The Thistle Archive

matches:2019-20: ← 12game 1314 →

	Neil Lennon	Ian McCall	54y, 11m, 26d

		Ryan Williamson; Cammy Palmer; Tommy Robson
		Osman Kakay; Reece Cole; Dario Zanatta

Vakoun Issouf Bayo (0-1, 15 mins)‎; Tom Rogic (0-2, 46 mins)‎; Olivier Ntcham (0-3, 56 mins); Olivier Ntcham (0-4, 63‎ mins); Scott Sinclair (0-5, 76 mins)
Jonny Hayes (0-1, 15 mins)‎; Vakoun Issouf Bayo (0-2, 46 mins)‎; Mohamed Elyounoussi (0-3, 56 mins); Mohamed Elyounoussi (0-4, 63‎ mins); none (0-5, 76 mins)
Jeremie Frimpong; Jonny Hayes		James Penrice

Callum McGregor (Scott Brown, 62 mins); Mohamed Elyounoussi (Scott Sinclair, 66 mins); Jeremie Frimpong (Jack W. Hendry, 79 mins)		Joe Cardle (Raffaele De Vita, 59 mins); Kenny Miller (Lewis Mansell, 64 mins); Shea Gordon (Reece Cole, 74 mins)

	Craig Gordon	Scott Fox	32y, 2m, 28d
	Jonny Hayes	Ryan Williamson	23y, 6m, 11d
	Jeremie Frimpong	James Penrice	20y, 9m, 3d
	Hatem Abd Elhamed	Tam O'Ware	26y, 6m, 5d
	Kristoffer Ajer	Sean McGinty	26y, 1m, 14d
	Lewis Morgan	Stuart Bannigan	27y, 0m, 8d
	Tom Rogic	Cammy Palmer	19y, 4m, 10d
	Olivier Ntcham	Shea Gordon	21y, 4m, 9d
	Mohamed Elyounoussi	Kenny Miller	39y, 9m, 2d
	Callum McGregor	Joe Cardle	32y, 7m, 18d
	Vakoun Issouf Bayo	Tommy Robson	24y, 0m, 14d

			26y, 7m, 31d

	Fraser Forster	Jamie Sneddon	22y, 0m, 19d
	former Jag Jack W. Hendry	Ben Hall	22y, 8m, 9d
	Scott Brown	Reece Cole	21y, 7m, 8d
	Scott Sinclair	Lewis Mansell	22y, 0m, 5d
	Odsonne Édouard	Raffaele De Vita	32y, 0m, 2d
	Boli Bolingoli	Osman Kakay	22y, 1m, 0d
	James Forrest	Steven Saunders	28y, 5m, 26d

	Teamlines derived from PTFC / SPFL. Both sides generally in playing order.
	SPFL incorrectly credits Jonny Hayes with Celtic's 4th assist; Mohamed Elyounoussi is confirmed via the match highlights video.
	25,008 (SPFL)

McCall appointed 23 September. Celtic's 29th consecutive domestic cup win. Thistle's 32nd without a win against Celtic. After a reasonable 1st half performance (1-0 at h-t) and an O'Ware header deemed off-side at 2-0, Thistle were swept aside as the goals rained in 46, 56, 63 and 76. 27% possession, 1 attempt on target.

Holders Celtic eased past Partick Thistle to win their 29th successive domestic cup tie and set up a Scottish League Cup semi-final with Hibernian. Vakoun Issouf Bayo headed in his first Celtic goal to open the scoring before Tom Rogic finished a flowing move. Second-tier Thistle, in their first game under new boss Ian McCall, had Tam O'Ware's header ruled out for offside. And Olivier Ntcham's seven-minute double, then Scott Sinclair's strike, sealed Celtic's last-four berth. Celtic have won the competition three years running as one third of their domestic treble treble. Thistle, bottom of the second tier, harried Neil Lennon's men will in the first half, but faded after the interval.

If Celtic thought they'd have everything their own way against the team propping up the division below, they had another thing coming, certainly in the first half. Under McCall, returning this week for his second stint as manager, Partick were energised and organised, hard-working and disciplined. They didn't buckle after Jonny Hayes' cross was perfectly weighted for Bayo to head home. And that speaks volumes about the improvement from Saturday's insipid 3-0 loss to Dunfermline Athletic. The avalanche of goals from the much-changed champions simply didn't materialise. Some of those given a chance to shine failed to advance their cause for more regular action. Mohamed Elyounoussi and Lewis Morgan struggled to influence the game from out wide and were outshone by full-backs Hayes and Jeremie Frimpong, an impressive debutant.

Bayo came close from another Hayes cross, but it was the burgeoning Thistle who carved out the next big chance. Celtic gave the ball away and only a fine Craig Gordon save denied Shea Gordon as he galloped into the area. Would Lennon's side heed that warning? The answer came within 40 seconds of the restart. Rogic applied the perfect finish to a fine Celtic move, with the hosts immediately showing the increased urgency their manager had presumably just demanded. Then came the show-stopper. Ntcham's thunderous blast from at least 30 yards settled any lingering nerves. The Frenchman added a sumptuous second after robbing Raffaele de Vita on the left and curling in off the inside of the far post. Sinclair applied the cherry to the cake after Thistle meekly surrendered the ball to Bayo, and where Rogic couldn't finish, the substitute could on just his fifth outing of the campaign. An emphatic victory for a Celtic team showing eight changes from Saturday's win over Kilmarnock.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon:

People on paper think those games are easy. It was a professional performance, some outstanding play, particularly in the second half. The main thing is we're in the semi-final, injury free.

Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall:

The scoreline was probably fair reflection of the game. We had a really good chance to make it 1-1. And at 2-0, it looks like we scored a perfectly good goal, but Celtic deserved to win. I was really, really pleased with the effort and togetherness and I think we can take them up the league.

Kheredine Idessane, 25-Sep-2019, bbc.com

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