Ronny Deila salutes the home fans with a fist pump. Celtic’s title defence has got off to the ideal start with two first-half goals seeing off Ross County. Stefan Johansen’s powerful strike added to Leigh Griffiths’s early penalty which the club’s top goalscorer last season won for himself. The only downside for Celtic was his substitution with what looked like a calf injury. Ross County’s new-look side made a horrible start but played well in patches in the second half and can be reasonably encouraged – another referee might have sent Craig Gordon off in the first half, too. For Jim McIntyre, at least a hard one is out of the way.
That’s all from me but stick around on the site for the match report. Bye!
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Full-time: Celtic 2-0 Ross County
A late chance for Foster on the angle is pushed away by Craig Gordon. De Vita’s corner is overhit and Willie Collum blows his whistle for the last time.
90 min: Scepovic finally has a chance but his strike is pushed over by Fox for Celtic’s 15th corner of the second half. 15! Probably 14 of those have been met by a County defender’s head or foot, including the latest delivery from Commons.
89 min: Boyata uses his strength to shepherd the ball behind for a goal-kick and Craig Gordon will take his time. Job nearly done for Celtic. Moments later a ball forward finds the substitute, Graham, but the County forward is offside.
Substitution
87 min: County make a change, another one of their new signings, Brian Graham, coming on for Ian McShane.
85 min: ANOTHER CELTIC CORNER. Number 157. Is this a record? It’s headed away from County’s box.
83 min: This has turned into one of those matches where you wonder where the midfielders have gone as both teams commit men forwards. Celtic swan through the gaping hole in the centre of the field and Commons is teed up again, but his right-footed shot from 18 yards is saved by Fox once more.
81 min: Celtic corner. Not good. Cleared. Celtic win the ball back. Probably about to win another corner and start the cycle all over again.
79 min: Just for a moment County have room to attack. Gardyne brings the ball down in the box and tries to take on Van Dijk, who puts up a strong arm like a bouncer and says ‘no’. At the other end, Commons has a decent chance but it’s on his weaker right side and he fires wide. A very entertaining second half is still without a goal.
76 min: Marcus Fraser puts in a challenge which looks more like a prop hoisting a back row than a defender trying to win a header. Facing away from goal, he manages to put off his leaping opponent at the back post without punishment.
74 min: Commons has imposed himself on the match, picking the ball up from Boyata at the back and spreading it wide. A subsequent attack is foiled down the left and Celtic have their eighth corner of the half. It’s cleared, and here’s the ninth.
72 min: Armstrong chips a funny, dinky one over County’s defence and almost over Fox in goal, who lunges back to tip the ball away for a corner. Celtic have wrestled back some control of the match.
Substitution
71 min: Well this is more like his best: Commons has a few yards of space to shift the ball on to his left foot and lets rip, but Scott Fox dives high to his left and tips the ball over. Craig Curran is replaced by Liam Boyce in County’s midfield.
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69 min: Andrew Davies defends the near post well, clearing a cross behind for a corner. Kris Commons delivers but it isn’t his best and County can clear.
67 min: Celtic are suddenly finding they have much less time on the ball as County press and harry their opponents and it’s all making for much more of a contest.
65 min: The visitors have had the better of the past 10 minutes or so and this is the best chance of the lot. County break down the right and Fraser’s pull-back runs all the way through to De Vita, but the substitute’s powerful shot is pretty much right at Gordon who parries.
62 min: This is all much more encouraging for Ross County. Stuart Armstrong is booked for a clumsy one and McShane delivers the free-kick, which is cleared away easily enough by Celtic but only for a corner. It comes out to Gardyne who sets himself and smashes one towards the top-corner, but his shot veers a little wide.
Substitutions
60 min: There’s a chance at each end, Curran’s shot saved by Celtic keeper Gordon, before Armstrong rounds Fox but runs out of angle. Changes for Celtic now: Saido Janko, signed from Man Utd, comes on for Tierney at full-back who might be injured, and Johansen is replaced by Kris Commons.
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Substitution
58 min: Ross County makes a change as Murdoch is replaced by De Vita. McShane curls a free-kick from almost 30 yards way over Gordon’s bar.
56 min: Armstrong gives the ball away and County counter. Gardyne gets down the right and crosses but at the back post Murdoch snatches at his shot a little on the angle, and it’s easily saved.
54 min: Another corner, and this one is crossed into the middle, but not before Willie Collum gives Davies and Van Dijk a ticking off for some shirt tugging. The corner runs deep and a subsequent cross finds the big Dutch defender offside.
