EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 26: Matt O'Riley of Celtic is seen during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Heart of Midlothian and Celtic FC at on January 26, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
In the opening game of Celtic’s US tour, they easily defeated DC United 4-0 thanks to goals from Matt O’Riley in the first half and Mikey Johnston and James Forrest in the second.
When the game began in Washington, DC, the evening sun had set, but the air was still very humid. Kasper Schmeichel, a recent addition, was watching from the sidelines after arriving in the US just a few hours earlier.
Luis Palma nearly turned in Matt O’Riley’s cross in the seventh minute after Nicolas Kuhn’s excellent play down the left, but Reo Hatate’s fantastic follow-up missed the net. Celtic came dangerously close to taking the lead.
There had been some concerns about the condition of the DC pitch before the match, Scotland’s rugby side having played their American counterparts on it only eight days before, but Celtic were passing the ball about with purpose in the early stages, with the home side chasing the game.
The home side did get their first chance at goal on 11 minutes but substitute Sargi’s shot was well over Scott Bain’s crossbar.
Kyogo then came close to the opener on 16 minutes when he attempted an ambitious left-foot scissors kick inside the box that almost found the back of the net.
On the sixteenth minute, Kyogo then went close to opening the score with an audacious left-foot scissors kick inside the box that nearly reached the back of the net.
Luis Palma then had the biggest opportunity of the game thus far, curving a right-footed attempt from the corner of the box that appeared to be going in.
