The pre-season friendly between Celtic and Wolves was originally supposed to be played in South Korea. Those plans ended up getting scrapped, which was a disappointment for both teams. But ultimately, they were able to have the game, although in Dublin. The result was a 1-1 draw. Kyogo put the Hoops ahead early on but it was eventually cancelled out after the Premier League side won a late penalty. Matheus Cunha converted from the spot.
Overall, Brendan Rodgers would have been happy with what he saw from his team though. It did look like the Hoops are ready, as we head into the season.
Celtic started the stronger of the two teams on the day but as the game wore on, Wolves started to look like they were the better team. Could it have been a result of jet lag though, as the Hoops had been away in Japan for pre-season until very recently?
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Matt Doherty told Viaplay Sports:
"“Look, I think Celtic have been in Japan for the last few weeks.“So maybe they suffered a bit of jet lag. We came on strong at the end. It was a good run out in front of a great crowd on a big pitch so I think everybody is pretty happy.“I don’t know how many were here today. Maybe close to 30,000 for a friendly.“You always love playing in the national stadium. Every time you get out here is pretty special even when you’re not playing for your country.”"
Wolves player makes interesting Celtic claim after friendly
Doherty was the one who won the penalty for the Wolves late on in the friendly against Celtic under controversial circumstances. At the end of the day, it matters little.
Celtic showed that they could go toe-to-toe with good quality Premier League opposition. On another day, they could have easily come out with a win. This result should give them a confidence booster, especially not conceding from open play despite not having the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston.
Despite this, fans will be hoping to see some movement in the transfer market over the coming weeks. The window has been a bit underwhelming to be honest, cosidering how much hype surrounded it following the appointment of Rodgers. Let’s see if a few statement signings are made in August.