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00:00:00to be. Watching the Bratislava
00:00:15players there, Simon and the
00:00:16lineup when that cheer came up
00:00:18and that roar came up alongside
00:00:20the theme tune and the smiles
00:00:21on their faces. I think it just
00:00:23comes naturally when you
00:00:24realize the kind of atmosphere
00:00:25that they're about to play in.
00:00:26We hope it doesn't make them
00:00:28nervous, but it is a unique
00:00:30place to play. It's a place that
00:00:32Vladimir Weiss, the Slovan
00:00:33Bratislava captain, and the
00:00:35manager, of course, who's his
00:00:36dad, Vladimir Weiss, and he's
00:00:38got a bit of history against
00:00:39Celtic that we might get a
00:00:40chance to go into. They know
00:00:42what it's about, but can this
00:00:43atmosphere have an effect on
00:00:45these players? I think so. I
00:00:47think so, and I certainly think
00:00:48it can have a positive effect on
00:00:50our team. I've played in nights
00:00:52like this before. It's special,
00:00:55very special. That atmosphere
00:00:56there, just as the Champions
00:00:57League has been played, it's
00:00:59unbelievable, it gives
00:01:00everybody goosebumps. I think we
00:01:02have to be our best in this
00:01:03tournament, regardless of who
00:01:04we're against, but as I said,
00:01:07we've got a really good draw
00:01:08here. I think it'll be a
00:01:09difficult game, but I see us
00:01:10winning it, and I think if we
00:01:11can keep that form from the
00:01:12start of the season and kick on,
00:01:15I think it's going to be an
00:01:16exciting tournament ahead for
00:01:17us.
00:01:18Captains are exchanging
00:01:19pendants and shaking hands with
00:01:21the referee and each other.
00:01:23Vladimir Weiss, of course, once
00:01:25a Rangers player, back when he
00:01:27was a youngster. He's now 35,
00:01:29and he's the captain of this
00:01:30side. His dad is the manager, a
00:01:33legend in the game himself.
00:01:35Vladimir Weiss, great friends
00:01:36with our own great Slovak,
00:01:39Ljubo Maravcik, played alongside
00:01:41him in the Slovakian team.
00:01:46Was also the manager when
00:01:48Artmedia Bratislava came up
00:01:51against Celtic in Gordon
00:01:52Strachan's first ever match as
00:01:54Celtic manager, and they beat
00:01:55us 5-0 over there. 4-0 to Celtic
00:01:59over here wasn't enough when
00:02:00Celtic went out, so he knows
00:02:03what it's all about. He calls
00:02:05the Celtic Park atmosphere the
00:02:07best in the world.
00:02:10And the Celtic players are in
00:02:11the huddle. They will be
00:02:13shooting into the goal to our
00:02:16right-hand side, so it's, as you
00:02:18would expect, Celtic shooting
00:02:19into the east stand, into the
00:02:20Lisbon line stand.
00:02:23And it's the Slovan Bratislava
00:02:24team who will kick off. Celtic
00:02:26in the green and white hoops.
00:02:29Slovan Bratislava wearing an all
00:02:32navy strip with light blue
00:02:34highlights. The referee and his
00:02:38assistants are all from the
00:02:39Netherlands. And we get the game
00:02:42underway. So the Champions League
00:02:43campaign, 24-25 for Celtic, is
00:02:46underway. Vladimir Weiss on the
00:02:48ball straight away. The Celtic
00:02:50fans let him know what they
00:02:51think of him. It's all the way
00:02:52back to Takács. And the
00:02:55Bratislava goal launches that
00:02:56one up to the halfway line.
00:02:57Met on the head of Alistair
00:02:59Johnson, knocked down there by
00:03:00Callum McGregor. Weiss picks up,
00:03:02but he's immediately
00:03:03dispossessed by Kuhn. Tried a
00:03:04little backflip to Johnson,
00:03:06didn't quite come off. And now
00:03:07Weiss heads down this left wing,
00:03:10but he's crowded out by Celtic
00:03:12players. And eventually Engels
00:03:14gets the ball. And it's Hatati
00:03:16plays it out to the left-hand
00:03:17side. Maeda up against Blackman.
00:03:20And I'm sure he's going to give
00:03:21him a run for his money. Nice
00:03:23ball down the left-hand side.
00:03:24Hatati's made the run on the
00:03:25overlap. First-time cross in from
00:03:27Real Hatati. Kiyoko was prowling
00:03:30inside the six-yard box, but the
00:03:31ball on the cross was far too
00:03:33close to Takács, who takes the
00:03:35ball with ease.
00:03:36Yeah, it's a fast start. Just
00:03:38seeing the players surrounding
00:03:39Weiss here, retrieving
00:03:40possession, and it was a quick
00:03:41switch of play to the left-hand
00:03:42side. Hatati making a decent run,
00:03:45just couldn't get anything on the
00:03:46cross.
00:03:49Kiyoko...
00:03:50Quick pace at the start here.
00:03:51Yeah, it is indeed. Game will
00:03:52take a bit to settle down, of
00:03:53course, the adrenaline coursing
00:03:55through the players' veins.
00:03:57Long ball forward from Bratislava.
00:04:00Cameron Carter-Vickers with the
00:04:02defensive header, Marko Tolic just
00:04:05wasn't able to keep that in, but
00:04:07I think he's... Well, the
00:04:09assistant referee down here in the
00:04:10halfway line awarded the throw
00:04:12into Bratislava, overruled by his
00:04:15referee. So it's a throw into
00:04:18Celtic, deep in their own half.
00:04:20Alistair Johnson with the ball in
00:04:22hand, looking for someone to throw
00:04:25it to, ends up throwing it up
00:04:26towards the halfway line. No
00:04:28takers in the green and white
00:04:29jersey, so Bratislava have it.
00:04:31Wimmer, challenged there by Kuhn,
00:04:34who thinks he should have got the
00:04:35decision, but it's gone the way of
00:04:38the Slovan side. Kevin Wimmer
00:04:42playing on the left side of
00:04:44defence, former Spurs player,
00:04:47former Stoke player.
00:04:49It was one of those ones he just
00:04:50got between when the ball fell
00:04:53down, the refs bought it and
00:04:54gave him the free kick.
00:04:56That switches that one across.
00:04:58The other end of the pitch,
00:04:59Blackman takes it, quickly
00:05:01followed by Maeda. Lays that one
00:05:04back though, the low cross, a
00:05:05decent one to the edge of the
00:05:06six-yard box, beaten away first
00:05:07time though by Liam Scales, and
00:05:09Bratislava will just let that one
00:05:11go out for a throw in on the
00:05:12far side, midway inside the
00:05:15Celtic half.
00:05:21They play it back to the
00:05:22halfway line now, Wimmer on the
00:05:24left-hand side.
00:05:26Out now to Weiss, likes to play
00:05:28on that wing, Celtic win it back,
00:05:30great play from Engels, couldn't
00:05:32combine with Kuhn though to any
00:05:34great effect, and it's cleared
00:05:35upfield, but Carter-Vickers should
00:05:37have no problem playing that one
00:05:39back to Celtic's experienced
00:05:41Champions League goalkeeper,
00:05:42Kasper Schmeichel.
00:05:44And Engels doing well in the
00:05:45middle of the park, snapping
00:05:47about, the opposition winning
00:05:49possession back there, but Kuhn
00:05:50just couldn't find him in the
00:05:51pass.
00:05:54Bratislava trying to put pressure
00:05:56and press the Celtic defence,
00:05:58it's with Alistair Johnson,
00:05:59inside him is Calum MacGregor,
00:06:01back to Schmeichel, needs to be
00:06:03quick, plays a return pass to
00:06:04MacGregor who had made his way
00:06:06into space on the edge of the
00:06:07box.
00:06:08There's a little one-two with
00:06:09Greg Taylor, Celtic break the
00:06:10thresh really well, they're up
00:06:11to the halfway line, sliding
00:06:13challenge there from Weiss isn't
00:06:14effective on Alistair Johnson,
00:06:16he's played the ball through to
00:06:17Dyson Maeda, first chance of the
00:06:19game for Maeda, and you can tell
00:06:20by the noise from the Celtic
00:06:22crowd that that one has just gone
00:06:24wide, think it might have gone
00:06:26over the bar, what a move from
00:06:27back to front, lovely ball from
00:06:28Alistair Johnson, Maeda took it
00:06:30down well with his first touch
00:06:31but just couldn't find the net
00:06:33with his second.
00:06:34Great football from Celtic,
00:06:35started deep in their own box
00:06:37with Schmeichel, played out to
00:06:39MacGregor, and it came to
00:06:40Alistair Johnson, as you see a
00:06:42crucial pass to Maeda who took
00:06:44it on the run really well, but
00:06:46it just wouldn't sit down for
00:06:47him.
