Celtic lost out in heart-breaking fashion to Galatasaray after a penalty shoot out was needed to decide the outcome of the Antalya Cup.
After a goal-less 90 minutes in which an incredibly youthful Celtic side gave as good as they got James Forrest was the fall guy in the shoot out missing the third penalty with every other taker scoring.
Liam Henderson, Nir Biton, Bahrudin Atajic and Amido Balde all scored from 12 yards but it wasn’t enough to give the hoops a famous victory against Roberto Mancini’s side.
Cork bhoy Eoghan O’Connell was given his first top team start while Marcus Fraser made return after 11 months sidelined due to cruciate ligament surgery. The full-back slots were filled by midfielder John Herron at right-back and Darnell Fisher on the opposite side.
The midfield and attack had a slightly more familiar look with Forrest and Derk Boerrigter supplying the width, Biton and Henderson anchored the midfield behind Amido Balde and Teemu Pukki.
It was the youngest ever bench named by Celtic with Neil Lennnon having to call in four players from the u-17 squad that were in Turkey for a training programme to join Leo Fasan, Joe Chalmers and Bahrudin Atajic.
Pukki had the ball in the Galatasaray net in the fifth minute but his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag given against Balde.
After that bright start it was the Turks that set the early pace with Lucasz Zaluska called on to make a number of impressive saves.
The baby-faced hoops began to settle into the match with the pace of James Forrest and Derk Boerrigter carrying the main threat to the Galatasaray defence.
On the half hour mark Balde was chopped down 25 yards from goal but Boerrigter’s free-kick failed to trouble goalkeeper.
Three minutes later Boerrigter sent in a brilliant cross from the left but Pukki was unable to connect with it at the front post with Forrest stretching the Galatasaray  defence to centre for Boerrigter but the ball was just beyond the Dutchman’s reach.
Galatasaray changed their entire team at the interval with Wesley Sneijder among those introduced while Celtic stuck with their starting XI.
Six minutes after the restart Bitton gave substitute keeper Muslera a fright when he tried his luck with a 50 yard shot that almost slipped in under the crossbar.
The Turkish side did show some moments of class but were getting no change out of a brilliantly drilled Celtic defence with the midfield four happy to drop deep to suffocate space for Sneijder and co.
Forrest was revelling in his free role and almost set up Balde for a goal in the 79th minute but after racing on to a defence splitting pass his shot was touched over the bar by Muslera for a corner.
CELTIC: Zaluska; Herron, O’Connell, Fraser (Chamers 63), Fisher; Forrest, Biton, Henderson, Boerrigter (Miller 83); Pukki (Atajic 63), Balde
SUBS:Â Fasan, Breslin, McLaren, Caird,
GALATASARAY:Â Eray, Eboue, Ceyhun, Emre Can, Dany, Hajrovic, ?brahim Co?kun, Yekta, Yi?it, Ayd?n, Amrabat
SUBS: Muslera, Hakan Balta, Sneijder, Riera, Selçuk, Melo, Semih, Emre Çolak, Burak, Umut, Bruma
The future is bright.
Great performance from the youngsters. Unlucky for wee Jamesy but a good all round captain’s performance.
Thought that Balde looked great, worked really hard, and Biton, Pukki, Henderson & Fischer all have something good. Think it’s safe to say that Pukki isn’t a striker but he can do a job elsewhere.
The future’s bright… The future’s green & white! Hail Hail
Think it’s time for Balde to get a run in the team! Hope Lenny doesn’t sign someone just for the sake of it. Buy good or don’t buy at all.
I’ve always said Pukki looks a good replacement for Commons.
Fu99ie Dew,
Sorry,Pukki is NO Kris Commons.
For a start,Commons scores goals,Pukki
hits blanks.
Pukki was bought as a 2.5 M striker.
To me,Celtic look too big a club for him.
Is it any coincidence, that Peter Houston
has taken over from John Park, to scout
for a quality striker.
As good as Park is,big Virgil etc.
His strikers,Hooper aside, have not been
up to the mark.
Well done, the young Hoops, the experience, will be invaluable for them.
terrific display from the young hoops ! really well organised !
Give them games
I think we have found a midfield enforcer in young Henderson – he must have committed about 20 fouls and got away with them. A young David Hay methinks. Well done the young hoops!
Celtic didn’t win the cup but did win the penalty of the game from Amido Balde. His cool chip was even applauded by the Galatasery goalkeeper.
Mr Cool!
I really hope these Bhoys get a good run of games in the second half of the season. I could not care less whether we go the season unbeaten or not, I would much rather give these lads a chance to develop in the first eleven.
i thought that was a brilliant game by the young bhoys, they lads can only get better,hopefuly puki,balde n boettiger will improve…HAIL HAIL….
The message is clear. The youngsters have what it takes. Give them games.
Gutted after a super performance from the young guys, perhaps especially in 2nd half when they really went for it, big expensive guns blazing. Cruelly with nothing to show bar respect. Beats the hell out of playing East Fife on a January w/end in S/W Glasgow for a new club, company, holding company, franchise or whatever TF they call themselves today. Out of the chair as always, and one or two serious scares, but overall proud as the ‘punch’ I often have.
