Saturday, July 9, 2011

Celtic FC take down a defiant Perth Glory FC

By Marcel Abboud

Traveling Scottish side Celtic FC made up for their 1 - 0 loss to Central Coast Mariners last week after defeating fellow Hyundai A-League side Perth Glory 2 - 0 at nib Stadium in Perth.


Perth coach Ian Ferguson added six new faces to the Glory's starting XI, including Dutch defender Bas Van den Brink and high-profile New Zealand striker Shane Smeltz to liven up a previously dull and underachieving Perth side.


While the match started off tight and cagey, the Hoops eventually got the opening goal thanks to a nicely worked Gary Cooper finish in the 16th minute and claiming the game in the 51st minute, as defender Charlie Mulgrew rose and headed home a Ki Sung Yueng free kick.

The Hoops should have extended their lead many times in the game, but a new Perth Glory defense (and help from the woodwork) made sure the score stayed at 2 - 0 at the end of the game in front a healthy 15,350 strong home crowd.

It's still early days for the Glory but with some extra work and an injection of stability into the lineup, the boys from Western Australia could inflict some damage into the upcoming A-League 2011/2012 season.

Watch highlights here: