Celtic 1-1 Leicester (5-6 pens)
Leicester win on penalties after an enjoyable game, in which Riyad Mahrez played preposterously well. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
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Sudden death
Schmeichel flies to his left to save from Forrest! Celtic 5-5 Leicester
So, Amartey can win it for Leicester. And he does, placing it high into the net.
The penalty competition (part 2)
Allan dances around the ball and sends Schmeichel the wrong way. Celtic 3-2 Leicester.
Drinkwater smashes his penalty high into the net. Celtic 3-3 Leicester.
O’Connell, who scored that lovely equaliser, takes a short run-up and just squeezes it under Schmeichel. Celtic 4-3 Leicester
Chilwell scores nicely, sending Fasan the wrong way and stroking it gently into the net. Celtic 4-4 Leicester
Christie also sends Schmeichel the wrong way. THE BLOODY DERTS, LADS. THE DERTS. Celtic 5-4 Leicester
Okazaki hammers it high into the net, so it goes to sudden death. Celtic 5-5 Leicester.
The penalty competition (part 1)
Celtic go first, with Ciftci scoring superbly: 1-0 Celtic.
Fuchs smacks the ball into the side-netting and almost through Fasan’s heads. 1-1
Johansen sends Schmeichel the wrong way. Celtic 2-1 Leicester.
Wasilewski drills it low down the middle. Celtic 2-2 Leicester
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Full time: Celtic 1-1 Leicester
The result is about right. Celtic had more of the ball, Leicester had the better chances. Now both teams will have at least five chances from the penalty spot.
90 min A lovely curling cross from a narrow position by Simpson is headed over the keeper Fasan but also the bar by Okazaki. That was a good chance to win it.
89 min It’s moving towards penalties. Thanks a lot, lads.
87 min The Celtic fans in the safe standing area are jauntily doing a Poznan. That safe-standing section is such a good idea, and will hopefully become more commonplace.
86 min One thing is clear from this game: Leicester’s counter-attacking approach hasn’t changed one but from last season.
82 min Another excellent pass from Drinkwater finds Fuchs, whose fierce low cross is cleared by Ambrose on the six-yard line. Drinkwater has been a level above everyone but Mahrez in this game.
79 min Surely you can’t play for penalties, not in a friendly. Come on lads, do the decent thing. The darts is on in a minute!
78 min An excellent interception from the substitute Huth keeps the score at 1-1. Huth seems so old-school that I sincerely hope he went on a six-week steak-and-Heineken binge to celebrate the title, before sweating it all off on Wanlip Hill.
76 min The other substitute was the Australian Tom Rogic, who is an Australian professional football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Australia national team.
75 min A few more Celtic substitutions: Allan, Christie and SOMEBODY ELSE, OKAY on; Brown, Griffiths and Armstrong off.
71 min Drinkwater has been excellent today as well. He looks like the kind of man who would give 110 per cent even when he’s playing with his kids. That’s if he has kids, I have no idea, I don’t work for G2.
70 min Christian ‘Uwe’ Fuchs replaces the magnificent Riyad Mahrez, who is applauded off by both sets of fans. When we write the Joy of Six: Individual Performances in the International Champions Cup, this will be top of the list. He was unbelievably good.
69 min A reminder: if this is a draw it’ll go to penalties and I’ll miss more of the Bond marathon on TNT the darts.
67 min Mahrez beats O’Connell with ease on the right of the box but then hits his cross just behind Musa, who would have had an open goal. This, in the parlance of our time, has been a clinic from Mahrez.
64 min Celtic have switched to a 4-2-3-1. Do tactics count in per-season games?
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61 min Substitutions galore.
Celtic Fasan, Forrrest, Johansen, Ciftci on; McGregor, Roberts, Dembele and Gordon off.
Leicester Huth, Okazaki and Wasilewski on; Hernandez, Morgan and Ulloa off.
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GOAL! Celtic 1-1 Leicester (O'Connell 59)
An excellent equaliser from Eoghan O’Connell. A blocked shot rebounded towards him, 25 yards from goal. He waved his team-mates away, ran around the ball and placed a precise low shot into the far bottom corner. That’s such a good goal, especially for a defender.
