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Scotland: Celtic remain in charge of title race

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Dundee 1 - 2 Celtic A double from James Forrest helped Celtic beat Dundee and maintained their three-point Scottish Premiership lead. A screen grab from a Twitter video showing Celtic players celebrating. Forrest marked his return to the Celtic starting line-up with a stunning first-half volley from the edge of the box and low drive midway through the second period. Dundee got back into the game after Adam Idah deflected an Antonio Portales shot past Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart. Despite some late pressure, they were unable to deny the visitors victory. Despite another win for Rangers, the title is still Celtic's to lose with four rounds of fixtures to play and the Old Firm still to meet.  Dundee remain two points behind fifth-placed St Mirren and remain in contention for a Europa Conference qualifying place. Should they achieve that, it would surely be the best season in their recent history.  You can find out what the Celtic manager thought by watching the video below. The int

Scotland: Celtic progress to Scottish Cup Final

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Celtic 3 - 3 Aberdeen Celtic won 6-5 on penalties Celtic clinched victory on penalties in a thrilling match at Hampden Park, securing their spot in the Scottish Cup final and leaving Aberdeen fans devastated. The game was a nail-biting affair, with both teams showcasing their skill in a tense shootout. Joe Hart, Celtic's goalkeeper, had the opportunity to seal the win with his team's fifth penalty, but his shot hit the post, keeping the game on a knife-edge. Yet, Hart redeemed himself by saving Killian Phillips' penalty, securing Celtic's victory. Now, Celtic awaits the outcome of the match between Hearts and Rangers next month, as they aim to claim the prestigious Scottish Cup for a record-breaking 42nd time. The match itself was nothing short of extraordinary, with Aberdeen delivering two late equalisers to keep the contest alive. Angus MacDonald's header in the 119th minute seemed to complete a remarkable comeback after his earlier mistake had led to Celtic&

Scotland: Celtic eventually ease to win over Dundee

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 Dundee 0 - 3 Celtic Paulo Bernardo and Mikey Johnston emerged as the unexpected goal heroes for Celtic in their match against Dundee.  However, there is now a concern about Cameron Carter‑Vickers' injury ahead of the upcoming clash with Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday. Bernardo slotted in the opening goal in the 52nd minute at Dens Park, marking his inaugural goal for Celtic. Johnston, coming on as a substitute, netted his first two goals for the Hoops since December 2019, securing a 3-0 victory. Despite leading by five points, the champions face a challenge from Rangers, who have two games in hand, including their midweek match against Ross County at Ibrox on Wednesday. Manager Rodgers stuck with the same starting lineup from the 2-0 win against Livingston. Dundee, on the other hand, had Cammy Kerr in for the absent Ricki Lamie, and Zak Rudden returned as one of the two strikers. Celtic took control early on without breaking down Dundee's defence. Kyogo Furuhashi's

Scotland: Celtic battle to win

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 Celtic 2 - 1 St Mirren Hyeon-Gyu Oh made a crucial contribution as he emerged from the bench to secure a comeback victory for Celtic in a hard-fought match against St Mirren. In the early stages, Conor McMenamin scored to put Stephen Robinson's St Mirren team in the lead, but David Turnbull's precise strike from outside the penalty area leveled the score. Turnbull had a penalty miss just before halftime, but with only seven minutes remaining, Oh scored a goal past Zach Hemming, securing all three points and preserving Celtic's top position in the Scottish Premiership. St Mirren remains in third place. More Celtic news from eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com This wasn't the best performance from Celtic. However, it could prove to be a vital win. You can see the highlights in the video below. Footage from  SPFL YouTube . One YouTuber commented: "We have a good squad of players and BR (Brendan Rodgers) is getting the best out of them all it seems. Week after week we ar

Scotland: Celtic maintain unbeaten SPL start

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 Livingston 0 - 3 Celtic Four days after their disappointing loss in the Champions League in Rotterdam, Celtic were determined to reaffirm their dominance in domestic competitions.  They faced a close call early on as Bruce Anderson forced a save from Celtic's goalkeeper, Joe Hart, and Scott Pittman's subsequent shot was cleared off the goal line by Callum McGregor. As Brendan Rodgers' team increased their attacking efforts, Daizen Hatate found himself in a promising position to score after receiving a pass from Greg Taylor. Unfortunately for Livingston, Luiyi De Lucas fouled Hatate in the box, resulting in a penalty. The Japanese midfielder's penalty squeezed under the body of Shamal George, marking his first goal of the season. The home team needed to stay competitive, and George made an excellent save to deny another attempt by Maeda. Hart's day came to an abrupt end when Sangare chased a long ball and collided with the goalkeeper outside the penalty area.

