Manager: The team showed togetherness and spirit tonight | OneFootball

Celtic’s preparations for the upcoming campaign ended in the best possible way tonight (Saturday, July 26) as the Celts defeated Al-Ahli 5-4 on penalties after the 90 minutes ended in a 1-1 draw.

The match saw Celtic come from a goal behind to clinch the victory and there was also a first appearance for Japanese forward, Shin Yamada, who scored the winning penalty in the shootout.

Brendan Rodgers and his side will now look ahead to the beginning of the league campaign next Sunday, and speaking to Celtic TV after the match, the Celtic boss praised the work of his team in Como tonight.

“Pre-season is all about fitness, but it’s also about togetherness and spirit,” he said. “And the players showed that in the second half.

“There were changes to the game, but the boys came in and did well. And in the second half the younger players gave that nice little spark to the game.

“The guys who have been with us from the first day and the guys coming in have put so much in to it.

“We’ll go back, have a really good week when we get home and we’ll look forward to the first game of the season next Sunday.”

Brendan Rodgers’ full interview is available to watch below.

Fixtures

Al-Ahli Saudi FC Vs. Celtic - Sat, Jul 26th 2025, 20:30