Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 20:30 Thursday; CSB Sports, Celtic TV
- Como Cup – Being played in Como Italy – involving Como, Ajax, Al Ahli, and Celtic; Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
- Celtic to play Al Ahly (al Ahli) in Saturday’s 3rd v 4th playoff match.
- Ex-Celt John Fallon passed away, RIP. Black armbands worn in his own honour in this match.
- Shin Yamada didn’t feature for Celtic vs Ajax because he wasn’t officially registered in time. The game fell under UEFA regulations, Celtic were told an hour before the game he couldn’t feature.
- Luis Palma sealed a season-long loan move to Polish champions Lech Poznan, with the deal including an option for a permanent transfer from Celtic.
- Reports:
- Rapid Vienna keen on Celtic winger Marco Tilio. Loan with an obligation to buy. Loan fee €400k with permanent fee €1.5 million if gets 20+ appearances.
- Partick Thistle want to take Celtic midfielder Kyle Ure on loan.
- After reports in Belgium suggested Michel-Ange Balikwisha was close to joining Celtic, agent says no talks have taken place.
- Everton have met Red Star Belgrade’s valuation of Veljko Milosavljevic after Celtic had an offer of £5.2m for the 17-year-old centre-half flatly rejected.
- Le Havre president Jean-Michel Roussier has told Paris Normandie that their asking price for Etienne Youte could drop as the centre-back enters the final year of his contract.
- Go Ahead Eagles rejected £1.5m offer from Celtic for Danish winger Jakob Breum.
- Livingston in for 23-year-old Celtic left-back Adam Montgomery on loan.
- In addition to reported interest in Celtic midfielder Kyle Ure, 19, Partick Thistle want to sign 20-year-old goalkeeper Josh Clarke on loan from Celtic.
- 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
“For the first 60 minutes of the game we were very good, and the third goal we gave away. “We had lots of really good moments. Scored one and should have had more. The goal we scored was very good. ‘You can see that the players are working very hard and we’re pushing them in training.’ “I just felt that in the last 30 minutes of the game, we gave the ball away too easily and we lost out on too many duels. “Overall, there are lots of positives for us but also a reminder of the work we have to do.”
Brendan Rodgers
joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki:
There’s no other way of putting it but Celtic humiliated tonight v a decent Ajax side, but Celtic’s defence a bit unorganised & unimpressive albeit the midfield didn’t help. Toe to toe in the first half, but the second half was a poor performance from Celtic showing little and raising concerns. Suprising this was same side that beat Newcastle so convincingly last weekend!
Yang scored a great goal after build up from the back with Tierney supplying an incredible long side splitting pass through to the attack.
Scales & Ralston in particular heavily criticised but so was Schmeichel. Some thing much to work on here.
Sparse crowd in the out of town club, but still lots of Ajax & Celtic fans creating atmosphere.
GS of KDS:
Hmmm….pre season but that was a hard watch.
Kasper is done, absolutely done. Sinisalo should be our no.1 going forward.
Beyond that, nothing new was learned tonight. Don’t think I’ll bother with the game on Saturday night.
nerjabhoy of KDS:
Same problems as last season. Drop off in quality from the starting 11 is bleak, and when opposition forwards and midfield press our center backs and McGregor we concede possession in dangerous areas.
We need a ball playing centre back pronto and against good teams a second midfielder to drop deep with McGregor to show for the ball.
Willie Wonka of KDS:
Too many grabbed onto there’s nothing to play for stuff the second half of last season. This shouldn’t be a surprise. We’re electric when it clicks but there’s lots of gaps, we don’t like being pressed and as well as not being good enough the defence is easily got at as cover is lacking. 10 days until the first game and while we’ve brought in a couple of good players those fundamentals remain. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see us pump someone 7-0 one week and throw in a 3-0 ibrox or a cup final display the week after.
Teams
Celtic
Schmeichel; Ralston, Murray, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Nygren, Hatate; Yang, Idah, Maeda.
Subs: Sinisalo, Doohan, Rice, Trusty, McCowan, Shin, Osmand, Carter-Vickers, Tilio, Kenny, Inamura, Engels, Bernardo, Summers, Forrest, Donovan.
Schmeichel; Ralston, Murray (Carter-Vickers 46), Scales, Tierney (Inamura 46); McGregor (McCowan 72), Nygren (Bernardo 72), Hatate (Engels 66); Yang (Forrest 66), Idah (Kenny 66), Maeda (Tilio 80)
Goals:Yang 21
Assists:
Ajax
Ajax XI: Jaros, Gaaei, Bouwman, Baas, Wijndal, Mokio, Berghuis, Regeer, Brobbey, Klaasen, Moro.
Subs: Pasveer, Reverson, Araki, Rosa, Janse, Edvardsen, Fitz-Jim, Konadu, Traore, Goots, Verschuren, Steur, Bounida, Jetten, Nawata.
Goals: Berghuis 16 & 59, Klaassen 47, Bouwman 70, Bounida 83
Assists:
Location: Como Italy
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
Ref:
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Manager: We’ll take a lot away from tonight’s game
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/july/24/manager–we-can-take-/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell in Como
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24 Jul 2025, 10:24 pm
Celtic were defeated 5-1 by Ajax at Como’s Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia tonight (Thursday, July 24), with the Dutch side producing some sublime finishes to secure a resounding scoreline.
Throughout much of the first 45 minutes, the Celts were the better side, and the move which led to Yang’s goal 20 minutes in to the game included a world class pass from Kieran Tierney which split the Ajax defence in two.
Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers reflected on his side’s positive moments from tonight’s match.
Brendan said: “For the first 60 minutes of the game we were very good, and the third goal we gave away.