Scotland: Celtic win first Glasgow Derby of the season

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 Rangers 0 - 1 Celtic Brendan Rodgers responded to questions about his second spell at Celtic with a statement win in what was a controversial Glasgow Derby.  Kyogo Furuhashi once again delivered the decisive moment, taking advantage of a poor defence just before half-time to score.  The winning goal goal came after a strike from Rabbi Matondo was disallowed for offside in the first minute.  Before the match, Michael Beale has stressed the importance of 'setting a milestone' after Wednesday's humiliating Champions League defeat at Eindhoven, but the pressure will now rest on the Ibrox boss, who has not only one win in six derbies.  Rangers fans created a memorable atmosphere at Ibrox in the build up to the match but they fell silent once they went 1-0 up.  UCL: PSV thrash Rangers Celtic's defence wasn't at full strength and included central defenders Lagerbielke and Liam Scales making their Old Firm debut. It wasn't pretty at times, but everyone associated w

Icons: Henrik Larsson

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It's time to explore another football icon. Henrik Larsson is a Swedish professional football coach and former player, formerly an assistant manager of Barcelona.  Larsson celebrating a goal for Celtic in 2005. The start of a wonderful career. Playing as a striker, Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. In 1992, he moved to Helsingborg IF where in his first season his partnership up front with Mats Magnusson helped the club win promotion  after over 20 seasons in the lower tiers.  He moved to Feyenoord in November 1993, staying for four years before leaving in 1997. During his time in the Dutch Eredivisie, he won two KNVB Cups with Feyenoord. Trevor Stolk told us: "He should have stayed with us for much longer. Look at what he did for Celtic. He could have achieved that with us if he'd stayed longer." Larsson also broke into the Swedish national football team and helped them finish in third place at the 1994 World Cup. He was gaining a lot of fans but whe

PL News: Ange Postecoglou close to becoming Spurs boss

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Reports from across England and Scotland have suggested Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has agreed to become the new Tottenham manager on a two-year contract. The Australian has just finished his second season at Celtic. He has them to the Scottish title both years and the domestic treble this campaign. Could he continue going forward with the Parkhead side.  Spurs have been searching for a new main man since Antonio Conte's exit in March. Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason both took on the job on an interim basis but struggled to have any success. Cristian Stellini's was arguably a huge disaster.  Premier League news: Tottenham sack interim manager (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Very few Tottenham fans will ever really forget that horrible afternoon at Newcastle a few weeks ago.  More Premier League news:  Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)   Picture of Postecoglou during his first season at Celtic The final elements of the deal are being finalised bef

Scotland; Celtic champions again

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 Hearts 0 - 2 Celtic Celtic clinched their second successive Scottish Premiership title under Ange Postecoglou as they beat 10-player Hearts 2-0. Despite running away with the title, Celtic didn't have it their own way before they were crowned champions. Joe Hart was made to work inside two minutes from a Lawrence Shankland header, although the assistant referee did flag for offside. It was eventually Kyogo got the title party underway when he knocked the ball in from Reo Hatate's cross after half-time. The Japanese striker was then forced off to be replaced by Hyeon-Gyu Oh who made sure of the victory when he fired in from Aaron Mooy's cross. This win confirmed Celtic's 10th title in 11 seasons, and they can secure a domestic treble if they beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on June 3 at Hampden Park. Scotland: Celtic move closer to another Treble (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) More history beckons for Celtic. Celtic can now focus on going for a record poin

Scotland: Celtic move closer to another Treble

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 Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers Celtic booked their place in the 2023 Scottish Cup final after a tense 1-0 win over Rangers. They will Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the first weekend of June as their hunt for another treble continues. Jota was the hero for the Hoops, heading home from inside the six-yard box just three minutes before half-time. A 50/50 split in the crowd meant, there was plenty of colour and noise on either side of Hampden Park. In the opening few minutes of the match, that incredible atmosphere carried on. The opening 10 minutes were a cagey affair. Celtic's backline had to deal with a raft of aerial balls forward, but once Celtic got a hold of the ball their possession and composure followed. Half-chances came and went for either side, but it was Allan McGregor that was the first to be tested on 27 minutes when Alistair Johnston let rip from 20 yards.  WHAT. AN. ATMOSPHERE. 😍 "One of the true great fixtures in the game we love so much...Glasgow does rivalry

