Match report: Saints 0-6 Celtic | St Johnstone Football Club
The Saints had a night to erase from their memories as they suffered a crushing 6-0 defeat against Celtic at McDiarmid Park.
The visitors delivered a strong performance and believed they had scored the first goal in the 25th minute when Daizen Maeda struck the ball past Ross Sinclair. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review revealed that Graham Carey had been fouled by Auston Trusty.
Celtic went ahead in the 35th minute with a calm strike from Kyogo Furuhashi. The away team quickly increased their advantage with a great goal from Paulo Bernardo, and just before halftime, Furuhashi scored again, marking Celtic's third goal.
Celtic's captain, Callum McGregor, scored the fourth goal in the 54th minute with a precise shot from just outside the penalty area. Soon after, Maeda added to the tally, connecting with a header from a cross delivered by Paulo Bernardo.
With just 7 minutes left in the game, the visitors put the finishing touch on an impressive performance when substitute Adam Idah scored from close range, bringing the score to 6-0.
Coming up for the Saints is an away match at Ibrox next Sunday night to face off against Rangers, with the game starting at 8 PM.
Saints hosted Celtic at McDiarmid Park this evening for a William Hill Premiership clash. After settling for a draw against Ross County last weekend, Saints' caretaker manager, Andy Kirk, made one adjustment to the starting lineup, bringing in Graham Carey to replace Jason Holt, who was absent from the squad. Celtic, fresh off a comeback victory over Falkirk with a score of 5-2 in the Premier Sports Cup last Sunday, saw manager Brendan Rodgers implement seven changes to his lineup. Alistair Johnston, Greg Taylor, Liam Scales, Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kühn, Arne Engels, and Daizen Maeda stepped in, taking the places of Álex Valle, Anthony Ralston, Reo Hatate, Adam Idah, and James Forrest, all of whom moved to the bench, while Stephen Welsh and Luis Palma were left out entirely.
Arne Engels kicked off the match for Celtic, and the away team quickly took control. In the fifth minute, Callum McGregor made a great pass to Daizen Maeda, who tried to cross the ball to Kyogo Furuhashi. However, Ross Sinclair was quick to react and managed to collect the ball. The referee stopped play, though, because Maeda was ruled offside. Shortly after, Alistair Johnston sent a ball over the top to Furuhashi, but Jack Sanders was able to intervene and deflect the shot out for a corner.
In just 15 minutes of impressive action, Matt Smith managed to steal the ball before passing it to Makenzie Kirk. Kirk's cross was then deflected out for a corner by Johnston. Smith took the corner from the left side, and although Sanders connected with it, he was unable to direct his header on goal.
IMAGE: Lewis Neilson and Paulo Bernardo
A minute later, McGregor sent a ball over the top to Furuhashi, but Sinclair made a solid save to keep the shot out. The ball then fell to Nicolas Kühn, who had a clear chance to score but ended up missing the target by slicing his shot wide.
The guests kept pushing and after 25 minutes, the team from Parkhead believed they had scored first. They were given a free kick when Andre Raymond fouled Johnston. Engels took the kick and played it quickly to Kühn, who dribbled along the edge of the box before his shot was blocked. The ball fell to Maeda, who then fired a left-footed volley into the top corner from 14 yards out. However, the goal was ruled out after a VAR check revealed that Auston Trusty had fouled Graham Carey in the lead-up.
The Saints had to make a substitution in the 34th minute when Aaron Essel replaced the injured Kyle Cameron.
IMAGE: Matt Smith sprints towards Callum MacGregor.
Celtic kept pressing for more opportunities, and just a minute later, a corner kick from Kühn on the right found Trusty, but his header missed the goal.
With just 10 minutes left in the first half, the reigning champions finally broke the deadlock. Kühn’s header found Furuhashi, who quickly dashed into the box. He then calmly slotted the ball past Sinclair, placing it perfectly into the bottom corner of the net to give Celtic a 1-0 advantage.
The unidirectional movement persisted, and at the 37-minute mark, Kühn aimed a shot that went off target.
In the 40th minute, a cross from the right by Carey was punched away by Kasper Schmeichel. However, the clearance by the Celtic goalkeeper only reached Sven Sprangler, who struggled to hit the ball properly, sending his shot off target.
