Celtic captain Callum McGregor doesn’t think he and his teammates were anywhere near the level required in this afternoon’s Premier Sports Cup final.
The Hoops emerged victorious from a topsy, turvy match, which ended three apiece after 120 minutes.
A penalty shootout ensued, and Kasper Schmeichel’s save, along with five perfect spot-kicks from Adam Idah, McGregor, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, and Daizen Maeda, helped the Bhoys win.
The game took years off fans of both clubs, but tonight, it is the green and white half of Glasgow who will be rejoicing in some early Christmas cheer.
The 90 minutes were chaotic. Rangers took a first half lead through Nedim Bajrami before a quick fire double from Greg Taylor and Maeda put Brendan Rodgers’ men in front before the hour mark. Nicolas Kuhn made it 3-2 before Danilo hit back seconds later.
After the game was settled on penalties, Hoops skipper McGregor admitted his side’s performance wasn’t at the required standard: “We played nowhere near the level,” he said (Premier Sports)
“We didn’t start playing until 10, 15 minutes into the second half.
“It goes to penalties, they say it’s a lottery, but credit to the players, they showed amazing quality under so much pressure. [It feels] amazing to get the first silverware of the season.”
Although Celtic didn’t play to the best of their abilities in normal time, it is a testament to their elite winning mentality that they came through and secured the Premier Sports Cup. Rangers must be wondering what on earth they need to do to beat Rodgers’ men.
