Unusual slow start
It took just 22-seconds for the visitors to take the lead in the match. Some poor mis control in midfield allowed Blackburn’s attackers to latch onto the ball. A lovely reverse through-ball from Jack Vale slipped in Sam Gallagher. The big striker made no mistake inside the box as he slammed home past Joe Hart. Without doubt, the sloppiness was highly unlike Celtic’s midfield and defensive players. With it being a friendly, of course it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. However, there’s no denying that Postecoglou will not want to a repeat of those mistakes when the league season starts in two weeks. Celtic are always a threat going forward, but it’s also clear at they’re far too open at the back still and are therefore susceptible to losing goals against decent opposition.
Jota on the wing
We certainly didn’t need to learn anything new about Jota’s talents. However, the Portuguese star is now back in Glasgow’s east end as a permanent signing, having sealed the move from Benfica this summer. The rousing reception he and Cameron Carter-Vickers and received from the fans inside Celtic Park would’ve had the hairs on their neck standing. Jota scored with a lovely first-time volley to get the Hoops back into the match on 15-minutes. He guided the ball into the bottom corner beautifully. He did pick up a knock in the process, but thankfully for the Hoops he just appeared to be winded. Into the second-half, he was full of his usual tricks and flicks, which certainly had the crowd on their feet. There’s no doubt he’ll light up Scottish football again.
Debut Bhoys
Benji Siegrist and Alexandro Bernabei were substituted onto the field at half-time. The appearances signalled their debuts for the Scottish champions, as fans got their first proper glimpse of the new signings. Siegrist – who has been signed as No.2 to Hart – had several saves to make, with Rovers calling him into action probably much more than Postecoglou would’ve liked. From point-blank range he denied Gallagher on a couple of occasions. He controlled his box well and showed why he was so sought after during his time at Dundee United. Could do nothing about Brereton Diaz’s free-kick to equalise, it was a quality finish. In turn, Bernabei had more defending to do than he’d have probably imagined. He seemed to cover well though and wasn’t caught out with any obvious mistakes. The Argentine blasted a shot towards goal, but this was well-saved by Rovers keeper Kaminski. Floated in some nice deliveries.
