It’s proving to be a memorable World Cup for Alistair Johnston and his Canada side.
Previously, the Celtic defender helped guide his nation to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the first time in their history.
Then on Sunday, Canada beat South Africa in stoppage time to book their round of 16 ticket, as Johnston was getting some strong reviews for his performance from his national media.
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‘The ever-reliable’ Alistair Johnston
As many Celtic fans have seen over the years, Johnston is a consistent player, and he has made that right-back spot his own in Glasgow.
Against South Africa, True North Foot hailed the Celtic man as ‘ever-reliable’ for his display against a resilient and tough-to-beat South African team.
Remember, Canada were playing this fixture at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, because they finished second in their group, so they no longer have home comfort, but that didn’t stop Johnston from playing his best.
True North Foot stated: ‘The ever-reliable Celtic man has been one of Canada’s best players at this World Cup, and he had another standout performance on Sunday. Johnston made eight passes into the final third, had five ball recoveries, won both of his aerial duels and managed to keep Oswin Appolis quiet on the day.
‘The play of both of the full-backs has really elevated the team forward across these four games. 8.5 rating.’
‘One of Jesse Marsch’s best players’
It’s not just against South Africa that Johnston has been excelling. He is having a strong tournament all round.
On the one hand, that’s good news for Celtic because it shows the world what a top-quality performer they have on their hands, but on the other hand, it does open the door for others to sign him.
Either way, Canadian outlet Sportsnet handed Johnston a rating of ‘8’ against South Africa, and explained how he has been one of Jesse Marsch’s best players.
Sportsnet stated: ‘Back to his usual self against South Africa, Johnston was one of Jesse Marsch’s best players on this day. With eight passes into the final third, the Vaughan Azzurri product gave his opposite number, Aubrey Modiba and company all they could handle.’
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