In the 2024 summer friendly match between Man City vs Celtic, coach Pep Guardiola’s team with the appearance of most young players lost narrowly 3-4 to defending champion Scotland.
In the competition at Kenan Memorial Stadium (USA), Man City did not field the strongest lineup against Celtic. Their defense only consists of young players. The 4 most experienced players starting in the Man City squad in the first half were Ortega, Grealish, Phillips and Haaland.
That’s why Man City was conceded early by the opponent. In the 13th minute, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn slowed down to catch a pass from his teammate, then shot the ball diagonally, opening the score for Celtic.
Conceding a goal, Man City decided to press forward to find an equalizer afterward. Haaland had some good opportunities but missed them all. It wasn’t until the 33rd minute that the defending Premier League champions scored a goal when Oscar Bobb put his name on the electronic board with a lucky shot.
The joy did not last long for Man City because the defense had too many young players, causing them to constantly have to strain to fend off Celtic’s attacks.
In the 36th minute, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn once again punished the mistake of “The Citizens” defense and also attacked young player Wilson-Esbrand’s position on the left wing. The score increased to 2-1 for Celtic.
It didn’t stop there, right before the first half ended, it was Japanese star Furuhashi’s turn to score to help Celtic temporarily lead Man City with a score of 3-1.
Entering the second half, Man City increased their attack speed and they scored 2 quick goals in minutes 46 and 57. Oscar Bobb had a double assist to help Perrone and Haaland score respectively to equalize 3-3 for Man. City.
It seemed that this would open up a comeback for Man City, but it was the opposite. Man City’s sloppy defense continued to be punished in the 68th minute. They advanced too high and were conceded by Celtic’s Palma after a quick counterattack.
In the remaining time, Man City and Celtic had a few more chances but no more goals. In the end, Celtic beat Man City with a score of 4-3. On July 28, Man City will play a friendly against AC Milan.
