Dutch-born Ghanaian defender, Jeremie Frimpong was among the goals as Celtic FC got their 2020/21 Scottish Premier League campaign off to a bright start with a 5-1 win over Hamilton Sunday.
French striker Odsonne Edouard was the goal hero for the Hoops, netting an impressive opening day hat-trick, including the first goal of the new Premiership campaign, while Frimpong and Patryk Klimala also completed the scoring at Celtic Park.
Hamilton showed early signs that they could cause problems on the counter-attack.
With 19 minutes on the clock, Celtic scored their first goal of the new campaign, and it came from last season’s top goalscorer, Odsonne Edouard. It was a fast-flowing move from the Hoops that started with Bain and saw Christie and Frimpong combine well in the middle of the park, with the right-back using his pace to surge forward.
When the ball was worked out wide on the left to Greg Taylor, he delivered a precise cross into the six-yard box for Edouard to knock into the Hamilton net.
Hamilton should have equalised just two minutes later, but Shaun Want headed over from a corner when it looked easier to score.
And on the half-hour mark, Celtic extended their lead. Again, Taylor was the provider, and his cross from the left was knocked in at the far post by Jeremie Frimpong.
Ale Jeremy Frimpong (19, prawy obrońca) miecie w Celticu. I z tego co czytam, jak przechodził z akademii Manchesteru City, wiele nie kosztował. Może być tam jego ostatni sezon. #CELHAMpic.twitter.com/OGhkh0kWWo
— Kamil Rogólski (@K_Rogolski) August 2, 2020
That two-goal lead only lasted three minutes, however, as Scott Martin’s shot from the edge of the box took a deflection, allowing the ball to squirm past Bain and into the net.
Celtic continued to press forward and Ryan Christie came close on a couple of occasions without managing to hit the target.
However, just four minutes into the second-half, Celtic did score their third of the afternoon. Christie set Forrest off down the right, with the winger’s pace taking him past Shaun Want, and his first-time cross into the box was slotted home by Edouard for his second of the game.
And three minutes later, the Frenchman had his hat-trick. The Hamilton keeper saved Elyounoussi’s initial effort, but the ball fell to Edouard who side-footed the ball into the roof of the net to claim the match ball and put the game out of Hamilton’s reach.
Neil Lennon’s side continued their search for more goals, and Forrest was denied when Fulton pushed his right-foot shot from the edge of the box out for a corner.
Forrest and Frimpong were combining well down the right flank, and on 63 minutes, the young Dutch-Ghanaian defender came close to his second of the game as he and Forrest carved open the Hamilton defence with a one-two. Frimpong’s effort was saved, while Callum McGregor’s follow-up header was cleared off the line.
After a lively attacking display, Jeremie Frimpong made way for Israeli Hatem Abd Elhamed three minutes before the 90.
Patryk Klimala, on as a substitute for Edouard, had a header on target in the 87th minute, but it was comfortably held by Fulton. However, the Polish striker soon netted his first competitive goal of his Celtic career, sliding the ball under Fulton from inside the box in the 90th minutes to round off an impressive afternoon for Neil Lennon’s side.
©Celtic