00:06:48He's blazed it over the bar, a
00:06:50great opportunity, great move
00:06:51from Celtic.
00:06:52Yeah, so difficult to take that
00:06:53control when he's running so
00:06:55quickly and the ball's so ahead.
00:06:56Yeah, at full pace, as I say he
00:06:58did well to actually bring it
00:06:59into his path, but it just
00:07:00wouldn't sit down for him.
00:07:02Well, we know what a threat
00:07:04Tyson Maeda can be in front of
00:07:07goal, and that's a really good
00:07:10opportunity there.
00:07:12One that you would really call
00:07:13a half-chance, it wasn't a
00:07:14glaring miss, such was the level
00:07:18of skill required to bring the
00:07:19ball down in the first place.
00:07:21Bratislava have it with Wimmer,
00:07:23again that high ball down the
00:07:25left-hand side.
00:07:27Celtic will be quite happy to
00:07:29pitch Wladimir Weiss up against
00:07:30Alistair Johnson and Cameron
00:07:31Carter-Vickers, Celtic come away
00:07:33with it, Engels pushed from
00:07:35behind there by Tolich, referee
00:07:38right on top of that one, free
00:07:40kick there right in front of
00:07:41Brendan Rodgers.
00:07:43Engels looking confident, looking
00:07:45eager to get on the ball and make
00:07:47things tick in the midfield.
00:07:49Yeah, he looks the part, I
00:07:50noticed at the weekend as well,
00:07:51very athletic, he looks a good
00:07:53stature as well, middle of the
00:07:55park there.
00:07:56He's 21 now, he's a proper grown
00:07:58man.
00:07:59Yeah, athlete, already a couple
00:08:01of nice touches in this game.
00:08:03Celebrated his 21st birthday
00:08:04last week, here's Hattati on the
00:08:06left for Celtic, leaves that one
00:08:07for Maeda.
00:08:08Back to his Japanese counterpart,
00:08:11in the middle of the park now is
00:08:12Cameron Carter-Vickers, every
00:08:13player apart from Kasper Schmeichel
00:08:15is in the Slovan Bratislava half,
00:08:17the ball's out on the right-hand
00:08:18side now with Nicholas Kuhn.
00:08:20Jinx inside, Wladimir Weiss but
00:08:22keeps possession, finds McGregor,
00:08:24centres that one, Hattati, now
00:08:26back out to the right-hand side
00:08:27and Johnson, inside him is Hattati,
00:08:30Celtic playing the ball around
00:08:32very well, the cross into the
00:08:33edge of the six-yard box there
00:08:35from Hattati, just a bit too far
00:08:37ahead of Maeda, and Takacs just
00:08:39happy to let that one go behind
00:08:40for the goal kick.
00:08:41Yeah, he was just trying to feed
00:08:42it into an area there between the
00:08:44back line and the keeper, you
00:08:45could see Maeda coming in from
00:08:47the left-hand side, as you say,
00:08:49just got a little bit too much on
00:08:50it there for the goal kick.
00:08:52Confident opening six minutes
00:08:53though from Celtic, looking very
00:08:56assured on the ball, but so do
00:08:58their opponents, but they've lost
00:09:00out that time, Celtic trying to
00:09:01capitalise on a mistake in the
00:09:03middle of the park, Kiyoko's
00:09:04gone down under a challenge,
00:09:06he's back on his feet, play goes
00:09:07on, Celtic again win the ball
00:09:09back, that's this defensive
00:09:11mindset that the manager tries
00:09:13to instil in the players.
00:09:15McGregor, edge of the area,
00:09:17tried to find Kiyoko, I think
00:09:19Kiyoko's run had just gone
00:09:20behind the ball there as it came
00:09:22in from his captain.
00:09:24Once again, whenever Celtic don't
00:09:26have the ball, their eagerness,
00:09:27you see it again there with
00:09:28scales to try and win it back,
00:09:30but now the break is on for
00:09:32Bratislava on the right-hand
00:09:34side.
00:09:35They've got one player in the
00:09:37middle, the Celtic's defence all
00:09:38comes back, the shot comes in,
00:09:40it's deflected, and it's over the
00:09:42top, it was Bersegian who was
00:09:45released down that right-hand
00:09:46side.
00:09:47Well, there's the danger of
00:09:48European football, we were
00:09:50roundabout, Bratislava's box
00:09:51playing some intricate football,
00:09:53caught the break, and all of a
00:09:55sudden there's a little bit of
00:09:57danger.
00:09:58The deflection took it over the
00:09:59bar for a corner.
00:10:02Bersegian was the hero that
00:10:03scored the late winner in a 3-2
00:10:05win against Michelin, and in the
00:10:07play-off round it got Slovan
00:10:09Bratislava into the Champions
00:10:11League proper.
00:10:13And he came close there as the
00:10:14corner comes in, defensive.
00:10:16Hedder was a good one from
00:10:17Johnson, but...
00:10:19Back out to Tolic again, and he
00:10:21curls that one out, and behind
00:10:23for a goal kick.
00:10:26Yeah, they could be a threat
00:10:27from set-pieces, as I said at
00:10:28the beginning, they look like a
00:10:29big team.
00:10:30But yeah, just the danger of
00:10:31Europe, always have to be
00:10:33switched on at the back for
00:10:35quick breaks like that one.
00:10:44Scales has it.
00:10:46Assesses the options ahead of
00:10:48him.
00:10:49Back to the halfway line.
00:10:51Bratislava just staying off it,
00:10:55but Celtic have worked it out to
00:10:56the left-hand side, Taylor
00:10:57attempted the cross, but it's
00:10:59gone out for a throw to Celtic,
00:11:00Celtic now down within 10 yards
00:11:02of the corner flag on that far
00:11:03side.
00:11:09A goal for Celtic in the early
00:11:10stages of this game as it's gone
00:11:12behind for a corner to the home
00:11:14side would really lift this
00:11:15crowd, and really set them on
00:11:18their way.
00:11:25So corner to Celtic on the far
00:11:27side.
00:11:33This one is going to be swung in
00:11:34by Arne Engels.
00:11:38Celtic just lining up there.
00:11:42Set-piece, Scales is in there,
00:11:43so too Cameron Carter-Vickers,
00:11:45Maeda, Kiyoko lurking as well,
00:11:47and comes across from Engels,
00:11:48swings that one into the edge of
00:11:50the six-yard box just over the
00:11:51head of all the Celtic players
00:11:52in a way, but Alistair Johnson,
00:11:54the furthest player back now,
00:11:56supported by McGregor, Celtic
00:11:57will come again, Engels on the
00:11:59left, and followed by Blackman
00:12:01decides to play it all the way
00:12:03back to Kasper Schmeichel, who's
00:12:05midway inside his own half.
00:12:09Gives that one to Cameron
00:12:10Carter-Vickers, now Hatati comes
00:12:11to collect short.
00:12:15Across to Greg Taylor on the
00:12:17halfway line, square pass to
00:12:19Carter-Vickers.
00:12:21Alistair Johnson, Celtic just
00:12:24knocking this one around their
00:12:25defence.
00:12:27It's almost as if after ten
00:12:28minutes just taking a breather,
00:12:31it was an electric start.
00:12:33Some decent possession now,
00:12:34waiting for the opening.
00:12:41Carter-Vickers again to Scales,
00:12:45defensively, Bratislava going to
00:12:47shape up like a 4-4-2.
00:12:50Or a 4-3-2-1.
00:12:52Obviously changes when they're
00:12:53attacking side, but Celtic trying
00:12:56to find a way through as Kuhn
00:12:57finds Alistair Johnson down this
00:12:59right-hand side.
00:13:00His cross comes off Iatenko,
00:13:02and behind for another Celtic
00:13:04corner this time.
00:13:06And Engels comes across to the
00:13:07near side to take it.
00:13:09Short option taken to Kuhn,
00:13:10back to Engels.
00:13:13Plays that one inside, he was
00:13:14looking for Taylor, but it came
00:13:15off Kuhn.
00:13:17Disappointing end to that move,
00:13:18as a resultant throw to Slovan
00:13:21Bratislava.
00:13:23Yeah, just got the final pass
00:13:24wrong there, trying to take the
00:13:25short corner, it's nicely worked
00:13:27initially.
00:13:29Decent possession from Celtic.
00:13:3211 minutes gone here at Celtic
00:13:34Park, if you've just joined us,
00:13:35it's Celtic nil, Slovan Bratislava
00:13:37nil.
00:13:39One-wheel chance for Celtic as
00:13:41Kyogo now darts into the area,
00:13:44and I tell you what, Guram Kashyap
00:13:46had to be quick coming across,
00:13:47the experienced Georgian
00:13:49prevented Kyogo from a short-earned
00:13:50goal there.
00:13:52Yeah, Kuhn worked it well, just
00:13:53played it into an area as we take
00:13:54a short one again there.
