Cameron Carter-Vickers has shared his relief over a heart-stopping moment during the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, where he feared he had conceded a last-minute penalty.

In the dying moments of extra time, Carter-Vickers was involved in a contentious incident with Aberdeen winger Junior Hoilett.

As the match teetered on the edge, with both teams poised at 3-3, the tension at Hampden Park was palpable. Carter-Vickers, in a desperate bid to thwart a potential goal-scoring opportunity, made contact with Hoilett as he attempted to clear the ball.

This incident initially seemed to have given Aberdeen a golden opportunity to seize control with a late penalty. However, the situation took a dramatic turn when referee Don Robertson decided against awarding the penalty, citing a prior foul on Celtic’s Alistair Johnston.

Reflecting on the nerve-wracking moments, Carter-Vickers admitted, “Yes, I did [think he conceded a penalty], to be honest. It probably was a foul. We didn’t get given the (earlier) foul before but then we did. I thought it was given but then when it wasn’t I was happy. You obviously don’t want to concede late and then you’re thinking at that point it’s going to penalties. I was praying. The ref just said it was a foul against Alistair Johnston. And then I saw VAR was checking it. I said to him ‘If you’ve seen it on the pitch then just stick to your decision.” [RecordSport]

Ultimately, the decision not to award the penalty stood, allowing Celtic to survive into a penalty shootout, where they triumphed 6-5. This victory enabled Celtic to advance to the Scottish Cup Final, and they’ll find out their opponents on Sunday evening.