There was a post on facebook this afternoon which read; In the Tuscan hills watching the Hoops start the season with a bang at the local csc with P Nutini… What are the chances…? That post was from the Irish artist Lorcan Vallely, who is here in Barga on his honeymoon. (article here about Lorcan and his work )
Well, in Barga , the chances are pretty good as about 100 Celtic supporters were at Paolo Gas’s bar on the Fosso this afternoon to watch the Celtic match live as their team opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.
Defending SPL champions Rangers are already chasing Celtic this season after Neil Lennon’s side opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.
In a performance of real contrast to their Glasgow rivals, Celtic seemed to heed the warning of Rangers’ lacklustre opening against Hearts, which saw Ally McCoist’s men concede a half-time advantage before battling back for a draw.
Celtic ensured that did not happen on Sunday, taking the lead after 14 minutes. Anthony Stokes showed superb composure to find the roof of the net after keeper Graham Stack had flapped at a cross.
Stokes also had a hand in Celtic’s second just after the hour, first failing to slide a ball behind the fullback and then squaring the ricochet into the path of Ki Sung-Yong, who drilled into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
The only stain on a good day for the Bhoys was a missed penalty by Gary Hooper, who saw his spot-kick brilliantly turned onto the right upright by Stack. Emilio Izaguirre had won the penalty when he faked to cross inside the area. – source
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The Vallely family has had an ongoing relationship with Barga over many years with Lorcan’s musician brother Niall marrying in the city during 2007 (article here) and his other brother Cillian Vallely who plays with the Irish band Lunasa releasing an album featuring a new tune from Cillian on the uillean pipes called ”Road to Barga”. To hear that tune being played outside Aristo’s by Cillian click here