ST Johnstone
Celtic edged past St Johnstone 1-0 in a tense Scottish Premiership clash at McDiarmid Park, with Mika Baur’s 52nd-minute strike proving the difference between the sides. The victory keeps the Hoops’ perfect start to the season intact, while Saints’ valiant defensive effort ultimately fell short.
St Johnstone frustrate Celtic in cagey first half
The home side set up with a compact 3-4-2-1 formation that frustrated Celtic throughout the opening 45 minutes. Despite enjoying 60% possession, the visitors struggled to break down Saints’ disciplined back line, managing just two shots on target in the first half. St Johnstone goalkeeper Tom Steward was equal to everything Celtic threw at him early on, with a crucial save from Sebastian Tounekti’s close-range effort the highlight.
Baur breakthrough sparks Celtic into life
The deadlock was finally broken seven minutes after the restart when Haissem Hassan’s threaded pass found Mika Baur bursting into the box. The German midfielder kept his composure to slot past Steward, sending the traveling Celtic support into raptures. The goal seemed to spark the visitors into life, with substitute Camilo Duran going close minutes later as the Hoops began to dominate.
St Johnstone’s frustration began to show as Josh Campbell and Reece McAlear both saw yellow cards in quick succession as they tried to stem Celtic’s momentum. Manager Stefan Valakari made a flurry of substitutions in search of an equalizer, introducing Danny Schmidt and Kai Fotheringham to add fresh legs to the attack.
Celtic hold firm under late pressure
The final 15 minutes saw St Johnstone throw everything at Celtic, with Joel Cotterill forcing a smart save from Scott Johnstone. But the visitors’ defense, marshaled superbly by Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, held firm under intense pressure. Baur himself picked up a late yellow card as emotions ran high, but Celtic saw out six minutes of added time to secure all three points.
The stats told the story of Celtic’s dominance – 15 shots to St Johnstone’s 9, 11 corners to 2, and nearly 200 more accurate passes. Yet the narrow margin of victory reflected Saints’ disciplined defensive performance, with Steward making eight saves to keep his side in contention until the final whistle.
What this means for both sides
For Michael O’Neill’s Celtic, this gritty away win maintains their 100% start to the Premiership season. While not at their fluid best, the champions showed they can grind out results when needed – a hallmark of title-winning sides. St Johnstone can take heart from their organization and resilience, but will rue their inability to create more clear-cut chances despite their late rally.
The result keeps Celtic top of the table after three games, while St Johnstone slip into the bottom half. Celtic’s attention now turns to European competition, while Saints must regroup quickly ahead of a crucial clash with Aberdeen next weekend.
Key Moments
52′ ⚽ Celtic — Mika Baur (assist: Haissem Hassan)