00:13:56Short corner taken to Taylor,
00:13:57that time it's worked, and a real
00:13:58chance for Dyson Maeda, a free
00:14:00header from eight yards, he got
00:14:01good contact on it too, but just
00:14:03directed his header straight at
00:14:05the goalkeeper.
00:14:07Yeah, it's a great chance.
00:14:08Another short corner into Greg
00:14:09Taylor this time, he just hung it
00:14:11invitingly with his right foot,
00:14:14Maeda couldn't get enough on the
00:14:15header.
00:14:18Well, the boos you could hear was
00:14:21Wladimir Weiss having the ball,
00:14:23he then is fouled inside the Celtic
00:14:26half, and the free kick has been
00:14:27given.
00:14:29And that was something that was
00:14:30off the training ground, Greg
00:14:31Taylor taking that bit of space
00:14:33there.
00:14:34Yeah, he just got into a great
00:14:35area, and as I say, hung it up,
00:14:38and I think Maeda sees it all the
00:14:39way, just can't get enough power
00:14:40on it, straight at the keeper.
00:14:44Blackman on the right for
00:14:45Bratislava, low cross into the
00:14:48area, looking for Strelets, the
00:14:50ball's broken to the edge of the
00:14:51area.
00:14:53Deflected shot there, doesn't
00:14:55trouble Schmeichel.
00:14:57Bratislava have a player down on
00:14:59the edge of the area.
00:15:01And he's back on his feet now.
00:15:07Schmeichel played that one out,
00:15:08so hopefully Celtic will get the
00:15:10ball back, referee.
00:15:12Just going over to check on the
00:15:17injury status.
00:15:21One of the players that went
00:15:22down.
00:15:32One ball over the top, easy one
00:15:33there for Kasper Schmeichel.
00:15:38Now it's Kuczka down on the edge
00:15:40of the area, still hobbling about
00:15:42in the halfway line, but Celtic
00:15:44have it with Kamen and Vickers.
00:15:4813 minutes gone, we still wait
00:15:49the opening goal here in the
00:15:50Champions League between Celtic
00:15:52and Slobodan Bratislava, the
00:15:53Slovakian champions.
00:16:00Celtic at two very difficult
00:16:02away ties, coming up next in
00:16:03Dortmund and Atalanta, so together
00:16:06off and running with three
00:16:07points here, would be a great
00:16:09start.
00:16:12Yeah, it's really impressive
00:16:13trying to win the ball back.
00:16:15That one goes out for a throw in
00:16:16the far side from Calum McGregor,
00:16:18but biting about the opposition
00:16:19so quickly, working so hard to
00:16:21get the ball back.
00:16:25Well, I'm going to do something
00:16:26that I don't think I've ever
00:16:27done at a night-time match at
00:16:29Celtic Park, and that's take my
00:16:30jacket off.
00:16:31It's actually very mild here,
00:16:33it's been a beautiful night,
00:16:34hot, sunny day, about 23, 24
00:16:37degrees, and it's still very
00:16:39muggy tonight, so a little bit
00:16:41of an Indian summer, or as we
00:16:43call it in Scotland, an Indian
00:16:44Wednesday.
00:16:46But great conditions for football
00:16:48Celtic have on the left-hand
00:16:49side.
00:16:50Greg Taylor just lets that one
00:16:51go out, takes the throw in
00:16:52quickly, Hatati now advancing in
00:16:54from the left.
00:16:55Quickly blocks, claims for the
00:16:56handball, Gibbon on the edge of
00:16:58the area.
00:17:01Yeah, well, we claimed for a
00:17:02win a couple of minutes ago,
00:17:03and the referee overlooked it,
00:17:04but this time he's let the ball
00:17:06come across him, working inside
00:17:09onto his right foot, and he
00:17:11tried to reverse it, and it's
00:17:13been handballed, and it's in a
00:17:14good area over there on the far
00:17:15side.
00:17:16A few of the boys, Coons over
00:17:17at McGregor, fancy a right-hand
00:17:19side.
00:17:20Yeah, Engles.
00:17:21Yeah, I think Engles might fancy
00:17:22this one.
00:17:23A right foot up.
00:17:24Yeah, it favours the right foot
00:17:25up, just being left of centre,
00:17:27and it's about 25 yards from the
00:17:30byline.
00:17:32Great position to get a bit of
00:17:33power on it, enough space to get
00:17:34it up and over the wall and down.
00:17:37Well, he whipped a great corner
00:17:38in from that far side earlier on
00:17:40on his right foot, taking the
00:17:41set pieces.
00:17:42Well, we saw him from the penalty
00:17:44spot against Hearts, this would
00:17:45be something special from Arna
00:17:47Engles.
00:17:52Up he steps.
00:17:55Up against the wall, comes off
00:17:56the head of one of the defenders
00:17:58in the wall.
00:18:01And across goes Dyson.
00:18:02Maeda, he just tenaciously tries
00:18:04to win that back, and that is
00:18:06wonderful from Maeda, he's won
00:18:07Celtic a corner.
00:18:09Out of nothing, really, he's the
00:18:11one that pounces on Weiss, just
00:18:13takes the chance, doesn't he?
00:18:14He's brilliant.
00:18:15He's what, great, he's
00:18:16brilliant.
00:18:17He's come off the top of the
00:18:18wall, Weiss is trying to wriggle
00:18:20out the far corner, Maeda puts
00:18:22the pressure on, we've got
00:18:23another corner.
00:18:24Engles will take the in-swinging
00:18:25again, the last time he did this
00:18:27it was very close to being a
00:18:29great delivery.
00:18:31Let's see if he can swing a
00:18:32quality ball in, and it comes
00:18:34from Engles, low, that time-out
00:18:35was loose inside the six-yard
00:18:37box, and it just came off the
00:18:39chest there of, I think it was
00:18:42Kuczka, and behind for another
00:18:44Celtic corner.
00:18:45Celtic piling the pressure on
00:18:47their Slovakian opponents here.
00:18:49Arna Engles again with the
00:18:51delivery.
00:18:55Six-yard box is very congested
00:18:57and it comes again, oh, what a
00:18:58chance, what a goal for Celtic!
00:19:02Great delivery this time, and it
00:19:04was Liam Scales who got his head
00:19:07on it, and he glanced it into the
00:19:09back of the net, Dominic Takacs
00:19:11got a touch on it, but he could
00:19:13do nothing to keep that header
00:19:16from putting Celtic ahead in the
00:19:18Champions League.
00:19:20The pressure has paid off, because
00:19:22as we approach the 18th minute,
00:19:25it is Celtic 1, Slovan Bratislava 0.
00:19:29And it's a fantastic delivery
00:19:31from the new man Engles again,
00:19:33whipped in at pace, and Liam Scales
00:19:35gets up above everybody else to
00:19:37direct it towards goal, it's down
00:19:39the throw to keep it, he can't do
00:19:41anything at the pace on it.
00:19:431-0 Celtic.
00:19:50Well, and you have to say, it has
00:19:52been coming, Celtic have really
00:19:55been going through the gears here,
00:19:58but for that one counter-attack
00:20:00from Bratislava, it's been all Celtic
00:20:03and they will look to capitalise on
00:20:06this, another chance, it's Kiyoko
00:20:08for a second!
00:20:09Oh, the shot into the legs of Takacs
00:20:11who makes the save!
00:20:13That could, that should have been two!
00:20:16It's an unbelievable move.
00:20:19Well, now there's a player down,
00:20:21this could be a yellow card for Weiss,
00:20:24I think he's lucky with that one,
00:20:26down, injured.
00:20:28Yeah, the ball was away, to be honest
00:20:30it distracted, but I didn't see what
00:20:32happened there, totally off the ball
00:20:34after a wonderful move from Celtic.
00:20:40Well, Engles, he's going to be OK,
00:20:42he's still on the ground, but that
00:20:44was a bit nasty there from Weiss.
00:20:46Yeah, he's booked Weiss, he wasn't
00:20:50the villain before, he really is now,
00:20:52but what about that chance for Kiyoko?
00:20:54What a move down this right-hand side,
00:20:56into Koon, he delivered into the middle.
00:20:58Celtic come again, Weiss with the
00:21:00challenge on, Johnson, referee says
00:21:02no foul that time, but he'll need to
00:21:04be careful, Weiss, because...
00:21:06Oh, and Johnson's been taken out again,
00:21:08this time the referee says get up,
00:21:10no foul, well, I can tell you what,
00:21:1260,000 people here disagree with that decision.
00:21:15Well, I'm telling you, I was going to
00:21:17say Weiss needs to calm down, but he
00:21:19can keep going like that if he wants,
00:21:21cos he's going to get sent off.
00:21:23Look at that move, fantastic, ball in
00:21:25on the left foot from Koon.
00:21:27And he took it so well.
00:21:29Kiyoko took it brilliantly, composed
00:21:31himself, tried to slot it by the keeper,
00:21:33I think saved it with his feet.