Celtic extended their advantage in the 43rd minute with an impressive sequence of passes. Furuhashi found Paulo Bernardo, who then delivered a superb shot from 22 yards that sailed past Sinclair and into the goal.
IMAGE: Makenzie Kirk and Liam Scales
Just two minutes later, Celtic made it 3-0 when Greg Taylor delivered a cross that found Furuhashi, who headed the ball into the net, scoring his second goal of the match. There was a VAR review to check for a possible offside, but after looking at it, VAR official Alan Muir confirmed the goal was valid.
Six minutes of extra time were added at the conclusion of the first half. During that added time, Sinclair made an impressive save, deflecting a shot from Taylor around the goalpost for a corner kick.
Two minutes into the second half, Celtic launched a fast counterattack, during which Furuhashi managed to outpace Lewis Neilson and took a shot that went over the goal.
Celtic increased their advantage in the 54th minute when Engels executed a quick corner kick to Kühn. The winger then delivered a precise pass to Callum McGregor positioned just outside the penalty area. The Hoops' captain controlled the ball before unleashing a shot that found the bottom corner of the net, leaving an unaware Sinclair unable to react.
Celtic came close to scoring again right after the kickoff when Engels set up Kühn, but Sinclair executed a fantastic block to stop the winger's shot.
IMAGE: Andre Raymond and Paulo Bernardo
The Saints made their second substitution of the match at the 58-minute mark, with Nicky Clark being substituted for Cammy MacPherson.
A minute later, Andre Raymond missed the target, hitting the post instead. The Saints had another opportunity to score in the 64th minute when Essel's attempt was deflected out for a corner by Schmeichel.
In the 72nd minute, Celtic extended their lead to 5-0. Paulo Bernardo sent in an excellent cross that Maeda skillfully converted with a powerful header, directing the ball into the top corner of the goal.
The Saints made two substitutions, bringing in David Keltjens and Josh McPake to take the places of Andre Raymond and Makenzie Kirk.
Celtic kept creating opportunities, and with just 10 minutes left on the clock, Trusty watched his shot miss the far post.
The visitors scored their sixth goal of the night in the 83rd minute. A well-coordinated passing play by Celtic saw substitute Luke McCowan send a precise ball over to Álex Valle. The left-back, who is on loan from Barcelona, made a clever flick, setting up Adam Idah, who finished comfortably from just a short distance. It initially seemed the goal might be ruled out for offside when the official in the East Stand raised his flag, but after a VAR review, the goal was ultimately allowed to stand.
PHOTO: David Keltjens makes a run after taking possession of the ball from Liam Scales.
In the 86th minute, Keltjens made an impressive drive into the Celtic territory, but Maeda managed to return in time and made a crucial tackle to stop the Saints' advance.
With just two minutes left on the clock, McCowan's shot hit the post after a touch from Sinclair. The former Dundee midfielder seized another opportunity, firing a shot that deflected off Sanders. However, Sinclair was quick to react and managed to save the ball, sparing Andy Kirk's team from further trouble.
Players for the Saints: Sinclair, Raymond (substituted by Keltjens at 73 minutes), Cameron (substituted by Essel at 34 minutes), Sanders, Neilson, Clark (substituted by MacPherson at 58 minutes), Carey, Wright, Smith, Sprangler, and Kirk (substituted by McPake at 73 minutes).
Bench Players: Rae (Goalkeeper), Kucheriavyi, McCrystal, Franczak, Dair
Celtic lineup: Schmeichel, Johnston, Taylor (substituted by Valle at halftime), Scales, Trusty, Furuhashi (substituted by Idah in the 66th minute), Kühn (substituted by Forrest in the 66th minute), Engels (substituted by Hatate in the 66th minute), Bernardo, Maeda, and McGregor (substituted by McCowan in the 75th minute).
Benched Players: Sinisalo (Goalkeeper), Yang Hyun-Jun, Nawrocki, Ralston
Goal scorers: Furuhashi (35 minutes, 45 minutes), Paulo Bernardo (43 minutes), McGregor (54 minutes), Maeda (72 minutes), Idah (83 minutes)
Game Summary by Daryl Scott
Image: Nicky Clark and Callum MacGregor
