Sunday, December 22, 2024

Analysis: Noonan rises to occasion for Celtic

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With an hour played, it looked worrying for Celtic fans watching on as their team trailed 1-0 to Finnish side KuPS in their Champions League qualifier.

KuPS were dominant in the first half and goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty kept Elena Sadiku’s side in the game with some big saves.

Step up Saoirse Noonan.

The striker was brought on after 62 minutes, scored her first goal on 64 and took the match to extra time.

Not even 10 minutes into the added period and Noonan found herself on the scoresheet, twice.

In last season’s title-winning campaign, on-loan striker Natasha Flint played a massive part in key victories, popping up with important goals when it mattered most despite having only joined the club in January.

When she left, the concern was who would fill the goalscoring void?

Celtic have hardly struggled for goals, the likes of Caitlin Hayes, Colette Cavanagh and Amy Gallacher have got on the scoresheet when required, the latter having netted the injury-time goal that won them the title.

But the lack of an out-and-out striker was evident.

Then Republic of Ireland international Noonan joined Sadiku’s side in the summer and hasn’t looked out of place.

Wednesday’s hat-trick made it six goals from six games for the striker and raised questions of why she wasn’t on from the start.

One thing is evident though. With Noonan in the team Celtic should be able to make their mark on the top European competition, with only Luthuanians Gintra or Anenii Noi of Moldova now standing between Sadiku’s side and a coveted place in the group stages.

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