“We are Celtic, and we play games to win,” Elena Sadiku | OneFootball

Celtic FC Women defeated Glasgow City 1-0 at the Excelsior yesterday afternoon, with a Chloe Craig penalty being the difference maker across 90 minutes where Glasgow City had the better of the attacking threat but try as they did they could not find away past Celtic goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty.

We grabbed a quick word with Kelsey shortly after the final whistle…

Here are some post-match thoughts from The Celtic Star team following Celtic FC Women everywhere they go…

Passionate Maz

Maria McAneny

Maria McAneny got a well-deserved start against City after netting twice on flag day, and although she failed to find the net herself, Maz won the penalty that saw Celtic come out on top in what was a tough match.

McAneny’s positioning, forward movement and passion for the club really shone through in the minutes that she got and I feel that she could be a really important player for us this season.

Maria McAneny

This is what you want at Celtic – someone willing to fight for the badge and a player so relentless that they can push through on goal and win penalties like she did. A player who has the skill to score two in quick succession, but who also has other brilliant aspects to her game.

Plus, I really enjoyed her having a go at the referee on occasion because his performance is one of the most dreadful I’ve seen in the SWPL…

Our ever-present pace problem

Look, I don’t want to be negative because the Ghirls just picked up three points against a difficult opponent but this is important to mention. I rate every player in this squad, but City almost broke through our defensive line, and DID on multiple occasions, thanks to the pace difference.

Chloe Craig, Kelly Clark and Caitlin Hayes aren’t the fastest players you’ll see but they make up by being incredible defensively. That is why the lack of pace didn’t haunt us too much here, especially from Caitlin in particular, because she was dropping deep to pick up loose balls and saved us from a certain goal, clearing it off the line twice in the 90 minutes.

Caitlin Hayes

I thought that last week, Bruna Lourenço solved that pace problem but Elena Sadiku opted to play Craig ahead of her this week. Probably the right decision in the end, as I’ll get on to, but Bruna’s pace really can bail us out, as it did against Dundee United.

Bruna Lourenço on her debut at Celtic Park last week against Dundee United.

I have full faith in the manager to pick the right team week in week out, but Bruna didn’t even play in the 90 minutes and I’m not sure how I feel about that, although Elena will have studied the player’s in training and made her decision alongside her coaching staff.

We did manage to grab a few minutes with Elena Sadiku afterwards and while she was clearly delighted with the result she was less than satisfied with her team’s performance.

Super Cool Craigy

Craig had a fantastic performance yesterday and even scored from the spot to win us the game. Her penalty conversions continue to be cool and flawless, and she proved why she deserves to have her place in the Celtic squad for another campaign.

When City may have broken through our defensive line, Craig got into the right positions to put pressure on the attacker. She forced them into mistakes or into a position where their only option was to blaze it over the bar. She’s also good at knowing when to put a foot in and when to stay tightly marking her opponent. Overall, an incredibly solid defensive performance from Craig and I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the nod on Wednesday night against Motherwell.

Craig caught up with Celtic TV after the match…

Why Three Home Matches?

Celtic take on Motherwell at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie on match day  three of the SWPL season on Wednesday evening (21 August). And with the Flag Day 9-0 thrashing of Dundee United at Celtic Park, the Ghirls followed that up with yesterday hard-fought 1-0 win over title rivals Glasgow City at Airdrie. So you might be curious to know how come the Champions managed to get three consecutive home matches at the start of the season.

Well there is a simple explanation. Glasgow City play their home games at Petershill Park in the north of the city and there is scheduled work taking place there that won’t be competed until the end of the month. So they asked Celtic to swap their home fixture with the return match so we’ll go to Petershill next time around.

Motherwell Next Up at Airdrie

Celtic FC Women host Motherwell at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie on Wednesday evening, 21 August with a 7.20pm kick-off.  Tickets are priced at £10 (adults),  £5 (u16s) and £13 (adult plus u16). PURCHASE HERE. Gates open 6.45pm.

The Last Word

Goes to Elena Sadiku….

“It was a big three points. We secured another win, with a clean sheet – that is something that I feel is the most important. But obviously it wasn’t our best performance. That is something that is making me feel not as happy as I would like to be. Obviously I think the way I’m feeling is because I have such high demands and standards for us as a team.

“You know we are Celtic, and we play games to win. That is what we did today, so I really like how the girls kept the game in our favour by fighting and making sure that we don’t concede a goal.

“So, all credit to them after showing what they showed today, especially in the second half.”

Jessica Elliott

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