Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston thinks he and his teammates have an ‘underlying confidence’ that they can always win big games no matter the circumstance.
That was no more apparent than in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final when Rangers pushed the Bhoys all the way to penalties.
Philippe Clement’s men went ahead near the end of the first half, only to be pegged back by Greg Taylor not long into the second. Daizen Maeda put the Hoops ahead on the hour mark, but Mohamed Diomande soon levelled things up again.
Nicolas Kuhn’s strike, which looked like the winner, was then cancelled out by Danilo’s header.
The game went to extra time, and when the sides still couldn’t be separated, penalties ensued, where the Bhoys came through. Johnston thinks his team’s experience usually helps them in such moments: “We’ve got plenty of guys in this team who have played in big matches and cup finals,” he said (Glasgow Times).
“I think there is that underlying confidence we have that no matter how tough it gets, we’ve won these matches before in the past, and we can rely on that killer instinct to get us through some tough moments.”
Full of serial winners such as James Forrest and Callum McGregor, Celtic’s squad has an elite mentality, which has been apparent throughout their historic run of domestic dominance over the past decade and more.
The Hoops are the dominant force in Scottish football and have an innate capability to come through and win even when the going gets tough, just like Sunday.
The dramatic Hampden victory sealed the first part of what fans hope is a ninth domestic treble.