“We had lots of really good moments. Scored one and should have had more. The goal we scored was very good.
‘You can see that the players are working very hard and we’re pushing them in training.’
“I just felt that in the last 30 minutes of the game, we gave the ball away too easily and we lost out on too many duels.
“Overall, there are lots of positives for us but also a reminder of the work we have to do.”
The Celts will now face Al-Ahli this Saturday (July 26) live on Celtic TV in the Como Cup third-place playoff match, and Brendan says that it’s a game that he and the players are looking forward to.
He added: “Al-Ahli have quality players. Players that are individually very good.
“As we know, they’ve spent a lot of money on top players. So it’s a really good game, and that was the whole idea of coming out.
‘We were going to get two really good games to finish pre-season.’
“We seen that tonight, they tested us physically, technically and tactically and we’ll take a lot away from the game.”#
Celtic lose out to Ajax in Como Cup clash
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/july/24/celtic-lose-out-to-ajax-in-como-cup-clash/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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24 Jul 2025, 9:29 pm
Como Cup
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
CELTIC…1
(Yang 21)
AJAX…5
(Berghuis 16 & 59, Klaassen 47, Bouwman 70, Bounida 83)
It was a difficult night for Celtic in their Como Cup clash against Ajax, as the Dutch side secured a 5-1 victory over the Hoops.
Celtic had a big chance to take the lead early in the match, when a ball in to the box from Daizen found Yang, who hit the bar, and fAjax keeper, Viteslav Jaros, produced a great save to deny Benjamin Nygren with his follow-up effort.
Brendan Rodgers’ side moved the ball well in the opening stages as they looked to get in behind Ajax’s defence, but it was the Dutch side who struck first, taking the lead in the 15th minute.
A ball in from the left from Owen Wijndal found its way to Steven Berghuis, who was just inside the area, and he produced a curling finish beyond Kasper Schmeichel to make it 1-0 to Ajax.
Celtic responded quickly, and moments later, a sensational pass from Kieran Tierney split the Ajax defence and released Reo Hatate in behind. The midfielder shifted the ball out to his right to Yang, who produced a tidy finish as he buried his effort in to the bottom corner to level the game.
The Hoops came agonisingly close to taking the lead with 10 minutes of the half to go, when Nygren found Adam Idah in the box. The Irishman’s effort took a deflection off the keeper and, for the second time in the half, the crossbar denied the Scottish champions.
Brendan Rodgers made two changes at the break, introducing Cameron Carter-Vickers and Hayato Inamura to the match in place of Dane Murray and Kieran Tierney, but before either player could settle in to the match, Ajax had the lead through Davy Klaassen, whose shot in to the ground looped over Schmeichel and into the net.
Celtic went hunting for the equaliser immediately and Reo Hatate found himself with a shooting opportunity from the edge of the box, but Jaros produced another good save as he got down to his right and tipped the ball around the post.
Ajax went 3-1 ahead just before the hour mark after they moved the ball down the left wing and worked their way in to the box, giving Berghuis an opportunity which he took as he blasted the ball in to the roof of the net tofor his second goal of the game.
The Eredivisie side further extended their lead in the 70th minute when Aaron Bouwman tried his luck from distance and sawhis shot arrow in to the top corner of the net to make it 4-1.
And Rayane Bounida made it 5-1 to Ajax with just under 10 minutes to play, bending an effort in to the bottom corner from the edge of the box, rounding off a difficult night for the Hoops.
Brendan Rodgers and his men will now prepare for their match against Saudi Arabian side, Al-Ahli on Saturday night.
Celtic sink on Lake Como as Ajax put them to sword with second-half goal glut
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/celtic-sink-on-lake-como-as-ajax-put-them-to-sword-with-second-half-goal-glut-5241495
Mark Atkinson
By Mark Atkinson
Sports Editor
Comments
Published 24th Jul 2025, 21:37 BST
Updated 24th Jul 2025, 22:33 BST
Rodgers’ men soundly defeated by Dutch side in Como Cup
Celtic were soundly defeated by Ajax 5-1 as Brendan Rodgers’ side unravelled in their first match in the Como Cup.
The Dutch side were ruthless against the Scottish champions, who turned on the style in the second half after going in level at the break. Yang Hjun-jun netted the only goal for Celtic midway through the first half and they will now take on Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli on Saturday in the third/fourth place match.
This is the inaugural edition of the Como Cup, which also features the host side from Italy’s Serie A. The competition has been given the hashtag ‘football on the lake’ and amid beautiful scenery, the match against Ajax turned ugly for Celtic as they struggled to keep their heads above water during a one-sided second half.
Celtic shipped five goals to Ajax on the banks of Lake Como.
Celtic shipped five goals to Ajax on the banks of Lake Como. | Getty Images
Ajax – who defeated Hibs 6-3 in a friendly earlier this month – took the lead through Steven Berghuis on 16 minutes, although Yang, who has been linked with a move away from the club recently, levelled matters five minutes later, firing home after being set up by Reo Hatate.
Important centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers was introduced at the break for his first appearance of the pre-season after recovering from injury – and it was a baptism of fire for the American and his teammates.
Davy Klaasen put Ajax back in front on 47 minutes and Berghuis made it 3-1 just before the hour mark. Both teams made a flurry of substitutions but the Dutch side netted two more goals via Aaron Bouwman on 71 minutes and Rayane Bounida on 83 minutes.
Rodgers had most of his first-team squad available to him, with new signings Kieran Tierney, Hayato Inamura and Benjamin Nygren playing. Recent addition Shin Yamada did not feature.
Celtic’s first competitive match is a week on Sunday when they take on St Mirren in their Premiership curtain-raiser back at Parkhead.