Celtic Falkirk Match Analysis
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
ACSOM's Liam McBride provides a player by player breakdown from Friday's win over Falkirk
Celtic stormed into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final with an imperious 4-1 victory over John McGlynn’s Falkirk. They will now face a trip to Firhill to face Partick Thistle in the last eight.
So, let's see how each player performed on the night, as Celtic ran out comfortable winners.
Celtic Falkirk Player Ratings
Viljami Sinsalo - 8
In his first start of the season, he never had a whole lot of work to do. A first-half shot from the visitors was clearly sailing wide when the Finn threw a hand at it, leaving Auston Trusty bemused.
For Kellan Adams' goal, you can’t attach any blame to Sinsalo; it was simply an excellent strike. In a very comfortable in-possession backline, he also showed good composure on the ball, frequently forming an extra man in his own area.
Alistair Johnson - 8.5
He was awarded man of the match, and for good reason. In the opening two games, he hadn’t seemed quite up to speed, but tonight he looked back to his brilliant best.
His trademark overlapping runs and counter-attack-stopping tackles were in full flow, as was his general in-possession play. The Canadian took his goal with great composure on his weaker left peg to round off a terrific evening.
Dane Murray - 8
On the day that he signed a contract extension until the year 2028, he also bagged his first goal for the Hoops. As ever, the 22-year-old looked so assured in possession but also revealed another valuable element to his game: an aerial threat.
Auston Trusty - 8
Trusty brought a real pace to the passing from the start. Beside the less experienced Murray, he stood up and gave Brendan Rodgers a real selection dilemma in the centre back area for Wednesday night.
Kieran Tierney - 8.5
The left back was so positive throughout. Already, he seems to be better gelling with Maeda out wide. His long-range passing and switches were also useful in stretching the game and tiring Falkirk.
The Scot also produced a humorous moment at the back end of the first half when an opportunity opened up for him but he produced a swing and a miss.
Callum McGregor - 7.5
McGregor was steady as ever in possession and looked likely to add to his scoring habit with an effort midway through the second half opening up for him. Apart from that, it was a solid if unspectacular display.
Luke McCowan - 7.5
McCowan was the midfielder on the day who progressed the ball the best. His ability to take the ball on the turn and neat touches were very useful. The 27-year-old had an excellent opportunity to double his scoring tally for the season but blazed it wide.
Arne Engels - 7
A mixed performance from the Belgian. His set-piece deliveries were on point, nearly finding the net from a free kick early on, which clipped the bar. On corner duty, he consistently found the dangerous areas, with Dane Murray able to take advantage for the Bhoys' third of the evening. Although these moments were mixed with some untidy possession play deep into the second half.
James Forrest - 7
Forrest, as ever, looked comfortable on the ball, but failed to make a real impact in the first half. However, as the game wore on, he began to drop deeper, and some quick turns and instinctive passing helped the Champions unlock a physically tiring Falkirk side.
Johnny Kenny - 6
It was a big night for the Irishman, a night to seize his opportunity. Unfortunately, he did little to impress. You cannot knock the effort; he clearly gave everything, but his all-around play left a lot to be desired.
The few times he picked the ball up in the opposition half, he looked uncomfortable dribbling. He has been tipped as a penalty box striker, so perhaps this was never going to be a strong point of his. Overall, he did little to stake a claim.
Daizen Maeda - 7.5
The Japanese international is still to reach the levels that earned him last season’s player of the Year award; however, he showed typical instinctual intelligence to give Celtic the lead.
He also played a major role in the tracking back element, although that is what we have come to expect. Over time, his relationship of understanding on the left-hand side with Tierney will continue to grow.
