Ange Postecoglou was presented with a pre-match sweet treat by his Austrian hosts.
The first match of Celtic ’s pre-season tour also turned out to be a piece of cake. Celtic blew away Wiener Viktoria, who were coached by their footballing legend Toni Polster – the all-time leading Austrian national scorer.
Yet it was Celtic who had far too much firepower for the Austrian third tier outfit – even with the majority of Postecoglou’s big players watching on from the stands. Johnny Kenny netted twice, Reo Hatate, Mikey Johnston, Christopher Jullien, James Forrest and sub Rocco Vata all got on the scoresheet for the Hoops.
Postecoglou, who was delighted with what was served up before and during the game, said: “I’m starving, I haven’t had a chance to eat it (the cake) yet. They have all been very kind. You come to these places and you understand it is a thrill for them and they want to host you well, so it has been good.”
Postecoglou left out all the players who had been away on international duty And that meant multi-million pounds worth of talent helped to swell the Celtic contingent in the small main stand at the SV Bad Erlach sports arena. There was a crowd of around 30 hardy Celtic fans who had made the trip south of Vienna for the opening game of their tour, along with several dozen locals and supporters from visitors Wiener Viktoria. Not bad for a closed-door game.
Josip Juranovic, Carl Starfelt, Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, Matt O’ Riley, Georgios Giakoumakis, Greg Taylor, Anthony Ralston and David Turnbull all took their seats in their black and fluorescent yellow training kits, along with back-up keeper Scott Bain and Jota in amongst the fans.
Joe Hart took the captain’s armband, new signing Bernabei was given his first run out in the Hoops, along with the likes of James McCarthy, Hatate, Forrest and Jullien, who saw a move to German side Schalke collapse last week. The two dugouts were like mini stands of their own on the far ground and Postecoglou was given an ovation from the Celtic support as he walked across to take his seat.
The rain had greeted Celtic on their first training day but the sun was out for this game. The good thing for Postecoglou was that his team also shone!
You could hear Hart bark out constructive instructions constantly from the back. Demanding the highest standards from the first to the final whistle. Celtic took the lead in the 10th minute. Hatate’s quick throw found Johnston and his back post cross was forced home at the back stick by Kenny.
The second arrived minutes later. Forrest’s low cross from the right was fired past the keeper by Hatate. The impressive Bernabei, who was told before the game his Argentine suspension won’t come into the Scottish game, showed his attacking prowess when he got forward and curled in a low shot that the keeper had to tip wide.
Johnston made it three with 18 minutes when he forced his way past his full back and netted. It might have been pre-season but Celtic looked ruthless with a lot of their fringe stars keen to take their opportunity.
Johnston turned creator for the four when a defender failed to clear his cross and Kenny netted his second. It was more likely to turn into a cricket score. Celtic netted the fourth minutes before the interval when Kenny headed a Johnston cross off the post and Julien reached first to net the rebound.
Johnston then set-up Forrest who netted in the final minute of the half. Bernabei was impressive in the first half and could have scored before he went off. Postecoglou believes the early signs for his new left back from Lanus are good.
The Celtic boss claimed: “He has come in and it has been a massive change for him. “We are not putting too high an expectation on him. “It is about understanding the environment, getting to know the boys and the way they play. “He has got a great attitude and already you can see that. “He has taken on a lot of information and that is a key sign for us. “For him it is good to get that first game under his belt.”
“Like all the players we bring in he has good energy, is ambitious and he wants to carve out a career for himself in Europe. “He has some good attributes which we look at for his profile and position. “Then it comes down to how they adapt here, their attitude and everything has been excellent so far.”
Benjy Siegrist was given his first taste of Celtic action at the interval. He came on along with Albian Ajeti, Matthew Anderson, Vata, and Ben Summers - who ironically played Tommy Burns in a previous documentary on the late Celtic great.
Liam Shaw and Josh Dede also replaced Jullien, who had taken the armband, and McCarthy, while Owen Moffat came on for Johnston. Vata - son of former Celtic Rudi - then got his chance as he produced a great first touch to kill a ball over the top before he raced away from the Austrian defence and coolly beat the keeper.
There is one thing Celtic will expect a far tougher test when they take on Rapid Vienna on Saturday and then Banik Ostrava next week. But it was game one done and dusted with a cherry on top.
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