Scotland: Celtic close to another title

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 Kilmarnock 1 - 4 Celtic Celtic are now only seven points away from retaining the Scottish Premiership after a ruthless first-half performance saw them easily win against Kilmarnock. The away raced into a stunning four-goal lead inside 27 minutes against hapless the hapless home side. Some calamitous defending compounded the home side's woe, gifting the league leaders an excess of chances, which were gobbled up by Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Matt O'Riley during a rampant first period. Fraser Murray's back pass was pounced on by Kyogo to open the scoring. Maeda troubled the visitors' advantage with a well-timed header five minutes later. With Kilmarnock in disarray, the killer blow was dealt when O'Riley profited from Joe Wright's mistake, tucking a neat strike inside the post, before being found by a pinpoint Greg Taylor pass and rifling into the far corner. Kyogo also missed a great chance to add to his mounting goal tally when hitting the post from t

Icons: Roy Keane

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Roy Keane is another football icon. He is someone that won a number of team and individual honours during a hugely successful playing career. Read about more icons A brief overview He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during his time at Manchester United. Many regard him as one of the best midfielders of his generation. In 2004. he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.  In his 18-year playing career, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United before ending his career at Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. This was an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Keane helped United achieve sustained success during his 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic, where he won a domesti

Scotland: Celtic dominant against Aberdeen

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Celtic 4 - 0 Aberdeen An inspiring performance from Reo Hatate helped Celtic earn a dominant win over Aberdeen. Celtic TV Unique Angle | Celtic 4-0 Aberdeen | Celts dominate Dons in Paradise! - YouTube Callum McGregor opened the scoring inside two minutes before Hatate doubled the lead 11 minutes later in a scintillating first 45 minutes from Celtic. The Japanese midfielder would then add a third goal thanks to some sublime individual play with 14 minutes remaining before Liel Abada crashed home a fourth with a minute to play, rounding off a fine afternoon's work for Ange Postecoglou's side. A great start for Celtic Things couldn’t have got off to a better start for Celtic as inside the first two minutes, Callum McGregor gave the Hoops the lead. It was Greg Taylor’s initial cross which was headed clear by Aberdeen, but it only went as far as the skipper lurking on the edge of the box who smashed a low drive into the bottom left corner, despite the efforts of Jay Gorter in g

Scotland: Mooy shines for the bhoys in green

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 St Johnstone 1 - 4 Celtic Celtic restored a nine-point Scottish Premiership lead following a routine win at St Johnstone. Rangers had cut the gap with their win on Saturday, but Celtic pulled away again thanks to Andrew Considine's own goal and a Kyogo Furuhashi effort putting them two up inside 22 minutes. Drey Wright's fine strike brought St Johnstone back into it but Aaron Mooy's chip re-established Celtic's two-goal lead and David Turnbull added a late fourth after Considine was sent off. Scotland: Latest news from the Scottish Premiership (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Another relegation for the club from Perth? They remain seven points clear of the bottom two and played well in Perth, That only serves to highlight some of the quality Celtic produced on a difficult surface to deliver another Premiership win. Despite that decent performance, many at the club will be worried that they are about to fall into another nervy relegation battle. Reaction  💬 “I’m

Scotland: Celtic thrash Motherwell in League Cup

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Motherwell 0 -  4 Celtic It was a very comfortable night for Celtic. Celtic cruised through to the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup and a meeting with Kilmarnock after Liel Abada's double helped them thrash Motherwell. Abada tapped home Greg Taylor's cross moments before the break, and then stuck a side-foot volley past goalkeeper Liam Kelly after it. The Israeli winger then turned provider for Reo Hatate, before his shot off a post fell to Kyogo Furuhashi to tap home Celtic's fourth, as they eased into the last four. Ange Postecoglou's side will face Kilmarnock at Hampden on the weekend of 14-15 January. They are seeking a seventh League Cup success in nine seasons. Rangers will meet Aberdeen in the other semi-final. The Ibrox club had a nervy evening but progressed 1-0 against Dundee.  Fan reaction  One Celtic fan told us: "Regardless of who we have played, ten goals in two games is a great achievement. Onwards!" Another tweeted: "Too strong for t

