Celtic came from behind to beat Athletic Club 3-2 and end pre-season on a high on Tuesday evening.
It was a positive night for the healthy crowd inside Celtic Park, as the Hoops support paid tribute to club hero James Forrest.
The winger played 49 minutes of the match, his squad number, while the rest of his Hoops team-mates played a half each.
And it was the second-half group who made the stronger impression as Celtic came from 2-1 down to win the match.
Reo Hatate, Alexandro Bernabei and David Turnbull got the goals with all three really easy on the eye.
Here’s what we took away from an enjoyable evening.
Rodgers gets a roar
Brendan Rodgers was back in the Celtic Park dugout for the first time since February 2019.
The Hoops boss got a standing ovation from the Celtic faithful after being introduced over the tannoy.
It was refreshing that the club were keen to meet the issue of Rodgers being back head on. To be honest, it’s not even much of an issue anymore.
The vast, vast majority of fans are behind Rodgers and the team. That was shown in the pre-match goings-on which also included some words from Forrest to the support.
Nawrocki looked composed
It’s very early days with Maik Nawrocki but he looked pretty composed alongside the returning Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the Hoops defence.
Nawrocki is clearly comfortable on the left-hand side and moved the ball quickly and efficiently.
He wasn’t actually tested too often, with many of Athletic’s shots coming from distance. But our early verdict is that the Pole has something about him.
He and CCV have the potential to be a solid defensive pairing, although Carl Starfelt may have something to say about that.
Another enjoyable game
Pre-season friendlies can be drab affairs at times. But Tuesday’s clash at Celtic Park was an enjoyable one.
Truthfully, we can say that about almost all of our friendly encounters this summer.
Like Yokohama F. Marinos and Wolves before them, Athletic took the game to Celtic and it made for a good game.
It’s refreshing to play against sides who attack us and have the quality to do so. Sadly, we’re unlikely to see that kind of approach too often domestically this season.
On Saturday we’re likely to face far more resolute opposition in the shape of Ross County.
In other news, Anton McElhone departed Celtic this summer
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