Pre-season friendly
July 6, 2022
Bad Erlach, Austria

CELTIC… 7
(Kenny 9 & 25; Hatate 12; Johnston 17; Jullien 42; Forrest 43; Vata 76)

WIENER VIKTORIA… 0

Ange Postecoglou’s side enjoyed a comfortable 7-0 victory over Austrian side, Wiener Viktoria, in their first pre-season match of the summer.

Celtic started the game on the front foot, pressing their Austrian opponents deep in their half, and it wasn’t long before the team, wearing the new green and white Hoops kit, opened the scoring.

Mikey Johnston was the provider, driving into the box and sliding a low pass across the six-yard box for Johnny Kenny to finish from close range.

Three minutes later, it was 2-0 and the goal was a superb finish from Reo Hatate. He knocked the ball out wide to James Forrest and continued his run towards the edge of the box, side-footing the return pass from Forrest into the net with his left foot.

Johnston, who looked lively down the left flank and combining well with Alexandro Bernabei, made it 3-0 on 17 minutes, latching on to a ball that had been deflected into his path. He shrugged off a challenge and fired the ball home beyond the keeper with his left foot.

Celtic’s passing and pressing was played at a tempo that Wiener Viktoria couldn’t handle, and Johnny Kenny scored his second and Celtic’s fourth of the game on 25 minutes with a cool finish from eight yards out.

And a quickfire double just before half-time made it 6-0 at the break. First of all, Chris Jullien started the move with a crossfield pass to Johnston, and then was on hand to head home from six yards out after Kenny’s ehader came back off the post.

Then, just 60 seconds later, Johnston was again the provider, sliding the ball into the path of James Forrest to steer the ball home with his left foot.

After the break there were fewer chances for the Hoops, though Liam Shaw, one of a number of substitutes for Celtic, was unlucky when his shot from a Rocco Vata cross came back off the post. Ajeti followed up but his shot hit the side-netting.

However, goal number seven came in the 76th minute when Shaw played a ball over the top for Vata to run on to. And the Celtic winger produced a good finish to complete the scoring.

It was a good start to pre-season for the Hoops, who will now face Rapid Vienna on Saturday.

CELTIC: Hart (Siegrist 46), Urhoghide, Jullien (Dede 60), Lawal, Bernabei (Anderson 46), McCarthy (Shaw 60), Ideguchi, Hatate (Summers 46), Forrest (Vata 46), Kenny (Ajeti 46), Johnston (Moffat 67).
Subs: Oluwayemi

Celtic hit seven in opening pre-season friendly win in Austria