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57 min Griffiths blooters one high and wide from 25 yards.
55 min “This is one of the best meaningless fixtures I’ve ever seen,” says Matt Richman. “I know so many of these players did nothing during the tournament season, but I want to believe there’s a motivation behind this pace. Did Morgan diss Brown over Twitter or something modern like that?”
53 min Musa shows ridiculous pace to beat the keeper Gordon to a ball on the right-wing. His cross pinballs around the box until Schlupp’s shot is deflected wide.
52 min Kolo Toure is at the ground for the match, having had a medical today.
GOAL! Celtic 0-1 Leicester (Mahrez 46)
Riyad Mahrez shows his genius with a gorgeous goal. Ulloa won a long ball and flicked it on to Mahrez. He zig-zagged infield, running at both O’Connell and Izaguirre as he moved into the box. Then he came back onto his left foot and whipped a wonderful curler into the far top corner. It was very similar to his famous goal against Chelsea, though a bit further out, and it was in an International Champions Cup game. Wonderful.
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46 min Leicester begin the second half, kicking from left to right.
Half-time substitutions
Leicester Schmeichel, Musa, Simpson and Schlupp on; Zieler, Albrighton, Mendy and Gray off.
Celtic Ambrose on, Lustig off.
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Some half-time reading
Half time: Celtic 0-0 Leicester
Peep peep! A nice half of football, without the reward of goals. See you in 10 minutes.
44 min Griffiths wins another corner, this time on the left. Armstrong’s inswinger is headed clear again by Ulloa. Lalala
43 min A good run Roberts brings a corner for Celtic, which will be swung in McGregor. Ulloa does very well to head clear a few yards from goal.
38 min ... and it’s a decent save by Zieler. Griffiths smashed it hard and low, but it was to Zieler’s side and he dived to his left to palm it behind.
37 min Dembele produces a Cruyff-turn and is fouled right on the edge of the area by Hernandez. Griffiths will hit this...
36 min If this game is a draw, we’ll have a penalty shoot-out and I’ll miss even more of the darts . I’m surprised it’s goalless as there has been some really incisive football, particularly from Leicester.
34 min The left-back Chilwell heads straight at Gordon after more brilliant play from Mahrez. He should have scored. Mahrez is so good.
31 min After a good pass from Mahrez, Gray’s 20-yard curler deflects off Janko and loops just wide of the far post. Mahrez’s corner is cleared.
30 min It’s a pleasant game this, with some nice attacking from both sides. Mahrez has literally oozed class, which Patrick Roberts has shown some really nice touches, if not always the best decision-making
29 min “Bloody hell Luis Hernandez can throw a ball!” says Stuart Graves. “Really happy with our transfer activity this S=summer - we seem to have very nicely complemented the squad. Beginning to sink in that Number 14 TheKanteTwins don’t play for us anymore.”
His replacement Nampalys Mendy has an excellent reputation, though I think there’s only of him.
26 min “I’m not sure if that was wise or evil strategy posting a one-hour video of great goals to distract from this friendly-disguised-as-a-tournament,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “It’s rather the equivalent of taking one’s Dad our for lunch on his 25th anniversary and bringing him to a strip bar. What was expected to be the focus of his day will quite pale in comparison.”
That’s only thing that would pale in such circumstances, I suppose.
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24 min Another exhilarating piece of play from Mahrez. He kills Drinkwater’s superb crossfield pass, vrooms infield away from Izaguirre and whips a curler just wide of the far post from the right corner of the box. Brilliant skill. Drinkwater has been excellent so far as well. It’s hard to believe he couldn’t make the England squad.
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23 min A brilliant run from Mahrez takes him 50 yards and past three players before his low shot is blocked. If Arsenal sign him, he might be the difference between fifth and first; he’s that good.
20 min Gordon comes for a long throw and gets nowhere near it, with the ball bouncing around the Celtic area for a bit before it is cleared.
