Celtic 0-3 Glasgow City: Debut goal 'a bonus' for Asgrimsdottir
Scoring was “a bonus” said Glasgow City’s Arna Sif Asgrimsdottir as she marked her debut with a goal in the 3-0 win over Celtic at K Park.
The Icelandic defender played a key role at both ends of the pitch as the SWPL champions joined Rangers in moving five points clear of Celtic.
Ásgrímsdóttir headed in after Aoife Colvill’s first half opener, with fellow debutant Niamh Farrelly also scoring.
“It’s always fun to score and a clean sheet is perfect, so we’re happy,” Ásgrímsdóttir told BBC Alba.
“We’ve been working really hard the past couple of weeks. Playing with Janine [van Wyk] is great. She is very experienced so she helps me a lot which is perfect actually, so I’m very happy with our partnership today.”
It was a game where Glasgow City were on top throughout and never looked threatened by Celtic.
The blustery conditions made free-flowing football hard to come by in the opening stages and chances were at a premium, with the best opportunity of the opening stages coming from a Hayley Lauder effort which drifted wide from a free kick.
The breakthrough came from a long ball forward from the Glasgow City defence which held up in the strong wind. Nicole Robertson did well to beat Chloe Craig to the bouncing ball and cut it back to Colvill who poked it home from six yards.
Celtic only looked a threat on the counter or from a set play throughout the match. Mariah Lee was lively with a number of good runs going unrewarded but their other attacking talents struggled to make an impact on the game. Craig headed over from a Lisa Robertson free-kick shortly before half-time but that was as close as they came.
In the second half Glasgow City grew in confidence and managed the game tremendously well, keeping Celtic pinned in their own half. Farrelly and the impressive Robertson both saw ambitious long range efforts fly over the bar, while City substitute Lauren Davidson drove forward well before shooting wide from distance.
In the final 20 minutes, City wrapped up the three points with Ásgrímsdóttir heading in from a pinpoint Lauder corner.
Another Lauder set piece fell to Farrelly to rifle home from 15 yards.
Celtic looked a beaten side towards the end, with Priscila Chinchilla and Farrelly both spurning good opportunities to add to the scoreline in added time.
Player of the match - Arna Sif Ásgrímsdóttir
City’s new centre back pairing were impressive from the start, confidently dealing with Celtic attacks through the air and on the ground, while showing composure on the ball. Their performance was all the more impressive given the strong wind blowing across the K-Park pitch.