Celtic rolls past Chelsea 4-1 in final friendly of U.S. tour, Adam Idah tellingly reacts | OneFootball

Celtic closed out its U.S. tour with an unbeaten record after defeating English Premier League side Chelsea 4-1 on Saturday.

Celtic’s Michael Johnston celebrates his goal during a pre-season match between Chelsea and Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on July 27, 2024. Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Image

Matt O’Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi, Luis Palma, and Mikey Johnston all scored goals in a dominant performance at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. U.S. international Cameron Carter-Vickers made his first appearance of the tour while Kasper Schmeichel retained his place in between the posts.

O’Riley broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, creating room on the right side of the Chelsea box before curling a shot into the bottom-left corner.

Celtic would continue on the front foot as O’Riley and Furuhashi linked up for a 2-0 lead. O’Riley snuck into the Chelsea box before drilling a pass across the box to a wide open Furuhashi for a simple tap in.

A worry for Celtic fans as Maeda was replaced in the 35th minute by Luis Palma with an apparent injury.

Celtic FC fans cheer during the pre-seasonl match between Chelsea and Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on July 27, 2024. ) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Raheem Sterling rattled the crossbar in the 46th minute for Chelsea, providing some life for the London outfit.

Palma would extend Celtic’s lead to 3-0 in the 76th minute after a defensive error from Benoît Badiashile. Badiashile’s errant back pass fell straight to Palma who made no mistake in the box.

Mikey Johnston capped off Celtic’s dominant day by finishing off Palma’s assist for a 4-0 lead.

Fans of Celtic Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi wait for the pre-season match between Chelsea and Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on July 27, 2024. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Christopher Nkunku pulled a consolation goal back from the penalty spot after Raheem Sterling was hauled down in the box.

However, Celtic would hang on for a 4-1 result to close their U.S. tour in style. Several young players continued to earn important minutes including Colby Donovan, Francis Turley, and Matthew Anderson.

The Hoops outscored their opposition 12-4 over that span and now return home ahead of their Scottish Premiership opener vs. Kilmarnock on Sunday, 4 August.

Larry Henry Jr Managing Editor – SBI Soccer Staff Writer – MLS NEXT Pro The Celtic Star – Special Contributor

Celtic fans wait for the start of the pre-season club match between Chelsea and Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on July 27, 2024. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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