Another ‘Quality Street Gang’ on show ? Well, if only.
HH
Some excellent performances most notably from the younger element who showed they have what it takes to play at a higher level than the 17s, 19s, 20s etc.
Hopefully see a lot more of the talent and also think the Balde / Pukki partnership is well worth contuining. Delighted with the display of Biton who I thought was superb, another who fully deserves a regular starting slot.
I cannot argue with these comments Williebhoy, but can only agree. The next stage of development for the youngsters is game time in the first team. I would add, however, that Zaluska was also excellent. If you watch at free kicks, he stands in the middle of the goal even with the wall to protect him. This means there is very little space to aim at and he can easily cover both sides. As well as this, he comes out for the ball and commands the 6 yard box. I would play him more and develop his confidence. He has been loyal and not caused a fuss.
Henderson and zaluska were magnificent
Great all round performance by the young team.
Highlight, Biton, he’s quietly going about his business and really impresses me every time I see him play. For such a tall guy he plays with his head up and his first touch is improving every game.
Beginning to see a very good spine develope, Forster, Van Djyk, Biton, the only missing link is a predator.
Hail hail
Time to give youth a chance ?
Haw haw haw
Zaluska was excellent at Dundee utd.
Forster is excellent but has potential elsewhere.
Time to play both.
A half each.
If goalie gets sent off in second half I want to see James forrest in goal.
Imagine the excitement.
Haw haw haw
And happy new year to the undiscovered tribe in Peru who have just been air dropped one hundred ipads
Haw haw haw.
Just got a message from undiscovered tribe in Peru CSC
” are sevco shares below 20p cos we want to buy some”
Haw haw haw
Pass me another bottle of Peruvian brandy
Haw haw haw haw haw haw haw
Why are we loaning out Tom Rogic? So he can play regular and maybe get into the World Cup squad for his country? This is a terrible decision. If he wants to get into the squad, he should fight to get into his own team!
If he isn’t good enough for that, sell him! Why waste money on a player who isn’t good enough to be in the team, and in the process tie up a spot where we could have a good, hard working player who wants to knuckle down and really fight for a place? Like Pukki, Rogic was a bad choice. They and Mo Bangura are misfits.
They are all in over their heads. We are to big for them so just sell them! Use the cash to bring in real value, and use it to bring big Tony Watt back from misery in Belgium.
Your pipping hot ! Pukki played brilliant in this competition!
Oh and Rogic is still a young player and if you knew anything, you would know that he only recently started playing professional football about a year and a half before we bought him. He cost near to nothing and I can imagine his wages aren’t the highest out there so we haven’t wasted any money. And now that he’s loaned out, another club will be paying his wages and we will get back a more finnished product when he comes back.
How can you argue with that ?
Tony watt has the ability.
Tony watt in the past has thought he don’t need to train as much as the coaching team thinks he has too.
Tony watt now realizes this and fair play too him.
He has been sent to Belgium to mature.
The tony watt who comes back will be a man.
Tougher fitter and appropriately confident.
I would play tom rogic every game and give Scott brown a free transfer.
Amen
Haw haw haw
You are mental best lol
Agree craigbhoy,
Drawkcab sounds as if he’s been on the
brandy all night.
I’m all for a laugh, but to not make sense
is worrying for him.
teeter,teeter,teeter
Can’t understand people writing off any the new signings who are only halfway through there first season.
cause ‘if you know the history ‘ you would see many celts who were ‘ slow burners ‘ but after 1/2 -1 1/2 seasons became automatic picks, aff the tap ma heid Paul Elliott, John Collins, Petrov, Lambert, Kelvin Wilson and many more, even the king of kings had a slow start to his hoops career.
We all want an instant impact from these boys but its not always possible, the players I’ve listed all made sound contributions to their teams and it might pay to remember these examples instead of satin ‘ get rid ‘ after a few months, good greif.
Aimed at no one in particular but seen loads of comments of this ilk in the last few weeks and it ‘ shits me up the waw ‘!
Ahh that’s better:)
Oz Celt,
First satin doesn’ t reside at our club, he is
part of the deid club and it’s reincarnation.
Every Celtic fan wishes the best for our
recent signings, but some have struggled
big time.
For 2.5 M, in my opinion, Pukki does not
look like a striker.Now, he should be showing more.
But, I don’t think he is a natural striker.
As an established international,he has NO
EXCUSES.
Whereas,I would give Balde more time.
He is young, raw and has to learn a new
language.
A top class striker has got.to be our PRIORITY, if we want to QUALIFY for CL
groups next season.
Regards, Hail Hail
Satan may well hang out down govan way but satin neh, that’s what ma boxers are made of 🙂
Sos, oz celt,
I thought you were implying satan,
by using satin.
Must be a language barrier, with you
being so far away.
A big Hail Hail to all Tims in Oz !!