00:21:36But yeah, we probably should be sitting
00:21:38here for two now at least.
00:21:40Well, that really would have lifted
00:21:42the roof off this place, and it would
00:21:44have been no more than Celtic deserve,
00:21:46that's really got the crowd going now,
00:21:48they've got a goal, they've nearly got
00:21:50two, they've got a villain as well.
00:21:53As I said, if he keeps going on like
00:21:55that, he's going off the park.
00:21:57Well, the referee let him away with a
00:21:59booking, he let him away with a foul
00:22:01after it, but I'm pretty sure he won't
00:22:03be getting let away with too many more
00:22:05Vladimir Weisses on a shaky peg.
00:22:07Problem is, he's working down this
00:22:09left-hand side, the legs of Johnston
00:22:11and Koon will get away from him all
00:22:13night as Kiyoko makes a great run here.
00:22:15Another long ball, Kiyoko over the top,
00:22:17just too far ahead of Kiyoko,
00:22:19Xhaka is going to be a busy goalkeeper
00:22:21tonight.
00:22:23Celtic, after all of this pressure,
00:22:26have got the lead.
00:22:28Great delivery from Arne Engels with
00:22:30that corner.
00:22:32And a great glancing header from Scales,
00:22:35he's so often the main aerial threat
00:22:38for Celtic when it comes to set-pieces.
00:22:40Already got a goal in the opening game
00:22:42here against Komarnok.
00:22:44And a Champions League goal for Liam
00:22:46Scales, well, that's a career highlight
00:22:50for the Irishman.
00:22:52Yeah, fantastic header.
00:22:54Great delivery, he's bulleted it in
00:22:56straight into the key part and it's
00:22:58gone into the roof of the net.
00:23:00And now Celtic really feel as if they've
00:23:02got Bratislava where they want them
00:23:04and they want to capitalise with more
00:23:06chances on goal and perhaps more goals
00:23:08as Alan McGregor goes in and tries to
00:23:10break up that play.
00:23:12Tolisic has it, lays that one in to Kuczka.
00:23:16Long, high ball to Price who's in the
00:23:19area here, but...
00:23:21Well, did he manage to control that
00:23:23before it went out? I think the referee's
00:23:25given a goal kick.
00:23:27Attempted to control that with his
00:23:29right foot but instead played it behind
00:23:31for a Celtic goal kick.
00:23:34Yeah, it looked an awkward way of
00:23:36thinking he'd try and maybe knock it in
00:23:38with the left foot, but as you say,
00:23:40tried to control it with the right,
00:23:42miscontrolled it.
00:23:45So if you didn't know already, it's a
00:23:47father and son combo for Slovan Bratislava.
00:23:49Manager, Wladimir Weiss,
00:23:51captain, son.
00:23:53I think the father was actually giving him
00:23:55a dressing down after the booking, yeah.
00:23:57Came right out the dog out, wasn't too happy.
00:24:00Yeah, it'll be straight to bed
00:24:03for young Wladimir tonight.
00:24:05Wladimir the player is actually the
00:24:07third generation because Wladimir the
00:24:09manager is the second, his father played
00:24:11for Czechoslovakia as well and he was
00:24:13Wladimir Weiss.
00:24:16Runs in the family, but of course,
00:24:18former Rangers player, makes him the
00:24:20villain of this piece as he goes down
00:24:22under the challenge of Alistair Johnson
00:24:24and now there's going to be another yellow card
00:24:26and it's going to be Celtic's right back
00:24:28who's in the book.
00:24:30He seemed to point at two different areas
00:24:32as if that wasn't the first challenge
00:24:34that he had made, so Johnson has got
00:24:36his arms out pleading innocence.
00:24:38The manager, Brendan Rodgers,
00:24:40I think he's fuming.
00:24:42He's wanting to have words with Arne Engels
00:24:46about something.
00:24:49Yeah, I think Alistair Johnson might have
00:24:51caught Weiss after the initial foul.
00:24:53Wimmer went through the back of Kuhn.
00:24:57The manager's adding a little bit of
00:24:59information on to Engels.
00:25:02Well, everybody's getting emotional about
00:25:04the challenge and the booking, the manager's
00:25:06thinking tactics and he's speaking to Arne Engels
00:25:08about what he wants him to do on the pitch.
00:25:10Here was me thinking he was shouting at the referee.
00:25:12He was trying to get Arne Engels over for some coaching.
00:25:14A bit of information, yeah.
00:25:18I think he's actually asked...
00:25:20Oh, he's given the free kick to Celtic.
00:25:22Yeah, the initial free kick, I think,
00:25:24was Wimmer through Kuhn,
00:25:26but as the play went on a couple of seconds
00:25:28after the free kick, I think Johnson
00:25:30caught Weiss.
00:25:31So that's Alistair Johnson and Vladimir Weiss
00:25:33both on yellow cards and they're both up
00:25:35against each other, it's a little personal battle.
00:25:37And Wimmer, who's also on this left-hand side.
00:25:39So it's all happening down this left-hand side
00:25:41in terms of action.
00:25:45And yellow cards, Scales tries to play that one
00:25:47down through to it, dies on the aid up,
00:25:49it's cut out and away comes Berseguian
00:25:51down this right-hand side, he's tracked
00:25:53all the way by Greg Taylor, who gets a leg in
00:25:55and wins it back for Celtic, combines well
00:25:57with Callum McGregor, nifty little bit of footwork
00:25:59there from Greg Taylor.
00:26:01And Liam Scales now gives it to Hatate.
00:26:06Celtic trying to push up the pitch,
00:26:08but that pass there from Cameron Carter-Vickers
00:26:10towards Alistair Johnson was cut out by Weiss.
00:26:13But that's great teamwork as Nicholas Kuhn
00:26:15came back to help out and win the ball back for Celtic.
00:26:18Yeah, it's been the theme of this first 23 minutes,
00:26:20when we do give it away on the odd occasion,
00:26:22how quick they are to go and retrieve it.
00:26:24Kuhn helping Johnson there.
00:26:32Engels on the right-hand side.
00:26:35Back to Johnson.
00:26:39The manager again, screaming instructions
00:26:41from his technical area, trying to get his team
00:26:43further up the pitch.
00:26:45Carter-Vickers, under a bit of pressure,
00:26:47finds Johnson.
00:26:49Over the halfway line, Alistair Johnson to his right
00:26:51is Engels.
00:26:53Now Johnson.
00:26:56Crosses, headed away,
00:26:58taken down on the knee by Engels,
00:27:00lovely, beautiful control
00:27:02from the Belgian international.
00:27:05He's got a calm head.
00:27:07For 21, he's got a calm head,
00:27:09assured, just to pull that out there.
00:27:13I think the manager will be trying to encourage Celtic
00:27:15to keep going, because we really should be
00:27:17just another goal up.
00:27:19Yeah, and I think he's trying to get Celtic
00:27:21in a situation where they can keep the pressure on,
00:27:23because he thinks this one could be there
00:27:25for the taking right now.
00:27:27Taylor, lays it back to Hatate, back to Engels,
00:27:29what a shot!
00:27:31That stung the goalkeepers.
00:27:33The cross comes in, and no takers
00:27:35in a green and white jersey.
00:27:37That goal is living a charmed life now,
00:27:39as the away side get a free kick,
00:27:41much to the dismay of the home supporters,
00:27:43but that was a fizzing shot from Engels.
00:27:45It certainly was, Hatate just rolled it to him,
00:27:47said, on you go.
00:27:49Again, it was right down the throat of the keeper,
00:27:51he managed to parry it away with two hands.
00:27:54And then it came across the face of the goal,
00:27:56I think it was Koon trying to get on the end of it.
00:27:59Celtic are very much on top here.
00:28:03Yeah, he almost hit that one too well.
00:28:05Caught it sweet, yeah.
00:28:07And with such power as well,
00:28:09Engels, Celtic, well on top here.
00:28:12Perhaps, could, should be...
00:28:16Another goal or two ahead.
00:28:19Free kick to Slovan Bratislava,
00:28:21in the middle of the pitch,
00:28:23Kasia out wide,
00:28:25now here's Persegui
00:28:27trying to play it into...
00:28:30Another late tackle.
00:28:32It is a late tackle,
00:28:34and it's another yellow card
00:28:36going to Bratislava,
00:28:38and this time it's their number 10,
00:28:40Marko Tolic, who goes in the book for the late challenge.
00:28:43On Engels again,
00:28:45who read the play, just nicked it in front of him,
00:28:47rode the tackle in the end,
00:28:49but it was a late one.
00:28:51Thankfully he's OK, but he seems to be getting targeted.
00:28:54By the Bratislava players.
00:28:59Celtic's record signing,
00:29:01showing why a misplaced pass there by Craig Taylor
00:29:04gives the ball back to the opposition.
