'He's a beast': Kasper Schmeichel watched Erling Haaland closely and made two world-class saves in a pre-season thriller
Celtic fans have praised Kasper Schmeichel for his heroics in keeping out Erling Haaland in their side's win over Manchester City.
The Hoops beat Pep Guardiola's side 4-3 at Kenan Memorial Stadium in North Carolina, with summer signing Schmeichel The star of the show in his debut.
Schmeichel joined the Glasgow giants this month on a free transfer as a replacement for Joe Hart, who He retired at the end of the previous campaign..
The veteran goalkeeper's debut against City – where he made ten appearances after coming through their academy – lasted just 45 minutes as he was substituted at half-time with the score 3-1 in Celtic's favour.
During his time on the pitch he made two world-class saves to deny the goal Haaland – the first was an expert reaction save, before making another incredible save to deny the Norwegian hitman's shot.
Haaland eventually found the back of the net with a pinpoint header in the absence of the Danish international to level the game 3-3, before Luis Palma scored Celtic's winner in the 68th minute.
And Schmeichel was quick to praise the City striker after the match after starting his Celtic race in the best possible way.
The 37-year-old told The Sporting News: “He's an absolute beast. He's one of the best strikers in the world without a doubt.”
“He's got everything you want: he's got pace, he's got power, he's got good movement, he's got intelligence, he's got an incredible jump as you saw in his goal, so he's the complete package.”
But it was the Leicester legend's quick reactions that proved to be the biggest talking point on social media, with fans having a ball and getting carried away with the joy of beating City.
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One Celtic fan, in a relaxed post on X, wrote: “I don't want to jump to judgement from a friendly but Kasper Schmeichel is the best goalkeeper to ever play for this club.”
Another wrote: “Kasper Schmeichel is going to win us this league, isn't he? He has a huge presence on the pitch. He's the perfect replacement for Joe Hart.”
A third added: “I didn't know your game, Kasper Schmeichel. Great signing.”
This follower then commented: “I don't want to speak too soon, but Kasper Schmeichel… everything looks good, mate.”
One of them said: “Kasper Schmeichel, lifetime contract, do it.”
Meanwhile, another simply stated: “Kasper Schmeichel is still the real man, man.”
It perfectly summed up the joy fans feel before the season starts. It's a time when anything seems possible and dreams start to come true.
And Schemeichel, 37, looks ready for whatever the season throws at him. On joining Celtic, he said:
“Celtic is one of the best football clubs in the world, a household name and a place of real passion and success. Celtic is quintessential football.”
The goalkeeper is best known for his 11-year career at Leicester and was in goal when the club won an improbable Premier League title in 2016.
He then won the 2021 FA Cup under Brendan Rodgers, who signed him from Celtic.
He started his career at City but left in 2009 when Joe Hart became number one. He joined Notts County and then Leeds in 2010 and moved to Leicester a year later.
In 2022 he moved to Nice, but only spent a year in the south of France and then another year at Belgian club Anderlecht before his free transfer to Celtic.
