Celtic sink on Lake Como as Ajax put them to sword with second-half goal glut
Rodgers’ men soundly defeated by Dutch side in Como Cup
Celtic were soundly defeated by Ajax 5-1 as Brendan Rodgers’ side unravelled in their first match in the Como Cup.
The Dutch side were ruthless against the Scottish champions, who turned on the style in the second half after going in level at the break. Yang Hjun-jun netted the only goal for Celtic midway through the first half and they will now take on Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli on Saturday in the third/fourth place match.
This is the inaugural edition of the Como Cup, which also features the host side from Italy’s Serie A. The competition has been given the hashtag ‘football on the lake’ and amid beautiful scenery, the match against Ajax turned ugly for Celtic as they struggled to keep their heads above water during a one-sided second half.
Ajax - who defeated Hibs 6-3 in a friendly earlier this month - took the lead through Steven Berghuis on 16 minutes, although Yang, who has been linked with a move away from the club recently, levelled matters five minutes later, firing home after being set up by Reo Hatate.
Important centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers was introduced at the break for his first appearance of the pre-season after recovering from injury - and it was a baptism of fire for the American and his teammates.
Davy Klaasen put Ajax back in front on 47 minutes and Berghuis made it 3-1 just before the hour mark. Both teams made a flurry of substitutions but the Dutch side netted two more goals via Aaron Bouwman on 71 minutes and Rayane Bounida on 83 minutes.
Rodgers had most of his first-team squad available to him, with new signings Kieran Tierney, Hayato Inamura and Benjamin Nygren playing. Recent addition Shin Yamada did not feature.
Celtic’s first competitive match is a week on Sunday when they take on St Mirren in their Premiership curtain-raiser back at Parkhead.
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