52 min: Celtic corner. Mackay-Steven and Armstrong work a quick one which is well delivered, causing some panic in County’s six-yard box, but someone in dark blue manages to hack the ball clear.
50 min: Tierney has been excellent at getting forwards and whipping in a delicious deep cross which doesn’t land within 20 yards of another Celtic player. Whether his fault or that of his team-mates, it’s hard to tell. Celtic have a free-kick on the right-hand side but Johansen curls it off the field for a goal-kick. Deila scowls.
47 min: Celtic start fast, Johansen trying to slip in Scepovic who can’t quite control the ball in the box.
Second half kicks off
Murdoch and Irvine get things going.
After the first goal, one of many tweets:
Celtic have won the league.
— Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) August 1, 2015
Charlie Mulgrew, injured today, is on pundit duty at half-time: “I thought the referee might have sent [Craig Gordon] off but I don’t think it is a sending off.” Neil McCann proceeds to lay into Mulgrew’s analysis, rulebook at hand, and says Irvine would have scored. Looking back it at, with Gordon well out of his goal and beaten, Celtic would have done well to prevent a goal despite the striker heading out wide. Gordon might count himself a little fortunate.
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Half-time: Celtic 2-0 Ross County
The half finishes with Johansen taking the confidence from his goal and using it to hammer the ball high over the bar into the stands. The whistle blows and it’s a near-perfect start for the champions. In control throughout, two goals to the good, the only downside is the injury to last-season’s top scorer and converter of the early penalty, Leigh Griffiths.
44 min: Tierney picks out Forrest who holds up the ball brilliantly with chest and toe and lays it to Ambrose advancing at right-back. He delivers a massively overhit cross, probably put off by the sudden emergence of sprinkler from the pitch in front of him, spraying a quick blast of water before retreating back into the ground.
41 min: Celtic fans are in good voice as half-time nears. County are slowing the game down, hoping to reach the bell and get into their corner for a breather and a pep talk, it seems. Van Dijk glides forwards once more and shows off his quick feet with a shuffle into the penalty area, but he’s crowded out.
38 min: Stefan Johansen struck that with plenty of power from 12 yards and there wasn’t much Fox could do with the Norwegian’s strike but have a justified moan at his defence. Things aren’t getting a lot better for the keeper in pink as he’s clattered a moment later, but is OK to continue.
Goal! Celtic 2-0 Ross County (Johansen, 35 min)
Mackay-Steven lays a perfect pass into the path of Johansen who smashes the ball past Scott Fox.
34 min: Van Dijk is playing almost as a box-to-box midfielder here, driving forwards from the back and instigating most of the champions’ attacks. This time he takes responsibility himself smashing a shot from 25 yards – Celtic Park gasps but he just swipes across it a little and it fades wide.
33 min: Tierney overlaps on the left and gets to the byline but his cross is overhit. A moment later Van Dijk goes a little more direct with a nicely weighted pass to Mackay-Steven in the box, but County hurriedly shut him down.
31 min: County are allowed to come forward and Curran’s eyes widen at a little sight of goal. He lets fly but drags his shot wide from the edge of the box.
29 min: This is a great chance for Celtic. Armstrong tees up Mackay-Steven in the box who should score, but Fox parries well and County clear the danger for now.
“Just to say, I’m reading this, so you know there is an audience,” emails Alec McAulay. “It’s been mooted (in Scotland’s finest fanzine/blog) that the Scottish game owns up to the existence of two kinds of football clubs - half a dozen Big Boys, with realistic aspirations to winning stuff, albeit only now and then, and a large number of ‘Community Clubs’, such as Ross County (from Dingwall, Pop. 5491). At any time half a dozen of the wee guys would be in the SPL ... Money, of course, at the root.”
27 min: The camera focuses on bad-boy Nadir Cifcti, who is serving the first game of his six-match ban for biting. When did that become an on-trend type of suspension?
Gordon... is booked
23 min: Ambrose gives the ball away very generously and County break. The pass forward finds Irvine who suddenly finds himself up against Craig Gordon well outside his box, intent on continuing his Neuer impersonation. Gordon brings down the striker who was heading away from goal: free-kick, yellow card. The free-kick comes to nothing, punched away by the goalkeeper.
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Substitution
20 min: Scott Brown turns to have a chirp at McShane who was nipping at his heels like a dog, or a footballer. This is a sad sight: Leigh Griffiths, who won the penalty and scored it, has picked up what seems to be a muscle strain. He limps away and is replaced by Stefan Scepovic.
17 min: James Forrest pinches the ball in midfield from Curran and bursts forwards, lashing a low shot from 18 yards which Fox saves well.
