Scotland: Celtic start title defence in style
Celtic 4 - 0 Kilmarnock
Celtic kicked off their Premiership title defence with a comfortable 4-0 victory at home against Kilmarnock.
Reo Hatate opened the scoring after 17 minutes, coolly finishing from the edge of the box. Celtic doubled their advantage five minutes before half-time when Liam Scales headed a Matt O’Riley corner into the far post.
Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn made it three on the hour mark with a deflected strike that looped over Kilmarnock’s goalkeeper, Robby McCrorie. Anthony Ralston sealed the win in stoppage time, netting his first goal for Celtic since 2021.
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A closer look at the match
Before the match, they were greeted to an impressive fan display when they took to the Parkhead turf. This created an amazing atmosphere and the Celtic players responded.
Reo Hatate put the champions ahead in the 17th minute, firing into the bottom corner from just inside the box.
Earlier, Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi was denied by a brilliant goal-line clearance and then by Robby McCrorie, who made a superb save high to his right to keep out a curling shot.
Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn came close to doubling the lead when his rebound clipped the top of the crossbar after McCrorie had initially saved his shot. Celtic eventually extended their lead just before half-time, as Liam Scales outmuscled Lewis Mayo at a corner to head in off the right post.
Scales almost scored again early in the second half, but his effort was cleared off the line by Oliver Bainbridge. Celtic soon added a third when Kuhn's shot deflected over McCrorie.
Kyogo Furuhashi had a frustrating day in front of goal, missing a good chance from Hatate's cross, having a goal disallowed for offside, seeing a penalty appeal turned down, and having a last-minute shot saved by McCrorie. However, the rebound was turned home by Anthony Ralston in added time to complete the scoring.
Celtic fans delight
Sean, a Celtic fan from Glasgow, said, "That was a fantastic win for us. Nicholas Kuhn appears to be a new player. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need new players, or we’ve got one less to buy, but he has undergone a radical transformation over the summer, and Celtic are now reaping the benefits of it. He had a great pre-season, and against Kilmarnock, he was fantastic."
Claire, another Celtic fan, told us: "Fantastic way to start the new season. Our result and performance were even better knowing that Rangers were held against Hearts."
Kilmarnock do not need to worry yet
Derek McInnes speaks to Killie TV after our 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park. pic.twitter.com/kOT6GMjsMH
— Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) August 4, 2024
For Kilmarnock, this marked the end of a disappointing week after they were demoted down to the Conference League from the Europa League. However, despite another poor result, they still have a lot to look forward to.
They have a crucial Conference League qualifier coming up against Tromsø IL that could be a great way for them to recover from this poor start.
Kilmarnock fan @matt0768 posted on X. He said: "Usual massive overreaction after this defeat."
