Celtic beat Chelsea 4-1 in friendly at Notre Dame Stadium

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – A different kind of soccer was played at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday when two of the world’s most storied professional sports franchises faced off in a preseason friendly at the House that Rockne Built.

Chelsea are a powerful football club from London, having won six Premier League titles. Meanwhile, Celtic have won the Scottish Premiership a record 10 times, including the last three seasons.

It was an easy win for Celtic, who defended their Scottish title and beat the Blues 4-1.

Celtic took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute through Matt O’Riley and extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Kyogo Furuhashi in the 33rd minute.

The score remained 2-0 until Luis Palma extended Celtic’s lead to three in the 76th minute. Celtic made it 4-0 just a few minutes later through a goal from Michael Johnston.

Chelsea finally found the back of the net in the 89th minute courtesy of a Christopher Nkunku penalty, but all it really did for the Blues was avoid defeat.

The match was part of a U.S. tour for both clubs, who travel the country for pre-season exhibition games. Notre Dame hosted a similar match in 2019 between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.

And it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans, many of whom traveled far and wide to watch the friendly match at the home of the Fighting Irish.

The support did not go unnoticed as both teams were motivated to perform for their dedicated fans.

“A big thank you to all the Celtic fans because I was at an event here at the stadium last night and it was full of Celtic fans who had travelled from Houston to Melbourne, from all over the world,” said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. “Celtic is a massive club – an iconic club – but it really is a little family inside. And that connection with all the fans is what makes Celtic.”

“What was very important to realise today is the difference between us and them in terms of physical condition,” said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. “You can see that they have already played three, four official games, and they will start their official season very soon. Whereas for us, you can see that we struggle a bit physically.”

Celtic, who end their US tour unbeaten, kick off their Scottish Premier League season next Saturday against Kilmarnock.

Chelsea, who remain winless on their US tour, will face Mexican soccer powerhouse America on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Blues begin their Premier League season on August 18 against Manchester City.

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