00:29:06Celtic will now use that defensive mentality
00:29:09to press and win the ball back,
00:29:11none more so than Maeda,
00:29:13but Blackman gets the better of him down that right-hand side,
00:29:15Maeda with a sliding tackle
00:29:17prevents the cross,
00:29:19but it results in a corner to Slovan Bratislava.
00:29:22We are now 26, nearly 27 minutes in,
00:29:25and thanks to Liam Schales' header,
00:29:27in the 17th minute,
00:29:29it is Celtic 1-0 Slovan Bratislava.
00:29:33On the away side with a corner,
00:29:35over goes Derseghiant to swing this one in with his left foot.
00:29:40There is an option for a short corner there as well.
00:29:44I think he'll take that.
00:29:46He does indeed, but he gets the return now,
00:29:48more of an angle for the cross,
00:29:50with the cross straight into McGregor.
00:29:52Now the ball's there to be won on the edge of the area,
00:29:54too many dark blue jerseys,
00:29:56and now Weiss and Celtic try and come out.
00:29:59The defensive area, great touch there from Cameron Carter-Vickers,
00:30:03but now the pass there from Kuhn is loose,
00:30:05but picked up by Taylor,
00:30:07space in the middle of the park now for Carter-Vickers,
00:30:10Rio Hattati now in that left-back position,
00:30:12waits for support...
00:30:15Gets that one to Carter-Vickers instead.
00:30:18It's not a bad decision, just to start the play again.
00:30:23Scales now.
00:30:26Matas Lara back in their defensive shape,
00:30:29as Alistair Johnson gives it out wide to Nicholas Kuhn,
00:30:32one of the players that can make things happen for Celtic
00:30:36inside the short passes.
00:30:38McGregor now, Taylor in that central midfield area,
00:30:41gives it back to his captain,
00:30:43who picks out Hattati, 30 yards from goal.
00:30:45Hattati now, edge of the area,
00:30:47Greg Taylor, shot deflected.
00:30:50I thought it was deflected, but it's a goal kick.
00:30:52I think he's trying to pass that there,
00:30:54Hattati found him brilliantly.
00:30:56Again, Greg Taylor picking up some really good positions.
00:30:59I think he tried to reverse it,
00:31:01maybe to Kyogo or Kuhn on his right-hand side.
00:31:04I know this is all by design,
00:31:06but these players are ending up in areas
00:31:08that technically they shouldn't end up in,
00:31:10but they're there, and they should,
00:31:12and they're in the right place at the right time.
00:31:14I think it causes mayhem for the opponents,
00:31:16so much flexibility, but at the same time
00:31:18there's so much understanding.
00:31:20I think he just tried to reverse that one
00:31:22and he ties it into Kyogo.
00:31:25He's got a little bit too much on it.
00:31:27Well, Takacs did nothing with the goal kick,
00:31:29straight out of play, so Celtic will come again
00:31:31and work it out from the back.
00:31:33Here's Cameron and Carter-Vickers.
00:31:37To William Scales, Hattati,
00:31:39back to Carter-Vickers.
00:31:41Celtic very dominant inside this opening half-hour.
00:31:48Not without a couple of scares, though.
00:31:52Just to guard against any complacency,
00:31:54but Celtic with at least three very good chances in front of goal,
00:31:57and that's on top of the one they've scored already.
00:32:00Hattati goes down looking for a free-kick,
00:32:02but play goes on, ball's out on the far side,
00:32:04throw to Bratislava, midway inside the Celtic half.
00:32:11Blackman the right-back,
00:32:13now launched upfield over the halfway line,
00:32:15it's a bit of a hit and hope.
00:32:17Carter-Vickers under that one,
00:32:19Seguin now, Tolic is supported by Weiss,
00:32:22it's a great chance for Bratislava,
00:32:24oh, he's tried to wait, why did he wait?
00:32:27He had the goal at his mercy, just the goalkeeper to beat,
00:32:30I don't think he fancied it on his left foot.
00:32:32I think he should have taken the chance straight away,
00:32:34and I think thankfully for us he didn't,
00:32:36he chose to wait, it gave the defenders opportunity
00:32:38to get back and block it.
00:32:40A dangerous break, and I think that's the only thing,
00:32:43again, we talk about it at this level,
00:32:45we've been so on top,
00:32:47we just want another goal in that scoreline.
00:32:51A couple of times we've looked really sharp on the break.
00:32:54Yeah, Strelic combining well there with Tolic,
00:32:57and then the ball ended at the feet of Vladimir Weiss.
00:33:00He just had the goalkeeper to beat if he wanted to,
00:33:03but he decided to cut back in,
00:33:05and when he did there were three Celtic players there
00:33:07waiting to block the shot.
00:33:09He'll do a throw-in on the far side, though.
00:33:12Oh, look at this.
00:33:16Decided to go defensive with it.
00:33:19All the way back to the goalkeeper,
00:33:21who now launches it.
00:33:23No way outfield, Carter Vickers with his eye on that one,
00:33:26great header from the Celtic defender.
00:33:28Now the ball's there to be won.
00:33:30Kept in.
00:33:33On this near side, and it's gone out now.
00:33:35It came off Kevin Wimmer last.
00:33:38Celtic with a quick throw-in, 31 minutes gone,
00:33:40Celtic 1-0 Slovan Bratislava.
00:33:43Celtic looking for an opening day Champions League win.
00:33:46For the first time in 13 attempts, Celtic have lost 10
00:33:49and drawn two of their last Champions League openers.
00:33:54Brendan Rodgers speaks about how he came back to the club
00:33:58to try and make a mark in Europe,
00:34:00and take this club forward.
00:34:03And he's certainly looking like doing that
00:34:05with the display in the opening 30 minutes tonight.
00:34:07Hatati now, inside to Engels.
00:34:10Back to the goalscorer, Scales.
00:34:13Leaves that one for McGregor.
00:34:17Every Slovan Bratislava player just standing off the ball,
00:34:20happy to give Celtic possession.
00:34:22Midway inside their own half.
00:34:26Celtic trying to work their magic and find their way through
00:34:29this very compact Slovakian defence.
00:34:33Cameron Carter Vickers now out to Kuhn.
00:34:37Now McGregor, as the Celtic supporters try and help the team on their way.
00:34:43Carter Vickers again, Celtic playing the ball around at the back,
00:34:47waiting for the opening to appear.
00:34:51Scales, through the middle to Engels.
00:34:55Back to Carter Vickers.
00:35:02Short pass to McGregor, back to Carter Vickers, now Scales.
00:35:08Maeda now on the left, supported by Taylor,
00:35:11allows the decoy run inside.
00:35:14McGregor now, Taylor.
00:35:17Celtic, a lot of possession,
00:35:19but not managing to make any great inroads yet to this defence.
00:35:24It's quite congested there, it's almost the pattern of a league game at the moment.
00:35:30Obviously they have a threat that maybe some of the teams in our division
00:35:35don't going forward, but it's patient, just looking for the opening.
00:35:40Yeah, gotta be careful at losing possession at this level though,
00:35:43and getting caught out with the counter-attack,
00:35:45but Celtic keeping possession well, Maeda has it on the left.
00:35:48Nice bit of movement there for Taylor, now Celtic have lost it.
00:35:51This is where they need to get back in their defensive shape,
00:35:53but they've won it back quickly.
00:35:54Hattati inside, and Keogh goes blazing over the bar from seven yards.
00:35:58He took it first time on his left foot, he looks to the skies,
00:36:02he knows he should have done better by his high standards.
00:36:05It was another great opportunity for Celtic to double their lead.
00:36:10It certainly was, and you almost look as dangerous when you lose the ball,
00:36:14Maeda wins it back so quickly, steals it off the right back.
00:36:19I think I'm going to give him a little bit of a...
00:36:22almost a defender, I think it was maybe slightly behind him
00:36:26as he tried to scoop it towards goal.
00:36:29Another good chance.
00:36:30No, Celtic will create more chances, of that there is no doubt.
00:36:34I really hope these chances don't come back to haunt them at some point.
00:36:38This is still Champions League level,
00:36:40does Bratislava have it now in defence with Guram Kashyap?
00:36:43Plays it out wide right to Cesar Blackman,
00:36:46takes a return pass, checks back.
00:36:51Long cross-field ball, looking for Weiss,
00:36:53it's cut out by Johnson.
00:36:55Wimmer under that one, Johnson picks up, back to Engels.
00:36:59Carter-Vickers.
00:37:02All the way back to Kasper Schmeichel.
00:37:08It's unusual to get so many clear-cut chances at this top table of European football.
00:37:15Fortunately Celtic have managed to take one.
00:37:18Ironically it wasn't one of the easiest chances they took,
00:37:21but they are ahead, and they've won the ball back here.
00:37:25Engels trying to play the quick pass to Hatate, didn't quite come off.
