CELTIC wrapped up their pre-season tour with a 4-2 win over Czech outfit Bank Ostrava.
Ange Postecoglou's side fell behind early on but they responded well as goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O'Riley and Giorgos Giakoumakis turned the game in their favour.
Banik Ostrava - who were celebrating their centenary at a packed-out Municipal Stadium - threatened a comeback when they pulled one back midway through the second half before Liel Abada restored Celtic's two-goal lead a few minutes later.
Here are three talking points from the friendly outing.
Hart-in-mouth moments
The Celtic goalkeeper has never been shy when deciding to come off his line but still, there were moments during this contest where he appeared to be playing a very dangerous game indeed.
It wasn’t uncommon to see the shot-stopper pushing 50 or 60 yards up the park to support the defence during build-up phases of play and while the former England internationalist effectively gave his side an extra man in possession, it was a high-risk, high-reward strategy.
A loose pass from Jota early on left Hart stranded in no man’s land and Celtic were fortunate that Banik Ostrava were unable to capitalise on the opportunity as they had a pop from the halfway line. Hart was forced into hurriedly scurrying back to his goal on a few occasions throughout the game, and better sides will be able to take advantage.
It’s a brave ploy from Postecoglou, and one that has clear benefits. But if the Celtic boss perseveres with it, it could lead to a few soft goals being shipped over the course of the season. The champions will be hoping that the benefits outweigh the costs.
Forrest stakes his claim
There are some Celtic fans who will have raised an eyebrow when James Forrest signed a three-year contract extension this summer but the 31-year-old demonstrated his value to the team in this pre-season win.
The winger’s run in behind for the first goal carved open the Banik Ostrava defence and the Scotland internationalist showed good awareness to cut the ball back to Kyogo Furuhashi for a tap-in to level the scores on 14 minutes.
Forrest was brought off at the break but looked lively during this pre-season cameo, and his performance suggested that he can still have a telling impact in Ange Postecoglou’s side.
O’Riley the real deal
Another who only played the first half in the Czech Republic, O’Riley was the best player on the park at the Municipal Stadium. The central midfielder played an important role in Forrest’s equaliser and lashed in a beauty from 25 yards, but it was perhaps his all-round play that impressed the most.
The former Fulham and MK Dons man showed off his range of passing and vision in an impressive 45-minute showing, while his neat footwork often left his opponents bamboozled.
O’Riley enjoyed a flying start at Celtic after arriving midway through last season but it is hard to shake the feeling that the best is still to come from the Denmark Under-21 internationalist. With a full pre-season under his belt and a greater understanding of his role in Postecoglou’s system, the 21-year-old looks set for a big campaign at Parkhead.
