Celtic’s double-winning season is over and now, the fans get to look forward to a summer of international football with Euro 2024 kicking off in just over 48 hours.
With Scotland set to raise the curtain on the big football extravaganza, the Celtic fans will be hoping to see all four of their heroes turn out for Steve Clarke’s side against the host nation.
However, the Euros isn’t the only international football that is going on at the moment. Luis Palma is currently taking part in Honduras’ World Cup qualifiers this month and Liam Scales is on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
And it is the Irishman who has come under scrutiny from his nation’s media after his performance against Portugal last night.
Celtic man ‘didn’t stand a chance’ against Ronaldo
Scales was an ever-present in Celtic’s double-winning side and made a total of 45 appearances in Brendan Rodgers’ first season back at the club.
His form meant he was capped for the first time for the Republic of Ireland and last night, he won his fifth under John O’Shea against Portugal.
Tasked with shackling Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Scales clearly struggled after two goals in ten second-half minutes sealed a 3-0 win in the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro.
And as the Irish lick their wounds, the national media poured salt over Liam Scales’ with their verdict on his performance.
Irish Independent: “He said before the game that he wanted a photo opportunity with Cristiano Ronaldo but the Portugal captain gave Celtic man Scales a very harsh lesson in the realities of top-class international football.
“He struggled with his positional awareness and hopefully he can learn from this.”
Balls.ie: “Made a decent block on Joao Felix’s early shot, though he appeared somewhat lost and struggled to find the right passes under pressure at points.
“Looked dazed at points.”
Irish Mirror: “The Celtic man was tasked with keeping tabs on Ronaldo but didn’t stand a chance. Bruno Fernandes doubling up didn’t help.”
The Irish Sun: “Got his wish of sharing a pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo but after playing him onside for his first goal he may conclude that you have to be careful what you wish for.”
Still a relative novice at international level, there is no doubt Scales would have learned a lot from facing the likes of Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
The Irishman was excellent last season for Celtic and playing against the likes of Portugal can only stand him in good stead for what’s coming up next.
Celtic are set to embark on yet another Champions League journey and what Scales learned from facing the Portuguese winger should be a good experience to take into Europe’s top club competition.
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