00:37:29Ball's there to be won in the middle of the park,
00:37:31back comes Kuhn, really well, helping his team defensively.
00:37:36McGregor back to Scales, Celtic will push on and attack once more,
00:37:40with ten minutes to half-time.
00:37:45Scales looking for a bit of movement.
00:37:48Hatate, supported by Taylor, waits again.
00:37:55Scales, McGregor, Scales, Hatate.
00:37:59Inside, Engels, back to Hatate.
00:38:04It's very precise, and it has to be, because it's a very congested half.
00:38:12Bratislava happy to give Celtic possession,
00:38:15and just try and catch them on the counter-attack if ever a move breaks down.
00:38:19Scales now out to Maeda, quickly closed down by Blackman,
00:38:22Maeda cuts inside, no real options for the Japanese,
00:38:26so lays that one back to Callum McGregor,
00:38:28who in turn gives it to Cameron Carter-Vickers in the centre circle.
00:38:36To his right-hand side is Alistair Johnson.
00:38:39Engels now on the right, over the top of the defender,
00:38:42looking for Kuhn, ball breaks back, Weiss gets there ahead of Johnson.
00:38:46And now it's down deep in that corner flag, Weiss does well to find a team-mate.
00:38:52And now it's Bratislava who are trying to get away from the Celtic press,
00:38:56but they don't manage it, and Celtic pick the ball up inside the opposition half.
00:39:00Ademir Weiss, the manager, is not happy.
00:39:04And his team are giving up possession so easily.
00:39:08They're the team chasing the game, they're the ones behind.
00:39:11Here's Scales, the scorer.
00:39:13Hatate now.
00:39:17Across to Carter-Vickers.
00:39:23Well, the possession in the last five minutes must be close to 90 per cent,
00:39:26Celtic as Johnson finds Kuhn.
00:39:28Kuhn trying to play that ball to Engels,
00:39:30it's that final pass that Celtic need to make that sometimes doesn't quite come off,
00:39:34but they have a throw-in.
00:39:36Yes, as I say, it's very reminiscent, we watch in the league with Celtic,
00:39:41a lot of the possession here,
00:39:43the last pass is the most important,
00:39:46Engels just tried to clip one there, a little bit different to Kuhn.
00:39:50Just something like that, a little bit special, a little bit different.
00:39:54That's what's needed at the moment, to get that second goal.
00:40:00Scales has it, over the halfway line.
00:40:03Maeda now, quickly closed down by Blackman.
00:40:07Goes down, claims for a free kick, nothing given, Scales has it again.
00:40:11Back to Carter-Vickers.
00:40:14And now Alistair Johnson.
00:40:17Forward to Kiyoko.
00:40:20Cut out that time off Kuczka,
00:40:22and back into the arms of Dominic Takacs.
00:40:26And the Bratislava goal.
00:40:31Long ball forward again,
00:40:33Bratislava really not trying to do anything with the ball,
00:40:36just long balls forward, whether it's the defender or the goalkeeper.
00:40:41They've got a lot of defending the ball to do.
00:40:43Yeah, they're giving it back too easily,
00:40:45as you say, that would frustrate their manager.
00:40:47Now Hatati's found a little bit of space in between the lines,
00:40:49what can he do here?
00:40:51Tries to lay that one forward to Kiyoko,
00:40:53just didn't get a lot of contact on the ball.
00:40:55McGregor goes in.
00:40:57Bratislava player goes down,
00:40:59feels the slightest bit of contact, goes down,
00:41:01referee buys it, free kick.
00:41:08Yeah, any sort of pressure on that back line,
00:41:11quite happy to go along with it and give the possession back to Celtic,
00:41:14but we're just looking for a wee bit of magic.
00:41:22Bratislava go short that time forward by Tolic,
00:41:25trying to create an overload,
00:41:27well, they've got a free kick just inside the Celtic half on that far side,
00:41:31so they have advanced at least into the opposition half,
00:41:35so we'll give them that.
00:41:3839 minutes gone, Celtic 1-0.
00:41:41Bratislava 0-0.
00:41:43The goalscorer, Liam Scales, but chances for Dijon Maida.
00:41:48And Kiyoko could have given Celtic a much bigger cushion
00:41:53as we head towards half-time.
00:41:56But the fans will be happy with what they've seen,
00:41:58Simon Donnelly at the Belfry.
00:42:00There's been some really good football, as you say,
00:42:0240 minutes on the clock,
00:42:04three or four other really good chances outwith the goal,
00:42:07there's been some really good play going forward.
00:42:10Last 10 minutes, the Bratislava team have liked to just sit in
00:42:14and make it a wee bit difficult for us,
00:42:16but we've popped it about very calmly here in our own box,
00:42:20just trying to get ourselves going again,
00:42:22but it's been a good performance, the 40 minutes have been really good.
00:42:25Yeah, Celtic breaking the press really well there,
00:42:28looking like a real top European side playing the ball out of defence.
00:42:31Maida now...
00:42:33Well, the free kick's gone to Blackman,
00:42:36who I'm not sure that was a foul,
00:42:38he then landed on top of the ball and essentially saved the ball,
00:42:42but instead of giving a free kick for handball,
00:42:44the referee gives a free kick Bratislava's way,
00:42:47but as has been so often the case within a few seconds,
00:42:50Celtic have the ball back.
00:42:55Scales now.
00:42:59I'm not quite sure what this tactic is meant to achieve for Bratislava,
00:43:04I can understand that if they're a goal ahead
00:43:06and they're now trying to defend their lead,
00:43:08but they're a goal behind, what does this achieve?
00:43:11Well, nothing at the moment,
00:43:13I'd say maybe with the 3 or 4 chances that Celtic created,
00:43:16they've just went back into a more rigid shape,
00:43:20just trying to frustrate at the moment.
00:43:22Well, Celtic certainly egging Celtic and almost teasing them to come forward,
00:43:27Kuhn now cutting in from this right-hand side,
00:43:30perhaps he could have checked back to his left like he so often does,
00:43:33went for the pass, it's cut out by Weiss now.
00:43:37Nowhere really to go for Weiss,
00:43:39he'll have to try and break this press,
00:43:41it falls forward to Strelets,
00:43:43but up against the fridge from Cameron Carter-Vickers.
00:43:46It's not often that you come off the better of a challenge like that,
00:43:50so Celtic have the ball back again with Liam Scales in the centre circle.
00:43:58Kuhn perhaps just taking the wrong option there.
00:44:00Yeah, he just tried to slide it to the outside of his left foot,
00:44:02which you'll see him making those passes,
00:44:04he just tried to play it, Alistair Johnson had went inside him.
00:44:08I actually think sometimes when we're retrieving the ball,
00:44:11we look at a threat, catching them on the hop,
00:44:15because they don't look good in position.
00:44:17Any sort of pressure on him as Kiyoko picks up a good area here.
00:44:20Kiyoko's come deep now, Engels, edge of the area,
00:44:22sides that one to Kuhn, what will Kuhn do?
00:44:25He's back onto the left foot, cross to the back post,
00:44:28and that's Maeda there.
00:44:30Really stretching with that one, he's never going to get much punches on that head.
00:44:34And as easily it goes over the bar.
00:44:36I think Kuhn was intending Hattati behind him, he signalled there.
00:44:41That's Maeda got between the two, trying to take the ball out the air.
00:44:44I think he was trying to pick Hattati out.
00:44:46So about two and a half minutes or so of the first half,
00:44:57Romanian excel at one, Sloban Bratislava at nil,
00:45:00William Schales, 17th minute, header.
00:45:03The difference between the sides when it comes to the scoring line,
00:45:07but in truth the difference between the sides has been pretty big
00:45:12when it comes to chances and possession and real desire to get forward,
00:45:16it's been all Celtic.
00:45:18The only disappointing factor is that despite chances, and good chances at that,
00:45:23Celtic are only 1-0 ahead.
00:45:29Can they get more chances before the half-time whistle sounds?
00:45:32Carter Vickers now out to Alistair Johnson.
00:45:35Weiss with him, he goes down, Weiss comes away with it,
00:45:38the referee's whistle goes and Celtic will have the free kick.
00:45:44Well, Vladimir Weiss is enjoying being the villain out there.
00:45:47Yeah, he's having a good tussle with Alistair Johnson.
00:45:50He's not shy of a tackle either, likes competition.
00:45:58Celtic under a bit of pressure there in defence, but...
00:46:02Carter Vickers and Scales and Schmeichel,
00:46:07showing the composure needed at this level.
00:46:13And now Schmeichel, Scales comes away with it,
00:46:16Kiyoko lays that off almost perfectly to Arne Engels.
00:46:21Weiss picks up but he's quickly closed down,
00:46:23that's great play from Engels.
00:46:25Now Celtic have got men forward, Engels,
00:46:28Hatate lays it back, but the pass was blocked.
