Carl Starfelt was handed what Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers feels will be a farewell appearance in a 4-2 cinch Premiership opening win over Ross County.
Starfelt started on the bench with Maik Nawrocki making his debut in central defence before the Swede came on for the final quarter.
The centre-half’s partner, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, left Celtic for Sporting Lisbon this summer and Starfelt looks set to follow her out of Glasgow after two years at the club.
Rodgers said: “I wanted to put Carl Starfelt on because it might be his last game here. He has been a great servant to the club. There is interest in him and he would like to take up that possibility. We will resolve that as quick as we can.
“The clubs are in communication so I am sure that will go through at some point early next week, if not before.
“He probably felt it was the time to move on. There are certain conditions there that has made him think he will be going to one of the top leagues, and economically it’s hard for us to compete on that side, and obviously his partner is no longer here and has moved on.
“But I have to say, total professional, first class and if it didn’t go through, I know I can rely on him, but I think it probably will.
“We would need to get another centre-half. My idea is to get four centre-halves who are competitive.”
David Turnbull netted twice in the season opener after being handed his first Premiership start in nine months. The midfielder opened the scoring from the spot and netted from Matt O’Riley’s cross after Kyogo Furuhashi had notched his first goal of the season.
Rodgers said of the former Motherwell player: “He’s a talent. I remember seeing him when I was first up here and I liked his game and he maybe just hasn’t quite hit the heights of what his talent is.
“I spoke to him in pre-season and told him it would be a shame if you don’t achieve what you can do at a club like this, because you have the talent, but you have to be a working talent, and you have to be able to run and be aggressive in your game. If you can do that, then your qualities will come through.
“He’s a player I really like. I love his care with the ball, his passing, and his efficiency. He gets in the box, he gets goals, and he maybe could have had a hat-trick.”
The 24-year-old has entered the final season of his contract after a £3.25million move from Fir Park in 2020.
On the chances of a new deal, Rodgers said: “It’s a door that’s open for him. he maybe hasn’t played as much as he would like, but that’s his responsibility.
“I think he would like to be here but you have to consistently prove it.
“It was a clean slate over pre-season and he did very well with the ball and against the ball, which is important. You have to be able to play without the ball and he has demonstrated that.”
County manager Malky Mackay was frustrated his side could not take advantage of some early chances, which mostly fell for Simon Murray.
Mackay said: “I thought we started well and international teams will score goals against Celtic. They just have, Yokohama, Athletic (Bilbao). We get those chances in the first 15 minutes and should have scored. If it’s an international team, Celtic are 2-0 down.
“Our shape and system were good, our discipline were good, and we give away a stupid penalty. Then we don’t defend a cross in the last minute of the first half and next minute we are 3-0 down at half-time.”
County hit back through Jordan White before James Brown scored in stoppage-time via Starfelt’s deflection after O’Riley had netted Celtic’s fourth.
Mackay said: “I know at 3-0 here that can go on to become six or seven. My challenge for them at half-time was to be brave and go and score a goal and press high.
“Sometimes we were able to do it and sometimes we didn’t because we have some new players who aren’t quite there with the explanations I give them but I was really happy with how brave they were in the second half.”
Southgate lauds England's battle as Euro 2024 not 'just about playing well'
Gareth Southgate insists Euro 2024 is not just about England "playing well" as the Three Lions manager lauded the character shown in their penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland in the last eight.
England were once again unconvincing in Dusseldorf and fell behind to Breel Embolo's 75th-minute opener, only for Bukayo Saka to level shortly after on Saturday.
Penalties followed at Dusseldorf Arena as Jordan Pickford denied Switzerland's first spot-kick from Manuel Akanji, before Trent Alexander-Arnold coolly slotted in the winning effort to seal a last-four place.
Since Euro 1996, England have played 11 knockout matches at the European Championship and eight of those have gone to extra-time, including the last four in a row.
That may be apportioned to their battling nature, an aspect manager Southgate referenced after a nervy victory in his 100th national game in charge of the senior side.
"I thought the players were brilliant, it is the best we have played," Southgate said on BBC One. "To come from behind and show character and resilience we did... it isn't just about playing well.
"Huge performance, huge result and we are still in it. We had to be tactically spot on. We are in a third semi-final and it says a lot about the whole group. I thought we had good control."
England had lost more shoot-outs than any other nation across the World Cup and Euros (seven), but responded emphatically by converting all five attempts at this edition of UEFA's top tournament.
Saka knows all too well about spot-kick heartbreak, having missed in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, and Southgate lauded his response after firing past Yann Sommer in the shoot-out.
"It was so brave from Bukayo, he is one of our best and we were never in question he would take one. But we all knew what he went through," Southgate continued.
England scored every single one of their penalties in the shoot-out (5/5), also doing so against Spain at Euro 1996 (4/4), for just the second time in their 10th penalty shoot-out at major tournaments.
"We have done a lot of work on it. We've won three out of four shootouts now," Southgate added, in quotes published by UEFA's official website.
"In the end the players have to do it and deliver. For players to come into the game and do what they did, for someone like Bukayo having been what he's been through to go through that pressure [is great]."
Harry Kane endured another quiet outing, failing to register a shot on target before being removed in extra time, though the England captain has faith in whoever Southgate selects.
"Another tough game and first of all great resilience from the lads to turn it up again," Kane told BBC One.
"To get the goal, a fantastic finish from Bukayo Saka. Penalties are penalties, but I felt prepared – I was on the side, but I felt comfortable in the lads. Five out of five and a save from Picks!
