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Celtic were confident going into this fixture, despite having gone down in the away fixture in Coolock in October. They had fought out a magnificent draw last Sunday away to Portmarnock, which was fresh in the their memories. There was crisp sunshine on the immaculate Abbotstown surface which was a pleasure for the 2 sets of players to play on.
From the opening whistle, Celtic were competing well and could have gone in front, but it was Vianney who struck halfway through the first half to go one ahead. Celtic however struck back with a shot from 15 metres out by Rei Mulligan, and his shot seemed to skim off the head of his brother Ren as he lay on the ground. Celtic were fighting for every ball, with Ruben Aherne and James Bannerman competing against their Claret & Blue opponents. Vianney were next to score to put them ahead again, but it was then Ren's turn to shoot and he sent his shot beautifully into the far corner to bring the sides level. Ahmad Niazi made some superb saves in goal to keep Celtic level. Cosdel Burlacu was competing well in the middle and setting up attacks. Pedro Moreno was showing his skills taking on players, and his brother Alvarro came on to add flair to the midfield. Conor Lawless and Ibrahim Hussein were solid at the back, putting in the tackles to limit Vianney to few chances.
The second half was equally competitive, but Vianney took 2 chances and they found themselves ahead halfway through the second half. Celtic were creating chances, with Alvarro, Ren and James going very close to scoring. It was however Vianney who got a fifth against the run of play. Celtic fought back, and it was Cosdel who sent in a beautiful corner kick which was bundled over the line, and Celtic were back in it. Time ran out however for the home side and it was Vianney who came out on top in what was a very sporting game and a credit to the players and their respective management teams.