00:46:31Engels now to Johnson, who goes down, free kick to Celtic,
00:46:34in a great position on this right-hand side,
00:46:36but once again the quality, Engels playing ahead of his years.
00:46:42Yeah, and it's the pressure round about,
00:46:46the opponent winning the ball back, the transition,
00:46:49that's where we looked dangerous at times,
00:46:51a quick turnover, suddenly we're away on the right-hand side again,
00:46:54their spaces open up, it was Hatate this time,
00:46:57it came back out to Alistair Johnson who won the fill,
00:47:00I think when they turn over possession they look really dangerous,
00:47:04there seems to be a wee bit more space.
00:47:07I tell you what, I've been so impressed with Arne Engels,
00:47:10he's going to be involved in so many goals for Celtic,
00:47:13whether it's assists or goals,
00:47:16he just wants on the ball, he's going to be taking this free kick,
00:47:20coon the dummy, and it comes from Engels,
00:47:23and of course it's his worst free kick yet.
00:47:26Just a little bit too low that one.
00:47:28You topped him up.
00:47:30But he's been excellent this first half.
00:47:34Johnson with a strong header, but no takers there as we head towards...
00:47:38One additional minute and it's gone out, Celtic looking to take this throw in quickly,
00:47:42looking to carve out one more opportunity,
00:47:45but Alistair Johnson's stolen a few yards there,
00:47:48so check back, Johnson has it now,
00:47:51can Celtic carve out one more chance before the half-time whistle sounds?
00:47:54Engels down to coon, tried to back-heel that one into the path of Johnson,
00:47:58but it didn't quite come off, and Bratislava will clear it upfield.
00:48:02Forward by Wimmer, Strelets can't keep that one in, but he's won the throw.
00:48:08This one looking like it's over for the 45.
00:48:12It's been all Celtic, you have to say,
00:48:15Bratislava have had one or two kind of half-chances,
00:48:20but Celtic, the clear winners when it comes to not just goals,
00:48:24but chances, effort, desire,
00:48:27the manager will be very happy with all of that.
00:48:32Just perhaps, I know it's a good problem to have,
00:48:36but being disappointed at only being one mil ahead?
00:48:41Yeah, I don't...
00:48:43It's the half-time whistle, I know what you're saying, Gerry,
00:48:46it's been a fantastic 45,
00:48:48again, just European football,
00:48:50as you say, you hope the misses don't come back to bite you later on,
00:48:54but fantastic effort, well-worked goal,
00:48:56some really good play, Engels in the middle of the park,
00:48:59the team look really fluid and exciting to watch.
00:49:02And unless Slovan Bratislava and Simon have got a plan B
00:49:05that's gonna get them up the pitch,
00:49:07you imagine Celtic are gonna carve out many more chances in this second half.
00:49:11Yeah, I think so, and we've got a bit of artillery on the bench as well,
00:49:15we can look to switch it up should we need to,
00:49:19but a really decent performance in that 45,
00:49:22and it's a good reflection of how well the team have played,
00:49:26the fact that we're complaining it's only one mil in the Champions League.
00:49:29I mean it in the best possible way,
00:49:31because Celtic have been absolutely superb that first half,
00:49:34I'm sure the manager will be going through a lot of tactical feedback
00:49:38in the dressing room at half-time,
00:49:41because certainly whatever he's telling the players is working,
00:49:44they are carving out the opportunities,
00:49:46cannot wait for what should be a really exciting second 45,
00:49:50as we catch up with the latest edition of the Celtic FC official podcast
00:49:54with Matthew Campbell at half-time here at Celtic Park,
00:49:57it is Celtic 1-0 Slovan Bratislava.
00:50:01MUSIC
00:50:10Coming up on the official Celtic FC podcast,
00:50:14Scottish screenwriter Danny McCann speaks about his film and TV career,
00:50:19his latest project, and his love for Celtic.
00:50:23MUSIC
00:50:29Hello and welcome to the official Celtic FC podcast,
00:50:34it's the official podcast of the Champions,
00:50:37and of course on this podcast we love to talk all things Celtic,
00:50:41all things football, but we also love chatting to Celtic supporters
00:50:46who work in other fields as well,
00:50:48and today I'm absolutely delighted to be joined by award-winning film
00:50:53and TV script writer Danny McCann,
00:50:56and Danny we're going to get a wee chat throughout this podcast
00:51:00about your career, your upcoming and recent projects,
00:51:05and also going to chat a wee bit about the fact that you used to work here
00:51:08for Celtic as well, but you've worked on some massive TV shows,
00:51:12I'm looking at this list here, Casualty, Emmerdale, Taggart, River City,
00:51:16they're all household names, shows that everybody will know,
00:51:20but your latest short film, Heartache Souvenirs,
00:51:23had its premiere on Friday night,
00:51:25so we'll get a wee chat about that as well,
00:51:27but thank you very much Danny for coming in.
00:51:29Absolute pleasure, any time to come to Paradise.
00:51:32It's wonderful, we've got this wonderful set studio here
00:51:35with this wonderful background,
00:51:37when I came down to meet you downstairs in the reception
00:51:39you were chatting away to William McStay,
00:51:41who's another good Celtic man,
00:51:44it's just a thrill isn't it to come in to this place,
00:51:46come and walk up the tunnel and so on.
00:51:48It's fantastic, when I come in there and parked,
00:51:51I parked where my office used to be,
00:51:53where the old school was, we had a wee building behind that,
00:51:56and it was great meeting Willie, as I said there,
00:51:58he's my second favourite ever Celtic right back,
00:52:01but that was only because Anton Rogan was in the building.
00:52:04We'll chat a wee bit about this in terms of the work that you used to do here,
00:52:08you used to work for the Celtic View back in the 1980s,
00:52:12we'll get a wee chat about what that was like,
00:52:14but coming closer looking at your career,
00:52:18your script writing career,
00:52:20you've written for a whole number of TV shows through the years,
00:52:25lots of film credits in there as well,
00:52:27but I'm just wondering, take us back to the start,
00:52:30how did you start getting interested in writing scripts?
00:52:35Well, I had always told people I was a writer,
00:52:39but I'd never written anything,
00:52:41that way I'm a writer,
00:52:42and the closest I got to writing was standing in pubs telling people stories,
00:52:47and one of the other guys who used to stand in the same pubs as me
00:52:51and tell stories was Peter MacDougall,
00:52:53the great Scottish screenwriter,
00:52:55and so I tried to come up with stories that were better than Peter's,
00:52:59it was impossible, couldn't do it,
00:53:01but then the truth is that my son was born when I was 30 years old,
00:53:06and I was sitting watching TV with him in my lap one day,
00:53:09and Hillsborough disaster happened,
00:53:11and I thought, there's so much going on in this world,
00:53:16I need to get things done now,
00:53:18so I started writing,
00:53:19and I wrote a script,
00:53:20I took five days in my arrogance to write a feature length script
00:53:24and sent it to BBC Scotland,
00:53:26and as luck would have it,
00:53:28a wonderful woman there called Julie Fraser read it,
00:53:31and she phoned me up and basically said,
00:53:33Danny, this is rubbish,
00:53:34but we think you might have something,
00:53:36so that started me off on a whole track,
00:53:38met Julie and ended up doing a couple of courses
00:53:40with the 784 Theatre Company,
00:53:42then the Traverse Theatre,
00:53:44did a couple of stage plays,
00:53:46and that got a wee bit of attention,
00:53:48then did my first short film,
00:53:51I think called A Small Deposit,
00:53:53which was BAFTA nominated,
00:53:55came second in the BAFTAs to Peter Capaldi's film,
00:53:58which won an Oscar,
00:53:59so I always think,
00:54:01if Peter hadn't done that film that year,
00:54:03we might have had an Oscar,
00:54:04but through that I got an agent,
00:54:06and then got into television,
00:54:07and it just kind of went on from there.
00:54:09It's interesting,
00:54:10I was going to ask,
00:54:11can you remember the first script that you wrote,
00:54:13and it's hard to say,
00:54:14do you remember the first thing that you wrote,
00:54:15because even if you're at school,
00:54:17you're writing stories and stuff like that,
00:54:19but you're saying that first script,
00:54:20I'm interested in that moment though,
00:54:22you're sitting,
00:54:23this is 1989,
00:54:25the Hillsborough disaster happens,
00:54:27it's a real tragic moment,
00:54:31but that was enough to just spur you to think,
00:54:33I need to do something here?
00:54:35Well, 96 or 97 people went out to watch football that morning,
00:54:39like I did most other Saturdays,
00:54:41and didn't go home,
00:54:42and it just makes you think,
00:54:44there's no time like now,
00:54:46and it was a case of,
00:54:50what do you really want to do with your life?
