Celtic rounded off their pre-season tour with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Czech outfit Banik Ostrava. Goals from Kyogo, Matt O'Riley, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada capped a fine workout for Ange Postecoglou's side after Eldar Sehic opened the scoring.
It was a midsummer friendly with a slight twist as Banik's rowdy fans packed out the Metsky Stadion to celebrate the club's 100th anniversary. And while that party atmosphere spurred their heroes into an early lead, it was a largely assured and dynamic display from the Premiership champions as Postecoglou again gave minutes to a raft of players.
Celtic will now return to Glasgow for a meeting with Blackburn Rovers after what will be considered a successful camp abroad. Postecoglou's side took control of the early possession but were almost caught out by Jota's wayward pass back into midfield. There would've been no immediate emergency but for the fact Joe Hart had been taking up position some 35 yards from his goal in the opening minutes.
Nemanja Kuzmanovič attempted to lob the keeper from the halfway line as he scrambled back but the ball bounced just wide. Minutes later, however, Celtic gave away an opener Postecoglou will feel was just as cheap. The visitors failed to stop a cross from deep at the back post and Sehic caught Josip Juranovic napping to finish beyond Joe Hart.
Banik's lead was short-lived, however, as Juranovic made amends by cleverly slipping in James Forrest and he squared for Kyogo to tap home an equaliser. The goal was enough to ease Celtic into a steady rhythm. Players were being encouraged to push as high as possible and it wasn't long before at least six or seven were regularly occupying Banik's final third at every opportunity.
It soon bore fruit as David Turnbull picked out O'Riley running from out to in and he curled a pinpoint shot across Jan Laštůvka and into the far corner. Banik had been spurred on by the party atmosphere surrounding the occasion but as the closing stages of the first period approached, Celtic's dominance had largely kept that in check.
They could well have added a third, too, but efforts from Forrest, Juranovic and then O'Riley sailed over from the edge of the box. Postecoglou rung the changes at the interval, introducing Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi, Anthony Ralston, Alexandro Bernabei and Giakoumakis.
And it didn't take the ever-reliable Giakoumakis long to make an impact, twisting to volley home Ralston's clipped delivery to net Celtic a deserved third. Where the first period had been played at an intensity belying it's place at peak pre-season, the tempo dropped off after the restart as both sides rung the changes.
Sub Bosun Lawal made an impressive start off the bench but was caught by Muhamed Tijani's run and he slotted past Benjamin Siegrist, on for Hart at the hour mark, to reduce the arrears. Any suggestion of a Banik revival proved short-lived, however, as Liel Abada squeezed home from a tight angle after Giakoumakis was denied.
3 talking points
Sweeper keeper
Pre-season is that briefest of windows for managers to experiment in a relatively pressure-free environment and Postecoglou has shown he's not afraid to try the unorthodox. Last summer it was the inverted full-backs, which has since become a staple of Celtic's play.
And there were suggestions the manager is pondering the merits of stationing Joe Hart higher up the pitch in certain situations. Celtic enjoyed swathes of possession in this encounter and, despite almost being caught out from distance early on, Hart was often spotted pushing up alongside centre-backs Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh.
Whether it becomes a staple of Celtic's approach remains to be seen - it does carry considerable risks as was evidence in the opening minutes when Jota misplaced a pass in a midfield. But it was nothing if not interesting to watch.
O'Riley turns on the style
Avid viewers of Celtic's behind the scenes training clips will surely have spotted Matt O'Riley looking as sharp as the razor which keeps that goatee of his in check. The 21-year-old has that rare skill of being able to escape the tightest of spots with the ball at his feet and the full extent of his talent was on show at the Metsky Stadion.
His movement is just as smooth as his first touch and he's adept at gliding into areas at just the right moment to receive the ball. It's that impeccable sense of timing that opened the door to Celtic's second goal as he made himself available for a Turnbull pass before lashing home from distance. As ever at this time of year, all eyes are on Celtic's new signings to see how they might fit in going forward. But it'd be a smart bet to back O'Riley being the man to watch at Parkhead this season.
Strikers staking their case
It's the very definition of a "good problem for the manager" but that's not to say it won't be a tricky one. Postecoglou was spared the dilemma of how to accommodate both Kyogo and Giakoumakis for much of last season, with the duo not simultaneously at full fitness for long periods.
But assuming they've both put their injury problems behind them, it'll be fascinating to follow what the upcoming campaign holds. It's a rare scenario in that both players could make a convincing case for being Postecoglou's number one striker.
They were both given a half each against Banik and, predictably, both came up with goals.
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