Ange's homecoming

An undoubtedly emotional occasion for the Celtic manager as he led his Premiership champions out in front of an Aussie crowd for the first time.

From the moment this competition was announced, it was billed as a homecoming tour for one of Australia's favourite sons and there's been considerable fanfare around Sydney these past few days.

Friendly or not, however, Postecoglou will have been determined to make sure he marked this occasion with a victory.

Celtic were a little off the pace in the first-half but re-emerged with renewed purpose, largely thanks to a raft of first pick players being introduced.

However, they couldn't find the inspiration need for an opening Sydney Super Cup victory.

Sydney spoil the party

The above may seem a little odd considering this is their hometown, but the media coverage and hype has been all about Celtic and Postecoglou these past few days.

But Sydney were clearly hellbent on making their mark here, grafting their way to a narrow 2-1 victory despite their guests' second-half dominance.

It wasn't all just hard work either, the home team played some fine football at times and did particularly well to re-establish themselves following a Celtic onslaught at the onset of the second period, as well as notching a rapid equaliser in response to Kyogo's opener.

They'll be more than happy with their night's work.

End to end stuff

A friendly this may have been but there was no shortage of entertainment.

Exhibition matches can often be a bit lifeless - this was anything but, quicky developing in to an open, end to end affair.

Perfect for the punters, but perhaps less so for the managers to watch something more akin to a game of basketball.

Postecoglou craves control with his setup but his, admittedly much-changed, side gave up a host of chances, especially in a hectic opening half.

Aussie Celtic fans lap it up

This was a rare opportunity for those Celtic fans who are used to setting alarms at all hours just to watch their team - and one they weren't going to let slip by.

They were packed in behind Benjamin Siegrist's goal for the first-half and certainly made themselves heard. Pints flowing on the terraces certainly helps in that respect, mind you.

There'll no doubt have been plenty who made the long haul journey from Scotland, too.

The overall attendance, it must be said, was a little on the sparse side. Midweek friendlies don't always capture the imagination and some Sydney fans on social media pointed to high ticket prices as influencing the home crowd. 

Angeball flipped

Tell you what, Sydney's first-half equaliser came right out of the Postecoglou playbook.

Starting at almost their own corner flag, the A-League side swept from one end of the pitch to the other in an instant as Robert Mak powered in behind to finish coolly beyond Siegrist after a series of slick passes cut Celtic wide open.

Stephen Welsh may just get away with blaming the jetlag for being soundly outpaced by the 31-year-old forward but nonetheless it was a fine move and finish from Steve Corica's team.

The goal epitomised Sydney's approach to the fixture as they sought to expose Celtic on the counter, and their second wasn't half bad either as Max Burgess lashed high beyond Siegrist from the corner of the box.

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