The Celtic Bhoys
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Celtic Conquers Nomme Kalju in Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round

By Kade Kistner

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Neymar of Paris Saint Germain is surrounded by Olivier Ntcham (21), Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths (9) of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Celtic and Paris Saint Germain at Celtic Park on September 12, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Neymar of Paris Saint Germain is surrounded by Olivier Ntcham (21), Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths (9) of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Celtic and Paris Saint Germain at Celtic Park on September 12, 2017 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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The away leg of the 2nd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League, showcased a 2-0 Celtic FC win. Celtic carried a 5-0 aggregate score into Tuesday’s match against the Estonian side, which entailed that the game be nothing more than a formality. Yet, earlier in the week, Celtic boss Neil Lennon stated that the Hoops were travelling to Estonia to “compete and win”. Within the first few minutes, Lennon’s words seemed to ring true as the Celts were playing aggressively by taking multiple shots on goal and launching attacks against the Estonian side.

It only took until the 10’ for the Hoops score in what looked to be a Johnston cross to Leigh Griffiths for the second Griffiths’ score in as many matches. However, the goal would end up being scored as an own goal against Kulinits of Nomme Kalju. A few minutes later in the 27’, Griffiths took a nasty cleat to the left ankle, and limped from the pitch. Markovych was charged a yellow card, and Griffiths was insistent on staying in the match. The first half of the match was characterized by scrappiness on both sides of the ball. Furthermore, even down a 6-0 aggregate, Nomme Kalju continued to press, but could not compete with the more skillful Celts.

Scott Brown of Celtic FC  (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Scott Brown of Celtic FC  (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /

The second half of the match saw Nomme Kalju come alive. Attack after attack was launched against Celtic, but Kalju always seemed to be outclassed. Despite facing imminent elimination, Kalju played with pride until the end. The Celts appeared to play with a lack of concentration that could be attributed to the 6-0 aggregate. The Hoops had a fair amount of luck on their side in the second half, coupled with a phenomenal performance by Gordon to keep Kalju off the board. Poor play from some key players such as Ralston kept the Estonian side in the match.

In what appeared to be a lack of concentration from Bitton, Celtic brought in Marian Shved in the 70’. From the first touch Shved played as if he had something to prove. The Ukrainian missed a shot on his first touch as a Celt, but made up for it in extra time with an absolute beauty of a shot to send the Hoops up 2-0. Shved proved that he belonged on the team, and gives the Celtic fans something to dream on for the upcoming season. Of note, the Hoops won 2-0, just as we predicted here on Celtic Bhoys this morning!

Celtic will face St. Johnstone next Saturday, August 3rd for the opener of the Scottish Premiership. The opener will be followed by Celtic travelling to Romania to face CFR Cluj in the Third Qualifying Round of the Champions League. CFR Cluj defeated Mac Tel-Aviv today, allowing them to face Celtic on August 6th.

Extra Time:

·      Chris Jullien looked just “alright” in his first match as a Celt. He missed a header early in the game, but after that looked like he handled himself nicely. Look for our article on his debut tomorrow.

·      Boli Bolingoli played with a ton of energy today, and was absolutely solid.

·      Finally, with an unusual starting XI, and lopsided aggregate, I would not use this match in particular to pass judgment on the future of the upcoming season.

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