18 min Dembele does really well to manufacture a snapshot on the turn from 15 yards, and Zieler plunges to his right to make a good save. Celtic are playing some nice stuff, as Brendan Rodgers’ teams usually do. I fancy them to get 100 league goals this season, and maybe even break the club record, which I think is 116.
15 min Apropos very little, look at this for a piece of defending from the second golden age of catenaccio.
11 min A lovely move from Leicester that should have led to the first goal. Mahrez moves infield and plays a reverse pass back out to Drinkwater on the right. He curls a Beckhamish first-time pass-cross behind the defence to Ulloa, who sidefoots wide of the far post from 10 yards. He was sent flying by Janko in the process of shooting and wanted a penalty, but it wasn’t given. They’ll be talking about that one for years.
7 min “Hazard on the Celtic bench,” says Dave. “Have I missed an earlier joke or something - but he’s listed there!”
Eden doesn’t have a trademark on the surname; it’s Conor, a young goalkeeper I think.
5 min Scott Brown marauds purposefully towards goal, takes aim from 20 yards, and dribbles a pitiful effort miles wide.
3 min The first chance goes to Leicester. Albrighton muscles Scott Brown aside on the left wing and cuts the ball back to Drinkwater, whose first-time sidefoot from 15 yards is blocked by Izaguirre. I think it was going wide of the far post anyway.
2 min There’s a lively atmosphere at Celtic Park. Is this news?
1 min Celtic, in green-and-white hoops, kick off from left to right. Leicester are in red.
“Hands off that bloody sand!”
Leicester’s pre-season preparations have come a long way, from Wanlip Hill to the International Champions Cup.
Team news
Celtic (3-5-2) Gordon; Janko, Lustig, O’Connell; Roberts, McGregor, Brown, Armstrong, Izaguirre; Griffiths, Dembele.
Subs: Fasan, Ciftci, Christie, Rogic, Allan, Fisher, Forrest, Henderson, Ambrose, Hazard
Leicester (4-4-2) Zieler; Amartey, Hernandez, Morgan, Chilwell; Mahrez, Mendy, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Ulloa, Gray.
Subs: Schmeichel, Huth, Musa, Schlupp, Simpson, Okazaki, Wasilewski, Fuchs.
Sad to see nobody playing the vogue 2-6-3 formation.
“To be honest, could have done with the off season lasting until December this year,” says Graham Randall. “Still trying to get my head around my team being champions of England. Still doesn’t seem quite real.”
I doubt it ever will. It’s easily the most unlikely title win in English football history. And they didn’t just sneak it either; they walked it by 10 points! I hope this season goes well for them, although I don’t think it will. But if it doesn’t, who cares? This team are immortal, and that won’t change even if they get relegated with eight points.
This season Celtic have introduce safe standing, which was used in the friendly against Wolfsburg.
A bit of pre-match reading
Here’s an old Joy of Six on battles of Britain, including Celtic’s magnificent victory over Leeds in 1969-70.
Preamble
Hello. Some meatheads will say this match between Celtic and Leicester is a pre-season friendly, or even a mid-season friendly in Celtic’s case. They are wrong. This is the opening match of the USA/Europe section of the International Champions Cup, and not one person of sound mind would dispute this blurb from the tournament’s official website:
In the summer of 2013, Stephen M. Ross and Relevent Sports revolutionized the international soccer landscape by organizing the Guinness International Champions Cup (ICC), transforming the standard European club preseason tour into something remarkable: a competitive, world-class tournament.
Okay, that’s the sneering out the way. Yes, it’s a pre-season friendly, and it feels a bit odd to be here so soon after Euro 2016. But what else are you going to do, watch Midsomer Murders on ITV3?
Mind you, it looks like a good one: Barnaby and Scott investigate the apparent suicide of a solicitor rumoured to have been stealing money from clients. When rival lawyer Otto Benham is later found murdered in a bizarre manner, the detectives begin to suspect the two deaths may be related. Mystery, starring John Nettles, John Hopkins, Barry Jackson, James Weber Brown and Oliver Ford Davies.
Kick off is 5.30pm. Midsomer Murders starts at 6.
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