Irish pair score for Celtic in Champions League win, but Man City are left frustrated by Inter

CELTIC STARTED the new Champions League format with a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava which eclipsed their biggest victory in the group stage era.

Brendan Rodgers declared before the game that his side were more ready than ever to make their mark on Europe’s elite competition and they vindicated his confidence as Liam Scales opened their campaign with a 17th-minute header.

The Scottish champions should have been out of sight by half-time but they finally found their range in the second half.

Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda and substitute Adam Idah sent Celtic second in the league.

On paper this was Celtic’s best chance of three points, playing against a side who were making their debut at this level of the Champions League, and the visitors had other chances apart from Kevin Wimmer’s goal.

But Slovan had gone through eight games of qualifying without defeat and the resounding nature of Celtic’s performance sparked a carnival atmosphere among a support who had to wait 10 years for a home group-stage win before seeing their team beat Feyenoord in a dead rubber last year.

Maeda could easily have had Celtic two ahead before Scales netted. The winger fired over inside four minutes after being played in by Alistair Johnston after the home side broke Slovan’s high press. He soon headed straight at the goalkeeper from six yards after a short corner.

The opener came from another corner as Engels whipped in an inswinger and Scales made good contact at the near post. Goalkeeper Dominik Takac could only palm the ball into the net.

Rodgers’ side could have doubled their lead within 60 seconds when Nicolas Kuhn superbly set up Furuhashi but Takac saved.

The chances kept coming. Engels had a powerful shot parried, Kuhn mis-kicked from 10 yards, and Furuhashi skied over the crossbar after Reo Hatate put the ball on a plate.

However, Celtic could have gone in at half-time level had Vladimir Weiss not hesitated when played inside Alistair Johnston. The former Rangers winger, who was earlier booked for taking out Engels, delayed and saw his shot blocked.

Celtic’s last two Champions League campaigns had been undermined by missed chances when on top and they came out after half-time seemingly determined to avoid a repeat.

Within two minutes, Kuhn waltzed to the byline and drove the ball across the face of goal for Furuhashi to force home.

Engels made it three in the 56th minute after Johnston had been felled with a high challenge from Danylo Ihnatenko.

Both second-half goalscorers also forced saves as Celtic pinned Slovan back as their supporters revelled in their dominance.

However, sliced clearances from both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor offered Wimmer the chance to guide a shot into the top corner from 15 yards.

But Celtic were soon back on top. Takac scrambled to stop Callum McGregor’s long-range effort and Maeda slotted home in the 70th minute as Celtic’s Japanese trio combined to cut the Slovakian champions open.

Idah then netted his first goal of the season after being played in by fellow sub James Forrest with three minutes left.

Whimper

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s quest to reconquer the Champions League began with a whimper as Inter Milan held out for a 0-0 draw at the Etihad.

One of the selling points of the new expanded Champions League format was to bring together the continent’s elite teams more often before the knockout stage.

A repeat of the 2023 final, won 1-0 by City, did little to set the pulses racing, but Inter will feel they should have inflicted a first home defeat in Europe in six years for Pep Guardiola’s men.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan blazed over the best chance of the match 15 minutes from time.

City have started the defence of their Premier League title in relentless fashion with four consecutive wins but failed to hit their stride as Inter comfortably held out.

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Rodri, who scored the winning goal when the sides met in Istanbul 15 months ago, was restored to the City starting line-up for the first time this season after his exertions in helping Spain to win Euro 2024.

Despite his presence, Inter were composed in possession as they often pierced the City press but were lacking in composure in the final third to take advantage.

Simone Inzaghi left captain Lautaro Martinez on the bench with Mehdi Taremi and Marcus Thuram preferred up front.

Thuram had the visitors’ best sight of goal in the first half but sidefooted wide from the edge of the box.

At the other end, Erling Haaland was finding Inter a far harder nut to crack than he has faced in scoring nine times in four Premier League games this season.

The Norwegian came closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time with a low effort that flew inches past the post with Yann Sommer stranded.

City face Arsenal in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash on Sunday and were dealt a blow just before half-time when Kevin De Bruyne limped away after his attempted cross was blocked behind by Sommer.

The Belgian was replaced at the break, along with Savinho, as Guardiola called on Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden to inject some verve into the City attack.

However, the cagey pattern continued with few chances for either side.

Matteo Darmian spurned a rare opening when he overhit a backheel trying to find Nicolo Barella, provoking a wild outburst of frustration from his manager.

City’s abundance of attacking talent finally sparked into life when an intricate move involving Jack Grealish and Gundogan teed up Foden, who forced Sommer into his first meaningful save 20 minutes from time.

Inter then nearly capped a mature away performance with the telling blow.

Denzel Dumfries galloped clear down the right and his deflected cross fell perfectly into the path of former Manchester United man Mkhitaryan, who failed to hit the target.

Sommer was called into action once more to repel Josko Gvardiol’s effort from the edge of the box.

Gundogan then had the chance to snatch victory with the final touch of the game when he headed over Jeremy Doku’s cross.

But neither side could argue they did enough to merit all three points as the spoils were shared.

UEFA Champions League results on Wednesday:

League stage, matchday one

Bologna (ITA) 0 Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 0

Sparta Prague (CZE) 3 (Kairinen 2, Olatunji 42, Laci 58) Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) 0

Club Brugge (BEL) 0 Borussia Dortmund (GER) 3 (Gittens 76, 86, Guirassy 90+5)

Celtic (SCO) 5 (Scales 17, Furuhashi 47, Engels 56-pen, Maeda 70, Idah 87) Slovan Bratislava (SVK) 1 (Wimmer 61)

Manchester City (ENG) 0 Inter Milan (ITA) 0

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 1 (Gazzaniga 90-og) Girona (ESP) 0 

Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.