It was a cup final for the ages with an roller coaster 120 minutes and penalties as two fierce rivals slugged it out.
Celtic won a breathless Premier Sports Cup Final at Hampden as they edged rivals Rangers on penalties in a Hampden classic that sees them grab the trophy count bragging rights.
Daizen Maeda’s kick won it as the Hoops triumphed 5-4 on spot-kicks after the sides shared six goals for a 3-3 scoreline over an enthralling 120 minutes. Nedim Bajrami netted the opener to have the blue half of Hampden dreaming of cup glory but Greg Taylor’s deflected strike and Maeda’s goal in four second half minutes turned a dramatic game on its head before Mohamed Diomande levelled. Nicolas Kuhn then thought he had won it with a goal three minutes from the end but Rangers substitute Danilo headed home a leveller at the death to force extra time and penalties, with the familiar sight of Celtic emerging triumphant to keep their Treble dream alive.
The atmosphere was electric and after the smoke cleared to allow the game to get underway it was Kasper Schmeichel who was the first to be tested, albeit he comfortably dealt with a deflected Ianis Hagi effort.
But Celtic should have been ahead after quarter of an hour. Paulo Bernardo sent Nicolas Kuhn scampering past Robin Propper but Jack Butland saved at the feet of the German and when the rebound fell to Reo Hatate he sent a tame effort straight into the arms of the Gers keeper. Leon Balogun then sent a header into Schmeichel’s arms at the other end.
The game was there for whoever wanted to seize the initiative and it was Rangers who grabbed it late in the first half – with a little help from their rivals who shot themselves in the foot with a Greg Taylor blunder.
The full back was so sloppy as he passed straight to Bajrami and he raced away before slipping in Hamza Igamane and Schmeichel could only palm the Moroccan’s shot into the path of Bajrami who fired into the empty net.
It gave Rangers something to cling onto. They thought they had scored when the sides met in the Scottish Cup final six months previously and it was chopped off for a foul and there was a nervous wait before the celebrations started.
And they should have doubled their lead early in the second half when Celtic were again careless in possession with led to Vaclav Cerny breaking up the park and they had a four on one situation but Bajrami was thwarted by Schmeichel. How they paid the price for that. Butland kept his side in front at the other end with a brilliant stop to deny Kyogo but that came right before Celtic grabbed a leveller as Taylor atoned for his earlier mistake with a deflected equaliser. Bernardo’s corner was cleared only as far as the full back and Nico Raskin diverted his shot beyond Butland.
Raskin’s day went from bad to worse when his attempted header back to his keeper was pounced on by Maeda and the Japan star took full advantage to score.
Rangers looked down and out after that turnaround but Schmeichel made a brilliant save to deny Diomande just moments before the Ivorian did level. Igamane delivered the cross and the midfielder held off Celtic substitute Arne Engels to fire home.
Celtic then looked to have won it through Kuhn with three minutes left but somehow Rangers came back again right at the death with substitute Danilo heading home Cerny’s cross in an incredible finish to the regulation 90 minutes.
The teams couldn’t be separated after half an hour of extra time – during which early on there was a moment of controversy when Liam Scales pulled down Cerny but no penalty was awarded – and so it was to spot kicks to settle the 79th Scottish League Cup final – with the penalties taken into the Rangers end. Skipper James Tavernier, Adam Idah, Ianis Hagi, Callum McGregor, Danilo, Arne Engels all scored before Ridvan Yilmaz saw his effort saved by Schmiechel to hand Celtic the advantage. Butland stepped up to keep it alive but Maeda then slotted past him to win the cup.
Brendan’s perfect Hampden record has Celts out on their own
This one was always going to have a slightly bigger edge to it given the all-time trophy record was on the line. With both clubs locked on 118 major pieces of silverware, it was a chance to go out on front. And Brendan Rodgers continued his perfect Hampden record as Hoops boss to ensure it was Celtic who grabbed their chance – but it was done in dramatic fashion as Rangers pushed them all the way.
Clement derby hex continues
It’s now SIX games against Celtic without a win for Clement as his recent resurgence came to a shuddering halt but the manner in which they went down means he is unlikely to be criticised in the way he did some previous defeats. The Belgian had pulled himself back from the brink and was on the right track but it’s still another defeat at the end of the day and with a new chief executive and chairman starting on Monday it will be time for the club to take stock. The gap at the top of the Premiership will shift back into focus in the coming weeks and overall it hasn’t been good enough start to the season but if there was one way he could be forgiven losing this cup final then this was just about it.
Cup final classic
There might have been a Manchester derby on in England but these two fierce Glasgow rivals once again showed why this fixture tops the lot when they are both on it.
They went toe to toe, slugged it out and served up an absolute breathless, enthralling game. Anyone watching from England or anywhere else would have been left mightily impressed.
A Tayl of two halves
Greg Taylor certainly had an eventful part in this final. The full back could have been having nightmares over his first half blundered which handed Rangers the goal to break the deadlock. The game was so cagey it was likely to take a moment of brilliance or mistake for the opener to arrive and so it proved. The Scotland full back is currently in the middle of a contract standoff and, with Alex Valle providing competition and Alexandro Bernabei soon returning, his horror moment came at the worst possible time – not to mention the magnitude of the occasion. But he was celebrating early in the second half when his shot was deflected into the back of the net by Raskin.
Pyro plea ignored
The SPFL issued a warning to fans of both sets of fans that they ran the risk of adding to the ongoing disciplinary action against their clubs. That came after unacceptable behaviour at both semi finals with kick off delayed.
But that didn’t stop both ends lighting up and as the smoke filled the Mount Florida air, John Beaton was again forced to delay the start of the game. The Hampden beaks will be firing off another letter.
