Mikey Johnston made his Vitoria Guimaraes debut as the Celtic loanee got off to the perfect start.
Ange Postecoglou sanctioned a long move for the highly-regarded attacker as he bids to land a consistent run of first-team football this season following a series of niggling injuries. That green light has taken the 23-year-old out of his comfort zone with a switch to Portugal. He penned an extension to his current deal to keep him in Glasgow until 2026 before making the switch.
After joining before the transfer deadline, the attacker was an unused sub against Braga but he made his bow last night as his side ran out 1-0 winners over Santa Clara. Johnston was introduced as a substitute at the beginning of the second half and within three minutes of the restart his new club scored what proved to be the match-winning strike through Anderson.
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A perfect start for the Celtic loan ace who sees his new club sit fifth in the Primeria Liga standings with three wins and three defeats from six games. Next up is a clash away at Arouca in eight days time before a showdown with Portuguese giants Benfica.
Speaking after the game, Vitoria assistant João Aroso said: "We always played the same way, tactically. Returning to the tension, which conditioned our game a lot. We had difficulty turning the game on from behind. It has nothing to do with a lack of technical quality, but with some tension.
"They are more afraid of failing and allowing the opponent to counterattack. The hard way we lost in Braga may have settled in some of them. They may have felt it in the final part and increased the anxiety even more.
"Anyway, we had to win the three points. We will be closer to playing better in Arouca after this three points.”
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