Manchester City lost 3-4 to Celtic at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in North Carolina as they began their pre-season tour of the United States with a loss. Pep Guardiola fielded a young team mixed with senior players like Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, and Jack Grealish.
The Citizens appeared rusty and were outplayed by Celtic, who looked sharper due to their superior pre-season preparation so far. Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn scored a brace for the Scottish champions, with Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma also finding the back of the net. Haaland, Oscar Bobb, and Maximo Perrone scored for City.
Match Report
Guardiola named Haaland as captain for the game and gave several youngsters their senior debuts. City had a bright start, with debutant Nico O’Reilly almost scoring inside three minutes. However, it was Celtic who took the lead, with Kuhn finding the corner of the net with a good finish.
City’s captain had a few good chances saved by Hoops goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel before Bobb equalised, slotting in an O’Reilly cut-back which was smartly left by Haaland. The lead didn’t last long, with Kuhn getting Celtic’s and his second goal of the game. The Bhoys extended their lead when Kuhn found Furuhashi with a wonderful ball, the Japan international taking the ball past Ortega and calmly applying the finish.
The second half started brightly for Guardiola’s men. Substitute Perrone found the back of the net with his first touch of the game, tucking in City’s second goal from a Bobb cut-back following a mazy run by the Norwegian. Another debutant Joel Ndala almost scored his first goal for the club, but it was Haaland who got City’s equaliser, heading in a good Oscar Bobb cross following sustained pressure by the Citizens.
Despite Man City’s dominance in the second half, it was Celtic who got the winner, with Palma tapping in the Scottish champions’ fourth and final goal of the game after the Hoops broke City’s offside trap. In spite of the scoreline, it was a good pre-season game for City. Many youngsters got a chance to show their worth while some of the senior players got minutes as they aim to reach full match sharpness and fitness ahead of the upcoming season.
