Entertaining contest with AC Milan finishes all-square at Paradise | OneFootball

Pre-season friendlySaturday, July 25, 2026Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC…2(Duran 11, Forrest 27)

AC MILAN… 2(Camarda 46pen & 51)

Celtic Park played host to an entertaining pre-season friendly as Celtic drew 2-2 with Italian giants, AC Milan.

Martin O’Neill’s side took a 2-0 first-half lead thanks to goals from Camilo Duran and James Forrest, but the Italians fought back and two goals from Francesco Camarda early in the second-half levelled the game.

It was Ruben Amorim’s side who started the game strongly in terms of possession, and were passing the ball about with confidence without troubling the Celtic defence too much.

And it was a defensive lapse from AC Milan in the 11th minute which provided Celtic with their opening goal.

Strahinja Pavolvic rolled a ball across the six-yard box into the path of Camilo Duran, and the Colombian slotted the ball home with his left foot to make it three goals in three pre-season games for the striker since joining the club.

Duran’s pace in pressing was causing Milan problems, and he turned provider in the 27th minute, again latching on to a defensive mix-up, but this time he rolled the ball into the path of James Forrest, who fired a powerful shot high into the Milan net to make it 2-0.

AC Milan made a raft of changes at half-time, and it provided a cutting edge that was missing from the opening 45 minutes.

They reduced the deficit inside the first two minutes when referee Nick Walsh penalised a challenge by Cameron Carter-Vickers on Francesco Camarda inside the box, awarding the Italian side a penalty.

And the 18-year-old Italian internationalist stepped up to fire the ball beyond Vil Sinisalo to make it 2-1.

Less than four minutes later, Camarda had scored a second goal, and this time it was a header from six yards out after he was set up by a brilliant cross from Samuel Chukwueze, who was causing problems down the right flank.

Both sides continued to look for a winning goal, with substitute Thomas Hatton at the heart of Celtic’s best chances.

First, the teenager shrugged off Milan captain, Youssouf Fofana, and then stepped inside Filippo Terracciano before unleashing a powerful shot from 25 yards out that went narrowly wide.

And then he latched on to a Crossfield pass from Anthony Ralston to deliver a ball into the box for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose first-time effort went narrowly wide.

In the end, it was honours even, and now Celtic have just over a week to prepare for the opening Premiership match of the season, at home to Dundee on Monday, August 3.

CELTIC: Sinisalo, Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Murray, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, McCowan, Forrest, Duran, Tounekti.Subs: Doohan, Gill, Scales, Balikwisha, Osmand, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bernardo, McArdle, Montgomery, Hatton, Hatate, Turley, Ralston

Fixtures

Celtic Vs. AC Milan - Sat, Jul 25th 2026, 15:00