Match Pictures | Matches: 2026 – 2027
Trivia
- Premier 2, Celtic TV
- First match of the new season, friendlies season has started.
- World Cup matches going on in NAm at same time as this match was going on.
- Two different Celtic sides a mixture of reserves some first teamers & youth throughout (and some returning loanees)
[….]
Summary
Not a great start for Celtic fans who have been forced to wtach some very poor stuff over the past season. With the support up in arms over lack of transfer activity albeit it is still early in the window.
A late late goal saved Celtic’s blushes, but even though these were reserve players, and it’s a friendly, better was expected.
Teams
Celtic
CELTIC (first half): Doohan, Haney, Murray, Carter-Vickers, Donovan, McGregor (c), Bernardo, McArdle, Forrest, Balikwisha, Osmand
Subs: Sinisalo, Scales, McCowan, Nawrocki, Yamada, Engels, Ure, Bonnar, Montgomery, Hatton, Dargie, Turley, Obidiwe, Charlton, Kennedy
CELTIC (second half): Sinisalo, Montgomery, Scales (c), Nawrocki, Turley, Ure, Engels, Kennedy, McCowan, Hatton, Yamada
Subs: Bonnar, Dargie, Obidiwe, Charlton
Goals:
Yamada 90+1
Assists:
Shelbourne
…
Subs:
…
Goals:
Wood 88
Assists:
Stadium: Tolka Park, Dublin
Ref:
Att: 6000
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Yamada grabs a late equaliser for Celtic in Dublin
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/july/07/yamada-grabs-a-late-equaliser-for-celtic-in-dublin/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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07 Jul 2026, 8:03 pm
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Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Tolka Park, Dublin
SHELBOURNE…1
(Wood 88)
CELTIC…1
(Yamada 90+1)
Celtic kicked-off their pre-season fixture schedule in Dublin tonight with a 1-1 draw against Shelbourne at the historic Tolka Park.
There was a welcome sight for Celtic supporters in the starting XI for this evening’s match, as Cameron Carter-Vickers made his first appearance in the Hoops since picking up a serious injury in October.
Whilst Celtic are just beginning their work towards match sharpness ahead of next season, Shelbourne are over halfway through their campaign in the League of Ireland, and the hosts looked lively from the off, with Joey Wuna drawing a save from Ross Doohan early in proceedings.
The Dublin side looked sharp in attack, and with just over a quarter of an hour gone, James Roche thought he had put his side ahead with a good strike from distance, but his effort struck the base of the post and the score stayed level.
Just before the half-hour mark, both sides made their way to the sidelines for a hydration break, which was understandable given the heatwave that Ireland has enjoyed over the last few days. Indeed, the temperature inside Tolka Park was around 27 degrees Celsius at kick-off.
10 minutes before half-time, the home side mounted a promising looking attack which was brought to an end by Celtic’s young left back, Joseph Haney, who managed to get a vital, well-timed touch on the ball to prevent a shooting opportunity from close range.
Moments later, Callum Osmand, the scorer of that iconic third goal in the Hoops’ final-day league win over Hearts last season, hammered a shot towards goal from inside the box, which was saved by the keeper. The ball broke to Michel-Ange Balikwisha in a good position, but he was unable to bring it under control and the chance was gone.
The second half saw an entire team change for Celtic, with the starting XI replaced by a fresh line-up, one of whom, Shin Yamada, had a good opportunity seconds after the restart. His shot from the edge of the area, however, rose high over the bar.
Celtic’s next chance came just before the hour mark, when the ball broke to young midfielder Liam Kennedy on the edge of the box, but his low effort went wide of target.
Shelbourne managed to craft a chance shorly after when Daniel Kelly and Sean Moore linked up well, giving Kelly a chance to shoot, however his curling effort didn’t trouble Vil Sinisalo as it drifted wide of his right-hand post.
Just before the second-half hydration break, Luke McCowan came close to scoring after winning the ball back on the edge of the area and spinning to give himself room for a strike. His shot skimmed the outside of the post and went wide, though a number of supporters on the far side of the stadium thought that the ball had gone in, so close was McCowan to finding the back of the net.
The home side’s Harry Wood sent a dangerous ball in to the box with five minutes of the 90 remaining, but Maik Nawrocki read the danger well and made a sliding block to prevent Daniel Kelly from having an opportunity from point-blank range.
With just three minutes left, Shelbourne were awarded a penalty after Adam Montgomery brought James Bailey down in the box. Harry Wood stepped up and drove his effort in to the bottom corner from the spot to make it 1-0.
