Celtic outclassed the University of Stirling a the Forthbank Stadium in Stirling with a dominant 5-1 win.

Adam Brooks opened the scoring just after half-time before Rocco Vata doubled the lead on the hour mark. Brooks completed his brace with a great finish and Moffat made it 4-0 with a sensational long-range goal. Stirling grabbed a goal back through Robbie McGale before Ben Wylie rounded off a fine night for the Hoops with Celtic’s fifth.

Celtic looked in control from the off as they moved the ball around well in search of an opening, however, Stirling were organised in defence and limited Celtic’s chances in front of goal in the opening 20 minutes.

Ben Wylie nearly scored after quarter of an hour when he dribbled into the box and managed to get a shot off while under pressure from the defence but his effort was straight at the keeper.

Wylie created another good chance around the half-hour mark with a lovely piece of skill inside the box. With his back to goal, he knocked the ball around his marker, turned and shot but drilled a shot at goal which was blocked.

Celtic started to create more openings in the University of Stirling defence as the first half wore on. Paterson got beyond his marker on a couple of occasions out on the left but his passes into the six-yard box were intercepted by the opposition defenders.

Vata had a shot a goal from just outside the box that looked to be travelling towards the bottom corner but the ball was blocked on route.

The Hoops forward was lively in the final third and forced a good save from the Stirling keeper just before half-time. It was a good passage of play in the final third that ended with Vata creating a yard of space inside the box and shooting from a tight angle.

The Celtic defence were given a wake-up call early in the second half when Stirling’s Ben Davidson fired his first-time shot over the crossbar from inside the penalty area.

The home side played their best spell of football in the opening stages of the second period but Tommy McIntyre’s side soon found their rhythm again and began carving open the home side’s defence.

Adam Brooks, who replaced Ewan Otoo just before halftime, opened the scoring for Celtic in the 56^th minute to round off some slick passing on the edge of the box. The midfielder showed composure with a neat finish slipped under the outrushing keeper from a tight angle.

MacKenzie Carse almost doubled Celtic’s lead moments later with a curling left-footed shot from the edge of the box that flashed just wide of the far post.

Celtic maintained the pressure on their opponents and grew in confidence as they looked to increase their lead. It didn’t take long for the second to come as Vata, who had looked determined to score all evening, found the back of the net just before the hour mark.

The young forward used his neat footwork and a burst of pace to gain a yard on his marker just inside the box and rifle a low shot across goal and into the bottom corner.

Brooks netted his second of the evening just over 10 minutes later to make it 3-0 to Celtic. He showed good strength on the ball as he sped into the box while keeping the Stirling defender at bay and threaded the ball into the bottom far corner as the keeper looked to close down the angle.

Stirling nearly grabbed a goal back with around 15 minutes remaining but Paterson came to the rescue to clear it off the line after Oluwayemi had been rounded.

Owen Moffat scored his second goal in two games in sensational fashion. The young winger rolled the ball infield from out on the wing and lobbed the keeper from around 25-yards.

Stirling grabbed a goal back with around five minutes remaining Robbie McGale collected a through pass and fired the ball into the top left hand corner.

Ben Wylie scored a well-deserved goal to round off an impressive display for Celtic in the 90^th minute with a cool finish inside the box.

CELTIC: Oluwayemi; Jackson, Lawal, Hjelde, Paterson, Otoo (Brooks 40/Davidson 83), Murphy, Carse, Wylie, Moffat, Vata.
Subs: Robertson, Mullen, Letsosa, Deane, Dobbie.

UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING: Fry; Berry, Doan, Burrows, Lavery, Zoeten, Downie, Jarvis, Penker (Thompson 79), Davidson (McGale 60), McGill (Kennedy 60).
Subs: Taylor, Bainbridge, Mirzsalimov, Godik.

Celtic B Team outclass University of Stirling in impressive win