Dane Murray celebrates contract with goal as Celtic ease past Falkirk
Murray, who has already overcome two separate cruciate ligament injuries in his career, earlier signed a new deal that keeps him at the club until 2028.
Daizen Maeda and Alistair Johnston were also on target and Falkirk defender Liam Henderson put through his own net before Keelan Adams scored an impressive consolation goal for the Premiership newcomers.
Centre-back Murray was one of six players coming into the Celtic line-up alongside goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, Auston Trusty, Arne Engels and Johnny Kenny.
The Hoops beat then Championship side Falkirk 5-2 on their way to winning last season's tournament and this was another open encounter with both sides creating chances in the first half.
Kenny volleyed wide early on after James Forrest's lay-off and former Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain saved long-range strikes from Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney before scrambling to meet Henderson's wayward passback, which just went wide.
Ross MacIver dragged a shot wide at the other end after a loose pass from Murray.
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute after McGregor returned the ball into the box following a corner. Tierney ran on to meet the cross and nodded the ball down for Maeda to score with a diving header.
There were further chances at each end before the break. Sinisalo saved brilliantly from Calvin Miller's 25-yard strike before denying Alfredo Agyeman and MacIver. Engels and Forrest missed close-range headers at the other end.
Celtic were more dominant after the break and doubled their lead in the 54th minute after Falkirk lost possession from a throw-in. Johnston chased down Miller as the former Celtic player headed back towards his own goal and the right-back won the ball before curling into the far corner with his left foot.
Murray got his big moment in the 61st minute when he headed home from an inswinging corner from Engels.
Celtic went further ahead three minutes later as Yang Hyun-jun made an instant impact after coming on with home debutant Shin Yamada. The South Korean winger ran past two opponents after Celtic won the ball back deep in the Bairns half, and his low ball across the goalmouth was turned into his own net by Henderson.
The noisy visiting fans got a chance to celebrate three minutes later when right-back Adams arrowed a shot into the top corner from 20 yards.
That ended the flurry of goals as Celtic safely navigated their way into Saturday evening's quarter-final draw and avoided any injuries ahead of their Champions League play-off first leg against Kairat Almaty on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
28 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Russell Martin confirms imminent Rangers exit and reveals replacement already identified
Rangers boss blunt on Igamane's hopes of starting v Brugge Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers manager Russell Martin has confirmed Brazilian full-back Jefte is on the brink of leaving the club and a replacement in the form of 19-year-old Brentford defender Jayden Meghoma has already been identified. Martin was speaking after his side had overcome League One side Alloa Athletic 4-2 to seal a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final clash against Livingston or Hibs. It was more of a struggle than he would have liked, with Alloa equalising after 24 minutes through a Joe Rothwell own goal and then causing some anxiety late in the game with a second goal, from veteran former Hibs player Scott Taggart, to make it 3-2. Rangers substitute Findlay Curtis sealed matters with a fourth in time added on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Martin now has his eyes set on Tuesday's Champions League play-off first leg against Club Brugge although he knows he won't have Jefe among his personnel options with the left-back set to join Palmeiras in his homeland. Meghoma is set to join on loan. Rangers head coach Russell Martin applauds the fans at full time after the 4-2 win over Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group 'Jefte was in yesterday and then by yesterday evening he is maybe not going to be here moving forward,' said Martin, with reference to the fast-moving transfer deal, reported to be worth as much as £6 million. 'It's a good deal for him and the club, so we will see what happens with that. We had to be ready to replace him, we always have been. Jayden is a player we know. He spent a year with us (at Southampton) as a young boy, training every day. He understands what it takes to be a top talent. Played for England at all the youth levels and then Brentford signed him for a lot of money (£5m) as a teenager. He went on loan to the Championship (at Preston North End) and did really well. So he is a player we know and like and hopefully at some point he will be a Rangers player and you will know that when he is.' Asked whether those fringe players who had come into the starting XI v Alloa, with Martin making ten changes, had done enough to force their way into the picture against Club Brugge, he was unsure. 'Some of them did some really good stuff - Manny (Fernandez) did some really good stuff,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Obviously he scored but there are some moments we really need to work on with him, you can see all the attributes he has and the potential. Joe Rothwell in short spurts today was much more positive with the ball than he was in midweek. There's loads to come from this group. Some have taken an opportunity, some will be frustrated and will want to do a bit more.'
