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Celtic spirit leads the day at the Emirates Cup

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For an hour today’s Emirates Cup clash with Lyon looked depressingly predictable.

With the French side leading 2-0 the value of the tournament seemed questionable as another new set of players tried to gel together.

The defence consisted of a German, a Norwegian, a Czech and a Scot playing in front of a Polish keeper and it was hard to find positives.

Sure James Forrest has promise, Cha Du-Ri pace to burn but with Braga coming on Wednesday and the SPL season a fortnight away it was hard to detect where the team, pattern and balance would come from.

Efrain Juarez had shaved the post with a long range shot but there was something missing from the performance as the supporters upped the volume in their chants of devotion- perhaps defiance.

Then it changed. Forrest’s run was decisive, his cross accurate and a predator in the shape of number 88 Gary Hooper tucked the ball away and it suddenly seemed a much more simple game.

Whether Lyon had eased up or not Celtic were far from finished as they pushed forward impressively despite their recent punishing travel schedule.

It would have been easy to sit back, feel sorry for themselves and grab on to ready made excuses but Hooper’s goal gave the team purpose.

A header from Forrest flew over the bar in the 88th minute but there was to be one more chance.

Charlie Mulgrew has caused Celtic plenty of set-piece grief in the red of Aberdeen over the last two season’s but this time we weren’t on the receiving end.

Georgios Samaras timed his run perfectly to meet the full-backs cross with his header from eight yards out giving the French keeper no chance.

The draw gave Celtic an unlikely three points from the match with a point being awarded for each goal scored.

With Arsenal and AC Milan drawing 1-1 Celtic go into Super Sunday sitting on top of the Emirates Cup table with every chance that the trophy could be heading north to sit beside last season’s Wembley Cup!.

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