"We trust in whoever is on the pitch and the difference this year compared to past years is we have proven penalty takers – we have a lot more experience and we showed it out there."
Raising Awareness: Reggae Girl Tiffany Cameron fights back against cyberattack after Instagram hack
Reggae Girl and Real Betis striker Tiffany Cameron is known for facing daunting challenges on the football field. However, it is off the field that the Canada-born player recently faced a challenge of a different kind – a cyberattack that compromised her Instagram account.
Now, Cameron is turning her ordeal into a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of cyberattacks and the importance of online security.
Cameron, discovered her Instagram account had been hacked when she began receiving messages from friends and followers about suspicious activity, as the culprits posted fraudulent content in an attempt to scam her followers.
As such, she quickly took steps to regain control of her account, but the experience left her shaken and determined to prevent others from falling victim to similar attacks.
Cameron in action with Liga F outfit Real Betis.
“My Instagram is not just a social media account; it's a platform where I connect with fans, share my journey, and inspire others. To see it used for malicious purposes was devastating,” Cameron said.
“This experience has been inconvenient because Instagram and Meta haven’t done anything yet to investigate. Some of my followers who know me well, realized my Instagram page got hacked, so they have been reporting it. However, a lot of my followers are fans who don’t have a personal relationship with me so they could easily get fooled if they see that a public figure like me ‘messaging them,’ and posting about trading and making money,” she told SportsMax.TV.
As the hackers used Cameron’s account to send direct messages to her followers, promising monetary rewards, while also requesting personal information or financial contributions, the experience is a stark reminder of the vulnerability that comes with a digital presence.
With the increasing reliance on social media for personal and professional engagement, Cameron believes securing these platforms has never been more crucial, as cyberattacks can lead to identity theft, financial loss, and a breach of personal privacy.
“I want to create awareness and protect all of my followers on my previous page from potentially getting scammed. I was told that the hacker was posting on my Instagram profile and story about trading and the money they gained from it, direct messaging my followers to try and persuade them to join their trade, asking my followers for their WhatsApp numbers, and using my likeness for their personal gain,” Cameron shared.
Cameron in action at last year's FIFA Women's World Cup against Brazil.
She continued: “Stealing a person’s identity and also using it for financial gain is a crime. It’s not something anyone should take lightly. I am a public figure and I have accomplished a lot of things to be proud of throughout my career. I don’t want people to be misled by those hackers thinking that they are talking to me.
“That page I worked so hard to build up was hacked on June 17th, 2024 so if anyone has messaged that account since then, they could have potentially been scammed. If anyone has given out any financial information or personal contact information, they need to change their passwords and also go to the police to report what happened.”
To help raise awareness, Cameron posted a video on her new Instagram account, where she explained the situation and discussed topics such as creating strong passwords, recognizing phishing attempts.
Cameron’s message is clear that vigilance, education, and community support are essential in combating cyber threats, as she not only wants to protect her followers, but also contribute to a safer online environment for all.
“I believe in strength in numbers. If more people are aware of this cyberattack, the more people can report the page and eventually it will get shut down. It’s unfortunate because all of my memories are on that page, but the beautiful thing is that everyone knows what I’ve been able to accomplish so starting fresh on my new page could also be a good thing,” Cameron noted.
“Education is also key, so I’ve uploaded a video on my new page @tiffanydcameron_ informing the public what happened. It’s important that they report, block and unfollow my former page tiffany_cameron11. The person who hacked me needs to be stopped. What they are doing is illegal, unacceptable and a scam,” she ended.
Saka celebrates 'special' response to Euro 2020 heartbreak after shoot-out success
Bukayo Saka revelled in banishing previous penalty demons as England edged past Switzerland with a shoot-out victory in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Saka levelled just five minutes after Breel Embolo's 75th-minute opener in Dusseldorf on Saturday, though the two sides could not be separated across 120 minutes.
England had lost more shoot-outs than any other nation across the World Cup and European Championships (seven), with Saka missing in the final of the latter competition just four years ago.
Yet the Arsenal winger converted from 12 yards after Jordan Pickford had denied Manuel Akanji, before Trent Alexander-Arnold sent England into the last four at Dusseldorf Arena.
Saka was understandably delighted to bounce back on penalties after his heartbreak against Italy at Wembley Stadium at Euro 2020.
"To comeback from something like that is really difficult, today I took the chance," the England forward said on BBC One.
"I am going to put it up there, special. How we fought back and to go to penalties. Last time we took at penalty shoot-out at the Euros we know what happened. I believed.
"I felt like we dominated the whole game and the chance would come and I took it – I am proud of myself for that."
England have won just four penalty shoot-outs in their history but two of them have come against Switzerland, in 2019 in the Nations League and in this game at Euro 2024.
A last-four meeting with either the Netherlands or Turkiye awaits on Wednesday, where Saka is still desperate for Gareth Southgate's side to improve.
"I think it shows how much we want to win this tournament," Saka added. "Hopefully, next game we can win in 90 minutes but if this is what it takes – we will do anything!"
For just the second time in their 10th shoot-out at a major tournament, England scored every single one of their penalties in the shoot-out (5/5), also doing so against Spain at Euro 1996 (4/4).
Alexander-Arnold proved the hero when curling into Yann Sommer's top corner, and the Liverpool full-back says the execution was down to Southgate's meticulous planning.
"It is what we have practised," Alexander-Arnold said on the same English outlet. "When the gaffer said I was taking one, I enjoy it and I practice it – I knew I had to just execute it.
"All five penalties from us were great.
"We knew it was going to be tight. Whatever it takes and no matter what we win – that is all that matters to us."
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