Celtic B lost 4-3 to Brighton & Hove Albion’s U21 side in their latest Premier League International Cup match tonight.
The game took place at the AMEX Stadium, home of Brighton‘s first team in the English Premier League, providing the young Hoops with invaluable experience.
Unfortunately, the first period did not go as planned, and the home team went up 3-0 thanks to Leigh Kavanagh and Mark O’Mahony, who scored twice.
Celtic did claw their way back into the game, leading 3-1 at the break, thanks to Mackenzie Carse’s cool finish after a strong Bhoys press forced an opportunity in the Brighton box.
Then, after 57 minutes, Rocco Vata showed off his speed, skill, and finishing ability with an excellent second goal to make it 3-2.
Daniel Kelly then scored an excellent first-time finish from a low cross into the box, banging it into the top corner to tie the game at 3-3.
Throughout the second half, the youngsters applied significant pressure on Brighton and created numerous chances, only to be denied by excellent goalkeeping and a bit of defensive resilience.
It was an open, exciting, and frantic 90 minutes. Unfortunately, Brighton scored a dramatic winner at 4-3 with almost the last kick of the game.
Celtic B gains valuable experience from the Premier League International Cup.
Celtic‘s second match in this year’s edition of the youth tournament, which pits the best English academies against select teams from around Europe, took place tonight.
Celtic were assigned to Group B and will play away games against Chelsea and Southampton in December and January.
The young Hoops would advance to the quarter-finals if they finished in the top two of their section, which also included Valencia, Dinamo Zagreb, and Lyon. There is also room for two of the best third-placed teams from each of the three groups. Victories in the final two games will be required to have any chance of progressing.
Regardless, Stephen McManus‘ and Darren O’Dea‘s team put in a good performance tonight, and the youngsters can travel back to Scotland with their heads held high.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers explains the Celtic transfer process and why Mark Lawwell is required.
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