Elena Sadiku: I was pleased with how the girls responded in the second half | OneFootball

Celtic FC Women rounded off their final match in November by returning to winning ways as the Ghirls ran out 5-1 winners against Montrose.

After falling behind early doors at New Douglas Park, the Hoops were made to work for their victory.

However, a strong second half performance made sure all three points would be coming Celtic’s way as the bounced back from UWCL defeat in midweek.

Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Hoops boss Elena Sadiku reflected on her side’s performance, admitting that it was far from the best display from her squad in the opening 45 minutes.

But she was left pleased with their reaction as she also praised her coaching staff, with the 31-year-old being made to watch Sunday’s game from the stands as she served a suspension for last weekend’s red card.

She said: “I think it was a poor first half mostly. I don’t think that we played the style of play that we usually would.

“We made a lot of mistakes, and didn’t really seem that sharp. Our reactions were maybe a little bit slow.

“It’s always important to respond to things that we are not happy with. The girls did that really well going into the second half.

“I was very happy with how David (Haley) and the entire staff sorted things out as well, because I wasn’t able to be on the touchline.”

Of the goalscorers in the Hoops’ 5-1 win, it was another successful outing for Saoirse Noonan who scored her third hat-trick of the campaign.

Two of which have now come against Montrose as she stretched her advantage as the Ghirls’ top scorer so far this campaign.

Sadiku was quick to praise the Irish forward for her finishing on what was another impressive afternoon for Noonan.

“The second half shows the creativity that we have within the team,” she said. “The decision making and connection was much better.

“We didn’t force it as much in the second half, so you could see some nice patterns of play when we entered the final third.

"Obviously we always aim to win our games. That is always going to be our focus. It was very nice for Saoirse (Noonan) to score a hat-trick.

“Hopefully, that will give her even more confidence. We already know that she is a great finisher and striker who can score different goals.

“But overall, I am very happy with how the team performed in the second half."

Fixtures

Celtic Women Vs. Montrose Women - Sun, Nov 24th 2024, 16:30 Final score: 5 - 1 Match Report