UCL: Celtic ultimately outclassed by Real Madrid

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Celtic 0 - 3 Real Madrid Celtic were ultimately outclassed by holders Real Madrid in their Champions League opener, despite a lively and encouraging start in Glasgow. 💬 "I think every game is going to be tough and every game we’ve got to understand that it’s a fine margin between success and failure, and we’ve just to make sure we’re more clinical at both ends of the field." #UCL | #CelticFC 🍀 — Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) September 7, 2022 Five years after they last featured at Europe's top table, Celtic gave Real a fright in a frantic first half by creating a series of chances, including a shot off a post from Callum McGregor. But after the break the visitors roused themselves, and goals from Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard showed their class and secured victory. ☀ ¡Buenos días, madridistas! ☀ pic.twitter.com/FELsBAqCvk — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 7, 2022 Real Madrid join Shakhtar Donetsk at the top of Group F after they def

News in brief after a busy weekend

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Let's have a look at some of the key stories from across the continent Scotland - Celtic beat Heart of Midlothian to almost clinch title Celtic roared back to all but secure the Scottish Premiership title with a rousing victory at home to Hearts. Ellis Simms' emphatic finish stunned the home crowd early on, but the league leaders responded in relentless fashion as two goals in seven first-half minutes from Japanese duo Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi turned the game. then Matt O'Riley and Giorgos Giakoumakis sealed the win. Read the full report on the BBC  or watch the highlights below France - Nantes win French Cup Nantes lifted the French Cup for the first time in 22 years after a win over Nice. Ludovic Blas was the hero as he  scored the only goal from the penalty spot two minutes into the second half . Nice came close to equalising when Andy Delort's effort was cleared off the line by Andrei Girotto late on. It is the fourth time they have won the competition. Th

Scotland: Celtic remain six points clear at the top

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Let's have a look at the latest chapter in the race to become Scottish champions 🇵🇹 Our 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗹 makes certain of the points! 🙌 #ROSCEL | #cinchPrem | #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/GN060hNSer — Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 24, 2022 Ross County 0 - 2 Celtic Celtic will go into the final Old Firm game of the season six points clear of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership after a win at Ross County. The league leaders played well in Dingwall but only had Kyogo Furuhashi's early goal, his first since December, to show for it until Jota's late second clinched a precious victory. The triumph was enough to restore Celtic's advantage at the summit with just four games remaining, starting with what could be a decisive derby at Celtic Park next Sunday. Malky Mackay's Ross County stay fifth in their pursuit of a first-ever European qualification after what was just their second defeat in seven games. One Celtic fan tweeted: &

Scotland: Celtic win at Livingston

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Livingston 1 - 3 Celtic Celtic convincingly overcame their Livingston to restore their three-point Scottish Premiership lead, says manager Ange Postecoglou. Captain Callum McGregor missed a penalty before Daizen Maeda headed in the opener from a disputed corner. A Nicky Devlin own goal and James Forrest's fine finish made it 3-0. Andrew Shinnie's close-range reply couldn't deny Celtic a first win at Livingston since 2007. The away support created a fantastic atmosphere throughout the game One Celtic fan told us: "It was a comfortable win. That was something that everyone needed. Onwards and upwards now!" Reaction Livingston manager David Martindale told the media: "I think Celtic were very good and very clinical. I don't think we deserved much more from the game, but with the two decisions leading to goals you feel a little hard done-by. FT - The visitors end a 15-year wait for a win in West Lothian to take all three points back to Glasgow LIV 1-3 CEL

Scotland: A brief history of Celtic v Rangers

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Celtic and Rangers have played each other over 400 times in major competitions: Rangers have won 166 matches, Celtic have gained 159 wins.  Let's have a look at some memorable moments involving the iconic clubs.  The original version of this article was posted here  Memorable matches and moments involving Celtic and Rangers (differentballs.blogspot.com) The first encounter The first game between Celtic and Rangers was a friendly in 1888. It´s thought that around 2,000 people were in attendance. It is believed that this could have been greater but for the International Exhibition taking place the same day through in the West End. 1967 Scottish League Cup final This may seem like an odd place to start but it was the first trophy in Celtic's best-ever season that finished with being the first British side to win the European Cup. Their first trophy of 66/67 came after a 1-0 win over their nearest rivals at Hampden Park.  Rangers 3 - 2 Celtic. 2002 Scottish Cup final An extraor