Celtic FC Women have emerged as 4-2 victors from an enthralling contest away to Glasgow City in SWPL 1 this afternoon.
It was a must-win encounter for Fran Alonso’s team if they are to have any hope of winning their first league title and the Ghirls didn’t disappoint with a commanding performance against the consistently dominant team in Scotland.
In fact, they were thoroughly impressive, breathing new life into their quest for silverware and a UEFA Women’s Champions League spot.
Natalie Ross smashed in the opener within 16 minutes before Natasha Flint broke free from the City defence and dinked a lovely finish home to make it 2-0.
City managed to haul themselves back into the game at 2-1 in the second half through Priscila Chinchilla, but the class and quality of the Celts won through.
Caitlin Hayes delivered a now trademark finish from a Jacynta corner before Flint added her second of the afternoon to give the away side a big 4-1 advantage. City fought hard until full-time but could only pull one more goal back. Celtic also missed two penalties on the day so it could have been an even bigger margin of victory.
A major win for Celtic FC Women
The win moves Celtic to within five points of league leaders City and, crucially, a point ahead of rivals Rangers. The top two sides in SWPL 1 qualify for the Champions League next season.
Like the men’s side, that’s a massive ambition for Alonso’s outfit and it’d be great to see them return to the competition for just the second time in the team’s history.
The Ghirls have seven games remaining in the league, which includes another match against City and another derby against Rangers. So it’s all to play for and there are a few twists and turns left before the season comes to an end.
With a Scottish Women’s Cup semi-final against City on the horizon too, it should be a very exciting few weeks for both the team and supporters.
In other news, Matt O’Riley reveals “tank” teammate’s impressive dedication to Celtic training regime.
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