00:54:52And I had started a family,
00:54:53and I thought,
00:54:54how can I really provide for my family,
00:54:56and both of those came together,
00:54:58and I wrote,
00:54:59as I said,
00:55:00that thing that I wrote and sent to BBC Scotland
00:55:02was called The Big Man,
00:55:04and very much like heartache souvenirs,
00:55:07which you have seen now,
00:55:09it was about a guy coming back to his hometown,
00:55:11and things had changed,
00:55:13and that was that,
00:55:14I just thought,
00:55:15because I've lived in Greenock almost my entire life,
00:55:18a wee spell in Dundee,
00:55:20and an even shorter spell in London,
00:55:22but Greenock's always been home to me,
00:55:24but Greenock's one of these places that people say,
00:55:27you need to leave to get on in life,
00:55:29and I don't necessarily believe that,
00:55:31and I keep writing things that proves,
00:55:33or trying to prove,
00:55:34you don't need to leave Greenock,
00:55:35I'm not saying that I'm the example,
00:55:37but the characters in the things that I write
00:55:39are the examples.
00:55:40Well that's interesting,
00:55:41we'll talk about heartache souvenirs,
00:55:43it's obviously set in your hometown,
00:55:45and we'll chat a wee bit about that idea,
00:55:47about you sort of write,
00:55:48you hear this cliche banded around a lot of times,
00:55:51write about what you know,
00:55:52but certainly in terms of where it's set,
00:55:54location wise,
00:55:55it's set in your hometown,
00:55:57we'll come back to that in terms of the heartache souvenirs,
00:56:00because it's an interesting topic of conversation,
00:56:03the film has only just been released,
00:56:06the last couple of days,
00:56:07and it's receiving a lot of good feedback,
00:56:09but going back to those early days in your career,
00:56:13like I say,
00:56:14when I'm looking through your IMDB page,
00:56:16that's when you know you're big time,
00:56:18you've got the IMDB page,
00:56:19that's when you know,
00:56:20looking at the credits,
00:56:22Taggart, Emmerdale, Casualty, River City,
00:56:25these are obviously all programmes,
00:56:27which are staples of evening viewing in this country,
00:56:34how does that come about?
00:56:36Are you writing off your own back,
00:56:38coming up with episode ideas,
00:56:39or are people coming to you from these shows,
00:56:42and requesting you to write specific episodes?
00:56:45Well, it's kind of mixed,
00:56:47it's a mix really,
00:56:48like to go way back to the very start,
00:56:50I wrote on a series for Sky called Dream Team,
00:56:54and it was about,
00:56:55was that Harchester?
00:56:56Oh, Harchester United, aye.
00:56:57Aye, so.
00:56:58That was a fantastic programme by the way.
00:57:00So that was,
00:57:01I think that was my first TV writing job,
00:57:03that was just before I did the Taggart thing,
00:57:05but I had a good agent,
00:57:07that was the thing,
00:57:08I was with,
00:57:09actually,
00:57:11when I first got my,
00:57:12my first agent was a woman called Sheila Lemon,
00:57:14who was a legend from ATV days,
00:57:17way back in the 60s,
00:57:18she was a legend in the television industry,
00:57:20I remember a producer at BBC Scotland saying,
00:57:22how did you get her as an agent?
00:57:24Right,
00:57:25and it was basically based on a couple of scripts I had sent her,
00:57:28and the fact that we had done well with A Small Deposit,
00:57:32and through her,
00:57:34Sky were looking for people who could write drama
00:57:36and knew a wee bit about football,
00:57:38so I ended up on Dream Team,
00:57:40and loved it.
00:57:41Were you working on that the entire time that was on then?
00:57:44No, I was on the very first year of it,
00:57:46I wrote,
00:57:47I can't remember how many episodes of it I wrote,
00:57:49but I wrote a few episodes that first year,
00:57:51but being a novice to television,
00:57:53when I then got the opportunity to write for Taggart,
00:57:57I gave up Dream Team,
00:57:59I didn't know you could be doing two at the same time,
00:58:01so I went away and I did,
00:58:03that was a feature length Taggart,
00:58:06and that was,
00:58:07aye, I mean,
00:58:0890s,
00:58:09and I did that,
00:58:10and thought,
00:58:11I sat back and thought,
00:58:12and it got the roses in the Sunday Mail,
00:58:14I thought,
00:58:15I've made it here,
00:58:16so I sat back thinking,
00:58:17I've got a TV career,
00:58:18but Taggart never phoned me again,
00:58:19so I ended up then just,
00:58:22I did another couple of sort of theatre things,
00:58:24just to keep,
00:58:25well, not just to keep my hand in,
00:58:26to get the stories out there,
00:58:28and they did okay,
00:58:29and people kept in touch,
00:58:31and through that,
00:58:32I got to meet London Weekend Television producers there,
00:58:36and I had an idea at the time,
00:58:38again,
00:58:39about football,
00:58:40it was called Sidekicks,
00:58:41and it was a series idea about two brothers
00:58:43from very lower working class backgrounds
00:58:47who made it in football,
00:58:48and they were both professional footballers,
00:58:50and it was how their families couldn't get used to them having the money,
00:58:53and LWT were interested in it,
00:58:55so they said to me,
00:58:56right,
00:58:57we'd like to see how you work in a series situation,
00:58:59they put me on a series called London's Burning,
00:59:01right,
00:59:02so I was working on London's Burning,
00:59:04and I went into,
00:59:05I'll never forget the day I went into LWT for my knockback,
00:59:08I went in,
00:59:09and I met Ian Wright,
00:59:11and he had been playing here,
00:59:13right,
00:59:14so I met Ian Wright,
00:59:15and I was all,
00:59:16oh,
00:59:17thanks for what you did for Celtic,
00:59:18and all that stuff,
00:59:19and we're all going to take up Sidekicks,
00:59:20because we've just been offered a thing called Footballer's Wives,
00:59:23right,
00:59:24so that happens,
00:59:25and that was,
00:59:26I mean,
00:59:27it was great,
00:59:28London's Burning was a fantastic show to work on,
00:59:30but that opened my eyes to,
00:59:32you've got to graft a wee bit,
00:59:33so I started hunting about and everything,
00:59:36and as luck would have it,
00:59:37a man who had been a script editor on London's Burning
00:59:43went to be a script editor on Casualty,
00:59:45and gave me a call,
00:59:47and said come in,
00:59:48and like five series later,
00:59:49I was still working,
00:59:50I was still writing for Casualty.
00:59:51Because honestly,
00:59:52when I look at that,
00:59:53there was a lot of credits listed for that,
00:59:54I've got to say,
00:59:55I mean,
00:59:56it's really impressive,
00:59:57I mean,
00:59:58it's such a difficult industry to make a career in as well,
01:00:02because there's a whole,
01:00:03there's so many different,
01:00:05I don't know,
01:00:06different people,
01:00:07different ideas,
01:00:08there's so many variables in terms of what can actually happen,
01:00:10but I've got to say,
01:00:11as impressive as everything is,
01:00:13the fact you worked on Dream Team,
01:00:15is,
01:00:16I find that incredibly impressive,
01:00:17because that show was,
01:00:18it was great fun,
01:00:19it was tremendous,
01:00:20it really was,
01:00:21and it was a,
01:00:22it was a,
01:00:23it was one of those legendary TV shows,
01:00:26I think,
01:00:27I think for people certainly,
01:00:28who were around at the time watching it,
01:00:30it was,
01:00:31you never missed an episode,
01:00:32do you know,
01:00:33I used to have a Harchester United jersey,
01:00:35oh,
01:00:36the wee kind of purple one,
01:00:37with the white cuffs,
01:00:38that's where we digress,
01:00:39but just,
01:00:40I just wanted to call you on that,
01:00:41it was a brilliant TV show,
01:00:42you were mentioning that you wrote for theatre as well,
01:00:44which,
01:00:45how similar is that to writing for a TV script?
01:00:48Well,
01:00:49I think,
01:00:50I mean,
01:00:51I don't know,
01:00:52maybe I've been lucky in that,
01:00:54it's simple,
01:00:56I don't mean it's simple to write it,
01:00:58but it's a simple game,
01:01:01Greavesy,
01:01:02or whatever it was,
01:01:03it's,
01:01:04I think it just boils down to having a good story,
01:01:07and good characters,
01:01:08and I think that works,
01:01:09I mean,
01:01:10I've done radio as well,
01:01:11and I think it works across radio,
01:01:12theatre,
01:01:13television,
01:01:14and film,
01:01:15if you've got a good story,
01:01:17that will get people interested in,
01:01:19and characters that they're interested in,
01:01:21characters they care,
01:01:22not necessarily characters they care for,
01:01:25but characters they care about,
01:01:26if you've got a bad guy that they want to see done bad too,
01:01:30if you've got a good guy they're rooting for,
01:01:32you're winning,
01:01:33so basically it's the same,
01:01:34it's just the layout's different,
01:01:36and the budget,
01:01:37the budget's different as well.
01:01:43.
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