Celtic emerged victorious with a 2-0 win over Hearts at Celtic Park in a match that saw summer signings Arne Engels and Luke McCowan steal the show.
The game was also marked by a couple of important VAR decisions.
Hearts were initially awarded a penalty around the 30th minute for an alleged handball, but the decision was later overturned by VAR.
Referee Colin Steven reviewed the footage and determined that Liam Scales’ handball, which occurred when a Lawrence Shankland header hit high on his arm, did not warrant a penalty.
Celtic took the lead in the 52nd minute when record signing Arne Engels converted a penalty.
The spot-kick was awarded after a VAR review confirmed a handball by James Penrice from a Nicolas Kühn cross.
1-0 Engels pic.twitter.com/nXe1JIQA5m
— Celtic Goals (@celticgoalsreal) September 14, 2024
Engels confidently slotted the penalty into the bottom right corner past Craig Gordon.
Luke McCowan, yet another summer signing, sealed the win with a stunning left-footed shot from outside the box in the 89th minute, with James Forrest calmly finding McCowan.
2-0 McCowan pic.twitter.com/p7xtM1T1UN
— Celtic Goals (@celticgoalsreal) September 14, 2024
Adam Idah appeared to have scored a stoppage time third goal for Celtic, but the effort was ruled out by VAR after a review.
Celtic made several changes in the second half including bringing on Luke McCowan for Arne Engels and Luis Palma for Daizen Maeda.
Celtic’s new signings played crucial roles, with Engels scoring from the penalty spot and McCowan adding a spectacular goal.
With Engels awarded Man of the Match, the Belgian did not disappoint on his debut, delivering an excellent performance.
It was, as usual, a dominant Celtic display with the new guys doing well. I was, however, disappointed with the performance of the Japanese players, Hatate, Kyogo and Maeda. They tried hard, but they just seemed to lack energy and accuracy. I suppose we could put that down to international travel in the case of Maeda and Hatate, but Kyogo, especially in the second half, looked pedestrian and disinterested, which is not like him. Khun put in a shift, no doubt about that, but even his crossing and finishing was miles off today. As I say, it was a good dominant Celtic display minus the usual passing skill and finishing. I hope the Japanese group get their mojo back in time for Wednesday!