Skysports Celtic Rangers League Cup 6776954.jpg

Celtic 3 – 3 Rangers


Daizen Maeda was Celtic's penalty hero as they beat Rangers to win the League Cup in a wild final at Hampden Park which ended 3-3 after extra time.

The winger scored the winning spot-kick after scoring in a dramatic display as Philippe Clement was left still looking for his first victory over their Old Firm rivals.

It was an event full of drama when Greg Taylor made amends to give Nedim Bajrami his first game for Rangers with a chance after the break.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 15: Celtic's Daizen Maeda scores the winning penalty during the FA Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on December 15, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland . (Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group)

A clinical finish from Maeda put Celtic ahead again only for Mohamed Diomande to pull Rangers back level. Nicolas Kuhn thought he had wrapped up Celtic's victory, only for Gers substitute Danilo to immediately respond to take the game into extra time.

Kasper Schmeichel denied Ridvan Yilmaz from the spot, with Maeda securing the win to maintain Brendan Rodgers' Hampden winning record and keep the Hoops on course for a domestic treble.

Celtic's domestic dominance continues

Both sets of fans let off pyrotechnics before the game
Image:
Both sets of fans let off pyrotechnics before the game

Events off the pitch preceded the derby classic in Glasgow.

Both sets of fans stopped pyrotechnics that caught smoke in the stadium, despite both clubs coming under scrutiny for similar behavior in their semi-finals.

It was a typical start with the first chance falling apart when Ianis Hagi hit a loose ball at the back post, but Kasper Schmeichel blocked his effort before Cameron Carter-Vickers cleared the danger.

Jack Butland then made a brilliant double save to deny Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate on the rebound before Kyogo Furuhashi forced another save soon after.

Nedim Bajrami gives Rangers the lead in the Scottish League Cup final
Image:
Nedim Bajrami gives Rangers the lead in the Scottish League Cup final

It was end to end and Schmeichel responded to stop Leon Balogun's header and James Tavernier's cross setting up a great chance for Rangers.

There was no real quality to the game in the second half, but Nedim Bajrami opened the scoring before the break after a mistake by Greg Taylor allowed Bajrami to burst through to set up Hamza Igamane. The attacker was denied by Schmeichel, but Bajrami was there to fire in the rebound.

Brendan Rodgers made an emergency half-time change with Liam Scales replacing the injured Auston Trusty as Celtic looked for a return to the final.

The defender headed just wide from Paulo Bernardo's free-kick before another mistake from Taylor Carter-Vickers left Rangers four-man – where he led a last-ditch challenge to stop Igamane from ' double the lead.

Greg Taylor equalizes for Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final
Image:
Greg Taylor equalizes for Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final

Butland then denied Kuhn and Kyogo went close before Taylor made up for his mistakes as his strike took a huge lift and sailed past the Gers keeper and into the net .

That lifted Celtic and McGregor fired over the bar before Maeda's sensational finish put Celtic ahead, the player bringing the ball down before firing low into the net.

But Rangers weren't about to give up, and after Ridvan Yilmaz fired in and Schmeichel pulled off a brilliant save, they were back level when Diomande's shot curled past the Hoops keeper.

Nicolas Kuhn thought he had won it for Celtic when he swept Arne Engles' ball home in the 87th minute, only for Danilo to come off the bench to level the game just 21 seconds later and take to overtime.

Celtic ended extra time – Rangers were looking out of sorts – but the goals dried up before the penalty shootout.

Kasper Schmeichel saves Ridvan Yilmaz penalty to earn Celtic victory in Scottish League Cup final
Image:
Kasper Schmeichel saves Ridvan Yilmaz penalty to earn Celtic victory in Scottish League Cup final

Schmeichel was beaten by Tavernier, Hagi and Danilo before stopping Yilmaz's penalty, with Gers goalkeeper Butland also scoring.

But Celtic did not fail from the spot, with Adam Idah, captain Callum McGregor, Engels and Hatate netting before Maeda won the victory.

What's next?



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *