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1 month ago
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Benjamin Nygren’s second-half double helped much-changed Celtic to a 3-0 win over Livingston as supporters again demonstrated anti-board sentiments. Frustrated by perceived transfer inactivity in recent weeks, fans repeated their chants of “sack the board” which had first rung around Parkhead during and after the goalless draw against Kairat Almaty in the first leg of the Champions League playoff on Wednesday night.
In the 13th minute of a goalless first half, the ultras-style fans group Green Brigade held up banners that read “zero ambition”, “neglect team”, “rinse fans” and “basic board”, albeit there seemed little vocal backing from the rest of the ground.
The Livingston goalkeeper Jérôme Prior made a sensational save from Yang Hyun-jun just before the interval but was beaten by Nygren two minutes after the restart. The Celtic winger fired in a second in the 71st minute before substitute Johnny Kenny added a third five minutes later.
Having taken nine Premiership points from nine, Celtic moved seven clear of Rangers and put more pressure on their Old Firm rivals who travel to St Mirren on Sunday, but Champions League qualification could be pivotal for Brendan Rodgers. Celtic face a 7,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan for the second leg against Kairat on Tuesday, when the winners can bank on £40m for reaching the league phase of European football’s elite club competition.
With one eye on that prize, Rodgers rang the changes, with only the goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, the defender Liam Scales and Nygren remaining. There was a debut for the Japanese left-back Hayato Inamura and a first start for his compatriot Shin Yamada.
Just as the Green Brigade made their feelings about the board known, Yamada knocked a cross from Arne Engels past Prior but the Belgium midfielder was confirmed offside after a check by the video assistant referee.
The Livingston attacker Stevie May replaced the injured Shane Blaney in the 28th minute and David Martindale reshuffled his side, but the emphasis remained resolutely on defence.
Seven minutes later, Prior tipped Yamada’s looping header from an Inamura cross over the bar for a corner which came to nothing and then a Yamada shot beat the Livingston keeper only for Daniel Finlayson to clear off the line.
Prior made a fabulous save in added time, somehow pushing Yang’s powerful header from point-blank range on to the bar, with Livingston scrambling the ball to safety and more “sack the board” chants were heard before half-time.
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Celtic Park relaxed somewhat early in the second half when Prior spilled a right-foot drive from Yang straight to Nygren who tapped into the empty net.
In the 58th minute, Rodgers brought on Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Daizen Maeda for Luke McCowan, Yamada and Paulo Bernardo.
Prior thwarted Nygren when he broke through but the Sweden forward made no mistake when the keeper pushed away a cross from Engels, firing high into the net via the woodwork from 14 yards.
Five minutes later, Maeda set up Kenny, on for Yang, to knock in a third which gave the scoreline solidity, but the rift between fans and board rumbles on in the background.
