream debut.
Following a see-sawing 90 minutes, with the Hoops performing a lot better after the interval, it was honours even at 1-1 to force the spot-kick showdown.
Now all eyes are on the east end of Glasgow a week tomorrow when St Mirren arrive to provide the opposition on Flag Day in the Premiership kick-off.
In the absence of Callum McGregor, the returning Cameron Carter-Vickers, making his first start of the pre-season, captained the champions, who were wearing their black change strip.
Ivan Toney, who has been linked with the Hoops in the past, was leading the Saudi team’s attack after his move from Brentford last summer for a reported £40million.
Viljami Sinisalo was called into action in the 15th minute when Al-Ahli broke on the left, but the Finnish international keeper got down swiftly to push a dangerous cross out of the danger zone with Toney racing in at the far post.
Alistair Johnston was slow to see the threat, but, to be fair to the Canadian defender, he was making his first appearance since his international exploits with Canada last month.
UNDER PRESSURE…Viljami Sinisalo had no chance with the opening goal.
James Forrest, playing on the left with Marco Tilio on the opposite flank, displayed some neat footwork to get free on the flank, but his ball inside was smuggled clear by a well-organised defence.
In the 23rd minute, the Hoops went behind after a spectacular mid-air volley from Brazilian Galeno following a precise ball over from the right by former Manchester City man Riyad Mahrez.
Sinisalo got a hand to the effort, but unfortunately the power of the shot saw the ball ricochet into the net.
Three Celtic players – Carter-Vickers, Johnston and Tilio – were in the vicinity, but no one took the responsibility of attempting to cut out the right-wing cross.
Brendan Rodgers’ men tried to respond immediately and only moments later Forrest whipped in another inviting cross, but Johnny Kenny’s close-range, first-time attempt flew high over the bar.
Alarmingly, Celtic forfeited possession to the Saudis much as they did in the second-half of the 5-1 loss to Ajax on Thursday night. It was like watching an x-certificate replay of the drubbing from the Amsterdam outfit.
In the 42nd minute, Forrest and Luke McCowan combined well before the midfielder swept a pass out to Tilio, but he elected to hit a first-time shot from an angle and it was a simple pick up for keeper Edouard Mendy.
It was a poor decision from the Australian winger who was making a rare appearance for the club.
New Bhoy Yamada, who sealed his £1,3million move from Kawasaki Frontale at the weekend, replaced Kenny at the start of the second-half to make what turned out to be a memotable baptism.
Celtic levelled in the 50th minute after McCowan fired over a right-wing corner-kick and Forrest cleverly knocked the ball back into the box.
Auston Trusty was the unlikely source of the goal as the centre-back swivelled just eight yards out to make perfect contact with his left foot and his effort flew past the startled Mendy.
Just before the hour mark, Yamada thought he had claimed his first Hoops goal when he touched a Johnston low ball in from 10 yards, but he had strayed just offside.
In the 62nd minute, Welsh and Colby Donovan replaced Carter-Vickers and Johnston as Rodgers freshened up his formation with Forrest taking over the captain’s armband.
Rodgers’ men had come to life and Engels, who had rarely figured, should have done better when he launched a wayward drive over the bar from a good position 10 yards out after a neat right-wing pass from McCowan.
In the 71st minute, Tilio and Paulo Bernardo were withdrawn with Summers and Callum Osmand taking their place.
Seven minutes from time, the Hoops had an escape when Sinisalo failed to deal with a left-wing cross, but the danger was cleared when Trusty diverted a shot for a corner-kick.
Only moments later, Yamada teased his way in from the left before knocking a ball to McCowan and it broke to Forrest, but his drive was diverted over the crossbar by a lunging defender.
And McCowan was right of luck when he thumped in a left-foot drive that clattered against the right-hand post which rebounded to safety and it was the Saudis’ turn to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was one of the last kicks of the ball before the game went to the penalty-kick decider.
And then new Bhoy Yamada stepped forward to take the headlines.
TEAM: Sinisalo; Johnston, (sub: Donovan 62), Carter-Vickers, (sub: Welsh 62), Trusty, Inamura; Bernardo (sub: Summers 71), Engels, McCowan; Forrest, Kenny (sub: Yamada 46), Tilio (sub: Osmand 71).
Celtic finish pre-season with victory as debutant hits decisive spot-kick and defender on target
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Deputy Sports Editor
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/celtic-finish-pre-season-with-victory-as-debutant-hits-decisive-spot-kick-and-defender-on-target-5243630
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Published 26th Jul 2025, 22:31 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2025, 22:58 BST
Celtic conclude pre-season with shoot-out win over Saudi opponents
Celtic completed their pre-season schedule by defeating Al-Ahli on penalties in the Como Cup on Saturday night.
The Hoops won 5-3 in the shoot-out following a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes against the Saudi Arabian outfit at the Sinigaglia Stadium to secure third place in the competition following Thursday’s 5-1 defeat to Ajax.
New signing Shin Yamada made his Celtic debut from the bench and produced a lively display while also converting the winning spot-kick in the shoot-out after Auston Trusty had netted an equaliser five minutes into the second half following Galeno’s first-half opener for Al-Ahli.
New Celtic forward Shin Yamada scored the winning penalty against Al-Ahli in the Como Cup. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
New Celtic forward Shin Yamada scored the winning penalty against Al-Ahli in the Como Cup. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group
Brendan Rodgers made a number of changes to the side that lost to Ajax due to the quick 48-hour turnaround with James Forrest, Marco Tilio, Johnny Kenny, Luke McCowan and Viljami Sinisalo all handed starts while a number of youngsters were introduced in the second half.
Al-Ahli, the reigning AFC Champions League holders who had five-time English Premier League winner Riyad Mahrez and England striker Ivan Toney in attack, had the better of the first half.
Mahrez was involved as the Saudis took the lead on 22 minutes, floating a cross into the box where Brazilian winger Galeno scored with a stunning scissor kick.
Celtic improved after the break and levelled on 50 minutes when McCowan’s corner was knocked back across goal by Forrest and Auston Trusty fired into the net from six yards.
Yamada came on at half-time and showed glimpses of his pace. He was denied a debut strike by the offside flag, while McCowan almost won it for Celtic in normal time but his effort struck the woodwork.
The game went to penalties where Arne Engels, Ben Summers, McCowan, Stephen Welsh and Yamada all hit the target with Sinisalo saving one of Al-Ahli’s efforts to ensure Celtic go into their Premiership opener against St Mirren next Sunday on a positive note.
Ajax meet Como in the tournament final on Sunday.