The international break has seen a lot of Celtic players in sparkling form for their national sides and the new signing is no exception.
International break is a period that fans of club football do not enjoy much. But this break has been an enjoyable experience for Celtic fans.
With Hoops fans abuzz recently about the loan signing of childhood Celtic fan Shane Duffy, it’s safe to say that his performance for Ireland in the Nations League on Thursday lived up to the hype.
The 28-year-old Derry native signed a year-long loan deal with Celtic on September 2, finally getting his wish of playing for the club he was a fan of in his childhood.
Making his 34th senior appearance for the Republic of Ireland, Duffy was given the captain’s armband by skipper Stephen Kenny against Bulgaria in Sofia.
He fared well throughout much of the match, stepping up whenever the team was pressed by the opposition.
Even as his teammates dominated much of the first half in terms of possession, they failed to take advantage of their chances. Just over ten minutes into the second half, Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Kraev was able to fire home a shot past Duffy and company, going ahead 1-0.
After the defending blunder, his play would improve, keeping the opposition from another goal. His squad continued to press throughout the rest of the second half before Duffy finally redeemed himself in the third minute of stoppage time, heading in Robbie Brady’s corner for the equalizing goal.
While not the cleanest of games, Duffy still managed to prove his worth as the squad’s captain, and will likely be quite the pickup for Celtic in their upcoming quest for a tenth-straight league title.
After one matchday, Ireland sits level with Bulgaria in second in League B Group 4 with upcoming home matches against Finland on Sunday followed by Wales on October 11.
Check out Shane Duffy’s post-match interview below: