Celtic’s pre-season of 2025 ended in the sunny, picturesque region of Lombardy in Italy.
Brendan Rodgers’ side secured third spot in the Como Cup, as Shin Yamada’s penalty in the shootout helped Celtic beat Saudi Pro League side, Al-Ahli, in the play-offs on Saturday evening.
It was a pretty quick turnaround for the Hoops stars because on Thursday evening, Celtic were thrashed by Ajax in the opening game of this mini pre-season competition.
But in between then, the Celtic players, alongside their opponents, enjoyed a little get-together, and there were some familiar faces on show.
- READ MORE: ‘The awareness’ – Simon Donnelly lauds Celtic star dubbed ‘so intelligent’ against Al-Ahli
What Celtic players did 24 hours before their final pre-season game in Como
It was a shame Celtic couldn’t make the final because it would have meant a meeting with Cesc Fabregas’ rising Como, as well as reuniting with Alex Valle and Nicolas Kuhn.
But instead, the players got to do that on ‘rest day’, which was Friday, as the players from Como, Ajax, Celtic and Al-Ahli got together for a ‘special evening of celebration, conversation and connection.’
Como posted images on their social media account of the players enjoying themselves, including Valle in conversation with Adam Idah, and Celtic’s new signing, Benjamin Nygren.
‘During the Como Cup rest day yesterday, players and staff from all four participating teams came together for a special evening of celebration, conversation, and connection,’ wrote Como’s official Instagram account.
‘A chance to meet familiar faces and experience the unique spirit of the tournament in the relaxed setting of Villa Parravicini Revel. The Como Cup is an opportunity to enjoy the friendly atmosphere at the heart of the football community.’
Celtic’s pre-season results ahead of St Mirren opener
It was a mixed bag from Celtic in pre-season, but overall, Rodgers should be pleased with how things panned out, especially given that there are no fresh injuries to worry about.
That’s probably the worst part of pre-season, but only Stephen Welsh had some issues, and he returned for the match against Al-Ahli.
Put aside the frustration over Celtic’s transfer business; it has been a positive pre-season for those in the green and white colours, as the next stop is flag day against St Mirren on August 3.
- Queen’s Park 0-1 Celtic (Johnny Kenny)
- Cork City 1-2 Celtic (Luke McCowan and Colby Donovan)
- Estrela da Amadora 3-2 Celtic (Reo Hatate and Adam Idah)
- Sporting Lisbon 0-2 Celtic (Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan)
- Celtic 4-0 Newcastle United (Arne Engels, Johnny Kenny, Hyunjun Yang and Liam Scales)
- AFC Ajax 5-1 Celtic (Hyunjun Yang)
- Al-Ahli Saudi FC 1-1 Celtic (Auston Trusty)*
*Celtic win 5-4 on penalties
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