Just when it looked like Shelbourne were going to snatch the win, there was more late drama as Celtic were awarded a penalty for a shove in the back of Maik Nawrocki. Shin Yamada was the man to step up for the Hoops, and he found the back of the net to level the score in stoppage time.
Celtic’s pre-season continues with a trip to Portugal, where the Bhoys will face Sporting CP at the Estádio Algarve next Tuesday (July 14, KO 5.30pm).
CELTIC (first half): Doohan, Haney, Murray, Carter-Vickers, Donovan, McGregor (c), Bernardo, McArdle, Forrest, Balikwisha, Osmand
Subs: Sinisalo, Scales, McCowan, Nawrocki, Yamada, Engels, Ure, Bonnar, Montgomery, Hatton, Dargie, Turley, Obidiwe, Charlton, Kennedy
CELTIC (second half): Sinisalo, Montgomery, Scales (c), Nawrocki, Turley, Ure, Engels, Kennedy, McCowan, Hatton, Yamada
Subs: Bonnar, Dargie, Obidiwe, Charlton
A
18:00
Tue 7 Jul
Celtic Crest
Shelbourne
Dermot Desmond watches Celtic start pre-season with Shelbourne draw as glaring transfer need laid bare
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/dermot-desmond-watches-celtic-start-pre-season-shelbourne-draw-transfer-activity-needed-8783375
Lewis Anderson
By Lewis Anderson
Sports journalist
0
Comments
Published 7th Jul 2026, 21:11 BST
Updated 7th Jul 2026, 21:22 BST
Alan Hutton and Michael Stewart on the likelihood of Daizen Maeda leaving Celtic
Celtic defender makes first appearance since October in Dublin draw
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Celtic played out a 1-1 draw against Shelbourne in their first pre-season friendly of the new campaign in Dublin as the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond watched on in warm late evening sunshine.
Boss Martin O’Neill, who revealed pre-match that Qarabag striker Camilo Duran is set to become the club’s first summer signing, fielded two different teams in each half at a packed Tolka Park against the mid-table League of Ireland side.
A mixture of first-team regulars, fringe men and academy prospects were given a run-out. For large spells of the contest, it looked as though Celtic would fail to find the net on their return to action for the first time since ending last season on a high by clinching a domestic league and Scottish Cup double.
However, late drama ensued with Harry Wood’s 88th minute penalty for the hosts quickly cancelled out by Shin Yamada’s spot-kick at the opposite end in stoppage time.
There was plenty of encouraging signs for O’Neill, including the long-awaited return of central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers from a ninth-month injury absence. Returning loan players Maik Nawrocki and Yamada showed up well, while 17-year-old midfielder Liam Kennedy sampled his first taste of senior football and didn’t look out of place.
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Celtic fans anticipating their first glimpse of some new signings were forced to wait a while longer as they made the short trip across the water to the Irish capital with no new recruits unveiled as of yet.
Their preparations for the new campaign were ramped up against Shelbourne, who are currently in the midst of their domestic season and were playing in front of their biggest home crowd since 2006.
Over 8,000 supporters turned out to witness a cagey affair, with the home side looking a tad sharper and posing a greater attacking threat in the opening 15 minutes. James Roche crashed a low shot off the woodwork before the visitors gradually grew into the contest as the half wore on.
Paulo Bernardo, James Forrest and Callum Osmand all came close to breaking the deadlock, while forgotten winger Michael-Ange Balikwisha featured from the outset but flattered to deceive with his end product letting him down on several occasions.
O’Neill rotated his entire team at the interval, with Yamada and Kyle Ure both trying their luck shortly after the restart. Luke McCowan fired narrowly wide after 68 minutes before Adam Montgomery was penalised for bringing down James Bailey in the box with two minutes left.
Wood slotted home before Celtic were awarded a penalty of their own two minutes later when Nawrocki went to ground and Japanese frontman Yamada duly dispatched.
Fit-again Carter-Vickers played the opening 45 minutes as he made his first appearance since October following a ruptured Achilles.
“At first, I just thought I had a bit of cramp in my calf,” he said of an injury sustained in a Europa League win over Sturm Graz. “Pretty soon after that, when the physios saw it, they thought it was a rupture in the Achilles, which it turned out to be. Obviously at that point, you know it’s going to be a long-term injury.
“For me, it was just about understanding that’s the situation you’re in and just working towards getting back in the best shape and the best way possible. It was just about not getting too far ahead of yourself and kind of chasing small gains and being happy with small gains.”
For a second successive year, Celtic now head to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp. They’ll play a friendly match against Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Algarve next Tuesday before fixtures against Middlesbrough and AC Milan back on home soil.