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15 min: Dedryck Boyata and Virgil van Dijk’s Total Football continues to bring them forwards into County’s half but Celtic’s link-up play in the final third hasn’t quite clicked since the penalty.
12 min: Things have settled a little. County breathe.
10 min: Van Dijk is allowed to creep deep into enemy territory from centre-back, County’s defence reluctant to come and meet him. A quick interchange of passing on the edge of the box breaks down and County try to counter, but Brown reacts superbly to hustle back the ball.
8 min: Celtic have County pinned back in their own half and Craig Gordon is playing almost on the halfway line, Neuer style. Another throughball, this one from Tierney on the left, almost finds Armstrong but County are quicker to it this time.
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6 min: That was all a bit messy at the back by County. A midfield pass arrowed through a gaping hole at the back and Celtic’s in-form striker was in behind before Davies clipped him on the calf. Not a great challenge and not a difficult decision.
Goal! Celtic 1-0 Ross County (Griffiths pen, 4 min)
The man brought down jumps up and hammers the ball low, under Fox and into the bottom-right corner.
Penalty to Celtic!
2 min: Griffiths is brought down by Davies... and the referee blows!
The Scottish Premiership is under way!
Willie Collum blows his whistle and we’re off.
A roar erupts at Celtic Park as the green flag flaps in the wind in the centre of the pitch. Title-winning is becoming a familiar routine. Kick-off imminent.
There’s a feel-good atmosphere at Celtic Park: balloons have been released in celebration of the club’s official magazine’s 50th anniversary, the longest running weekly in British club football. Plus it’s flag day, and the title flag is about to be raised proudly by club legend John Clark.
Final preparations for today's unfurling (NM) pic.twitter.com/SmvI2G74pF
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) August 1, 2015
To celebrate 50 years of the @CelticView, 50 golden balloons are release ahead of KO (NM) pic.twitter.com/oIqws189mz
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) August 1, 2015
Celtic’s £1.5m signing Nadir Cifcti begins his six-match ban for biting Jim McAlister during the Dundee derby on the final day of last season, but he might not have started anyway given the pre-season form of Leigh Griffiths. Emilio Izaguirre is also suspended and Charlie Mulgrew is injured. Only two County players from the starting line-up against St Johnstone on the opening day last season start today.
The cast
Celtic: Gordon; Ambrose, Boyata, van Dijk, Tierney; Brown, Johansen; Forrest, Armstrong, Mackay-Steven; Griffiths. Subs: Bailly, Janko, Rogic, Bitton, Commons, Scepovic, McGregor.
Ross County: Fox; Fraser, Boyd, Quinn, Gardyne; McShane, Curran, Foster, Davies; Murdoch, Irvine. Subs: Bachmann, Robertson, Graham, Boyce, Holden, Franks, De Vita.
Referee: Willie Collum.
Preamble
It’s August! It’s football! Thanks to those who held the fort: to Novak and Serena, Lewis and Nico, Usain and Mo, Jimmy and Mitch, Chris and Peter*, but the real stuff is back.
The Scottish Premiership returns today at Celtic Park as the club attempt to win their fifth title in succession. Then again, for Ronny Deila’s side football barely stopped. The road to the Champions League is a long one and they will attempt to put the distraction of their ongoing battle with FK Qarabag to one side. The omens are good: Celtic haven’t lost their opening league game since 1997, a 2-1 defeat to Hibs, and their visitors today couldn’t muster a goal in three games against them last season.
A lot has changed for County since the opening day last term, and the signing of 12 new players indicates a desire to kick on from the run of form from mid-Februrary which triggered their unlikely escape. Pre-season has been up and down for Jim McIntyre’s side but none of that really matters now, does it. It’s August. It’s football.
Kick-off: 12.45pm.
*The first name thing didn’t work so well for the Tour de France, admittedly, but I was already committed.
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Lawrence will be with you shortly for the 12.45pm kick-off. In the meantime you can enjoy Ewan Murray’s season preview:
Scottish football does not exactly celebrate diminishing standards but it has been forced to accept them.
Inverness enjoyed the finest season of their short history in 2014-15 and lost one of their star players, Marley Watkins, to Barnsley for a 400% salary increase. Earlier, the main striker at the Premiership’s third footballing force, Billy McKay, left for League One-bound Wigan Athletic. He has thus far made little impression.
St Johnstone began this season with understandable and renewed hope before being bundled out of Europe by the team who finished fourth in the Armenian league. This was not an isolated, if depressing, scenario. But for Celtic, Scotland would be in severe danger of a negative coefficient. Cheerleading to the contrary is common but tricky to fathom. The securing of Europa League qualifying places is cause for celebration in May but regret in July.
Read the full story here.
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