Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the work of his side in this morning’s pre-season friendly against Portimonense in Portugal.
The Bhoys took on the top-flight side for the second time in three days behind closed doors at The Campus training centre. Celtic came out on top by a 4-1 margin thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Liel Abada, Ben Summers and Hyeongyu Oh.
Speaking to Celtic TV, Rodgers said: “It was excellent. We’ve had a fantastic week so to finish off with a decent performance and good result for the guys – even though that’s not the most important thing at this stage – I was really pleased.
“The heat has been sweltering here but the intensity and some of the football was very, very good. There’s still a long way to go but yeah, I’m really pleased.
“Some of the goals we scored, our pressing high up the pitch and looking to win it. We took our chances. It was a really good run out. For the international guys, it was the first bit of game time.
“Overall, it’s been a really, really good week – a tough week for the players and the staff because there’s been no real time in the schedule for much else. But they’ve worked well in this part of the tour. It’s pleasing.”
Celtic had two different elevens in each half of the game, so almost everyone included on the trip will have gotten a run out in the Portuguese heat. It’ll be very useful for them as they build towards the start of competitive action.
Rodgers went on to praise the young players coming through for their attitude and application during the training camp. While not singling anyone out, the manager did say one or two especially have caught the eye. Summers could well have been one of them considering his goalscoring contribution today.
All in all, the win was the perfect way to sign off from Portugal before a mammoth trip to Asia in the next few days, with games against Yokohama F.Marinos and Gamba Osaka ahead.
In other news, Gangwon FC confirm Yang Hyun-jun is moving to Celtic in official statement.
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