And breathe. It’s really nerve-wracking, isn’t it? You’d have to go a long way to find a better final than this season’s, but Celtic were once again jubilant winners, taking home the League Cup.
The game at Hampton was a wild one, with both teams trailing and leading at times.
Celtic made a disastrous start against their established rivals, with Nadim Bajrami scoring but Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda scored in the second half Giving hope to Brendan Rodgers’ side.
But, but… the carnage in the final quarter of the game. Mohamed Diomande equalized for Rangers with 15 minutes left and Hoops winger Nicolas Kuhn was on course to make it three. A few minutes later, Danilo suddenly appeared and sent the game into overtime.
Nothing could separate the two teams at the end of 90 minutes, and nothing could separate them at the end of extra time. What separated them, however, was the absence of Ridvan Yilmaz.
A jubilant Celtic side won an epic final 5-4 on penalties and it certainly wasn’t all plain sailing, as left-back Taylor will certainly attest.
Greg Taylor’s digital performance
It was a roller-coaster afternoon for the left-back in a true villain-to-hero performance at Hampden.
With Alex Valle emerging this season, the Scot’s Game time in basketball jerseys decreased It was clear from his performance in the first half of the cup final why he didn’t play the full 90 minutes.
in words Martin Dowden interviewed by BBC SportIt was an “unconscious moment” from the defender that led to Rangers opening the scoring.
Taylor attempted a simple pass to Cameron Carter-Vickers but Bajrami intercepted the ball and sprinted towards goal before passing the ball to Hamza Igamane. His shot was initially blocked by Kasper Schmeichel, but Bajrami converted easily on the follow-up.
Fortunately for the Boyles, the Scotland international made amends for a disastrous second-half error with a goal of his own.
Kuhn’s corner kick was passed to the full-back on the edge of the box and he knocked the ball into the back of the net with a powerful deflection from Nicholas Raskin’s outstretched leg.
So with that moment of luck, there’s no doubt Taylor was the worst player in green and white on Sunday. Instead, that honor should probably go to midfielder Leo Hartart.
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Reo Hatate’s performance against Rangers
The Japanese star could be a truly wonderful player on his time, especially Scored 9 goals and assisted 11 times During the 2022/23 election campaign.
The 2023/24 season has been plagued by injuries and this season, when you consider his performance against Rangers on Sunday, it feels like he’s still struggling to get up to speed.
After Maeda Daizen gave Celtic a 2-1 lead in the second half, Neil Lennon lamented in the commentary that important moments require great players. Although one Japanese star found some form at critical moments, his compatriot Wave hand really failed to do this. Work in the Park Center.
He was guilty of giving up possession too often and was subsequently fined Daily Record rates player 6/10 He noted that he “struggles to play to his strengths” during the game.
Auston Trusty was substituted at half-time, but Hartart was not supposed to return for the second half, either.
The 27-year-old set the tone for his performance with a poor display just five minutes into the game. Nervous about the cup final? Maybe. Regardless, this wasn’t the caliber and quality we’ve come to expect from a midfielder, the aforementioned Taylor had the ball handed to him but he let it slip through his feet and was straight out.
That was really representative of his performance and representative of the Celtics’ first half. Their performance improved greatly over the next 45 minutes, but Hartart didn’t do much to really inspire his side and he will find himself lucky to start the next game, with Arn ·Engels (providing Kuhn’s goal) is waiting on the wing.
At least, he did score from the penalty spot, but the Hoops will count their lucky stars that Hatat’s overall performance didn’t knock them down tonight. Once again they will leave as trophy winners.
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