Partick Thistle frustrate Celtic in 1-1 draw
A quick look at a 1-1 scoreline between Partick Thistle and Celtic would suggest a let down following a title-clinching win on Sunday. However, this game wasn’t drawn by any let down on Celtic’s part.
Instead, Thistle played a great game to frustrate the Hoops in to dropping two points in an already decided season. Celtic attacked, had plenty of the ball and took plenty of shots on goal. However, a great defensive effort made many of those shots easily stopped, off target or simply blocked.
Some may be quick to point to Rodgers giving large numbers of his regulars the night off or injuries keeping Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths off the pitch. But, there was little fault in a completely different looking lineup.
Celtic had 16 shots, five shots on goal and seven corner kicks in the match. All of that coming from a largely changed squad.
Eboue Kouassi also made his first start and equated himself well in the middle of the park while linking between the defense and attack. However, he was subbed off in the hopes of a spark from the retuning Tom Rogic in the 62nd minute.
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So, there’s little fault in the wildly changed lineup. Instead, the draw is all about tipping the cap to a side that simply had what it took to get to the finish line against the champions.
Perhaps the most frustrating moment for Celtic came as the lone goalscorer, Scott Sinclair, couldn’t capitalize on a penalty that Gamboa drew just a bit after Thistle had equalized. Instead, Sinclair’s effort was stopped well by Tomas Cerny.
Celtic’s defensive breakdown that led to Partick Thistle tying the match up at 1-1 just 14 minutes after Sinclair had opened Celtic’s account had to be second to that.
Ade Azeez was allowed to get in front of his man and deflected a low cross past Craig Gordon for the equalizer. It was a momentary lapse from arguably one of the best Celtic back lines we’ve seen in years.
Let’s also not forget that this match had a lot more ramifications for the visitors than for Celtic. Yet, the Bhoys were the ones who came out with more energy and certainly more control over the flow of this game.
There’s no doubt the point gained at Celtic Park was huge for the visitors. Not only did they nick a point off of a fellow Glasgow rival, but the league champions as well. It also keeps their spot in the top half of the league in good standing just a few matches before the split to end the season.
Sitting in sixth place and just four points clear of Kilmarnock, getting any result was going to be huge for the visitors.
At the end of the day, Celtic remain unbeaten in domestic play and that is what matters here. Even if it was the end of 24 straight wins in domestic play for the Bhoys. A point is a point is a point right now and Celtic continue to roll to a magical domestic season.
Up next is a visit from Kilmarnock to Paradise on Saturday. CelticTV will have the match live for those outside of the U.K/Ireland.