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Jayden Meghoma a Rangers target as Russell Martin eyes transfer reinforcements
Brazilian left-back Jefte, who joined Rangers from Fluminense last summer, is reportedly set to join Palmeiras for £6million. The Gers boss was speaking after the 4-2 win over Alloa booked a place in the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup where they will host the winners of Sunday's Livingston versus Hibernian tie, albeit first they have the opening leg of the Champions League play-off against Club Brugge at Ibrox on Tuesday. Martin said: 'Jefte was in yesterday, and then by yesterday evening, he's maybe not going to be here moving forward because it's a good deal for him and the club. 'So we'll see what happens over the next couple of days with that. 'And so we have to be ready to replace him, and we always have been ready. 'So Jayden is a player we know from Southampton, spent a year with us as a young boy, training every day, understands the work, top talent, plays for England at all the youth levels. 'Brentford signed him for a lot of money for a teenager, and he went on loan last year in the Championship and did really well. 'So he's a player we know and like, and hopefully at some point he'll be a Rangers player and you'll know that when he is.' Martin made 10 changes from the side which started in the second leg of the Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen in midweek and the match ended with Emmanuel Fernandez, Mikey Moore and Thelo Aasgaard all having made their debuts, while fit-again Hamza Igamane got more minutes. Nedim Bajrami, Fernandez, James Tavernier (penalty) and Findlay Curtis scored for the home side with Joe Rothwell's own goal and a Scott Taggart tap-in counting for the League One outfit. Martin said: 'I saw some really good bits and some stuff that I didn't like, but I don't think I expected anything different with guys that just haven't played very much. 'When you make 10 changes to the team it's going to disrupt something. So my feeling is we get through, we score four goals, we should score more goals for sure. 'In the first half, after the first 15 minutes, when you can't quite sustain the same level of intensity, they caused some problems which shouldn't happen. 'And I mean that really respectfully, because the way they approached the game, they were great. But there was a lack of a bit of energy, because we had so much of the ball. 'A lack of energy without it could have been really costly. So we have a couple of moments we shouldn't have, but I'm pleased with a lot.' Alloa player-manager Andy Graham was pleased with his side's performance. He said: 'My overriding emotion is pride. We dug in at times but we also played and passed the ball under pressure. They should real composure. 'I'm really pleased from that perspective. You're always going to think 'what if' when you get it to 3-2 with a couple of minutes to go. 'But I'm not sitting here saying we deserved to win the game.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Sunderland boss picks out quality that pleased him most on Premier League return
The Black Cats have been away from the Premier League for eight years, but they returned with a bang, thrashing West Ham at the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the new season Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris hailed his side's 'togetherness' as they marked their return to the Premier League with a 3-0 win over West Ham. Following an eight-year absence from the top flight, second-half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and substitute Wilson Isidor wrapped up three points. The Wearsiders cemented their spot in the Premier League with a Championship play-off win against Sheffield United in May and have since made 11 signings in preparation for the competition's demands. Seven new arrivals were handed their Sunderland debuts in the starting line-up, but it was play-off heroes Mayenda, Ballard and Isidor who proved to be the difference. Asked about the importance of those goalscorers, Le Bris said: 'It's really important for two reasons at least, the first one they showed they can step up today. We'll see later, but today it was the case. At the same time they are really important because they keep the identity of the club and the way we worked last season. We've built this strength about togetherness, about the way we can work as a team and I think we showed it today. These players are important for that.' West Ham had controlled the game in the first half before the hosts grew into the match. Mayenda, goalscorer in the semi-final and the final of last season's play-offs, sent Sunderland ahead in the 61st minute with a header. Ballard extended their lead 12 minutes later, nodding home into the same spot as his last-gasp winner against Coventry in the play-off semi-finals. Another play-off goalscorer Isidor completed the afternoon with a cool finish into the bottom corner and Le Bris urged his newly-promoted side to soak up the moment. He said: 'Just enjoy now, first of all. Second point, Granit (Xhaka) spoke 30 seconds about this togetherness, this way of suffering together because it will be key for the season, stay humble and reset.' West Ham boss Graham Potter believes his side struggled to find their rhythm after half-time. The Hammers found themselves in promising positions around the box throughout the first half, with captain Jarrod Bowen particularly impressing in their attack. Although they continued to retain possession after the break, they struggled to trouble the Sunderland goal until the final stages when Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Callum Wilson went close. Reflecting on the game, Potter said: 'We didn't get into the rhythm at all. We started a little bit passive when we had the ball, I think we could've been brave, more assertive and played better. We didn't play at a level I think we can play at. 'It wasn't a result – with the greatest respect – of Sunderland pushing us back and playing well. It was an action, a cross from 30 or 40 metres we should be happy to defend. Before you know it, you're 1-0 down here at the Stadium of Light and they've been waiting eight years, of course it's going to be difficult. 'The second goal isn't a particularly good one from our perspective either. If you don't do the basics in football, you're in trouble. We've paid that price today.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
