St Johnstone Shocks Celtic With Early Goal From Balodis In 1-0 Win

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Daniels Balodis scored early, leading St Johnstone to a surprising 1-0 win over Celtic in Perth. This match saw the bottom team defeat the top club in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic, led by Brendan Rodgers, aimed for two more wins to secure their fourth consecutive title after Rangers lost to Hibernian. However, Balodis' header from Graham Carey's free-kick in the fourth minute changed the game.

Despite being under pressure, St Johnstone's defence held firm. Stephen Duke-McKenna made a crucial tackle to prevent Nicolas Kuhn from scoring. Later, he forced Viljami Sinisalo into a difficult save at the opposite end. Reo Hatate hit the post and Jota missed over the bar as Celtic dominated possession in the second half.

Celtic struggled to convert their chances against an inspired Andy Fisher. The home goalkeeper made nine saves, including a crucial one against James Forrest with eight minutes left. This performance was key to St Johnstone's victory, offering them hope of avoiding relegation as they remain five points behind Dundee at the table's bottom.

Historically, McDiarmid Park has been favourable for Celtic. Before this match, they had won their last 15 away games there against St Johnstone with a combined score of 48-9. However, this time St Johnstone capitalised on their opportunities and Fisher's exceptional goalkeeping to break their losing streak.

St Johnstone had not beaten Celtic in their last 31 encounters since May 2016, drawing four and losing 27 times. Despite creating only 0.58 expected goals (xG) compared to Celtic's 2.2 xG, they managed to secure a rare victory through efficient play and solid defence.

The result was unexpected given Celtic's dominance in previous meetings. Their inability to score despite numerous attempts highlighted St Johnstone's defensive strength and Fisher's standout performance between the posts.

This win is significant for St Johnstone as they aim to avoid relegation with the league table set to split next week. It demonstrates that even teams at the bottom can challenge those at the top when opportunities are seized effectively.