Celtic matchwinners Daizen Maeda and Callum McGregor discussed the Hoops’ hard-fought win against Kilmarnock in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup at Celtic Park this evening.
With Celtic at times guilty of being wasteful in front of goal, the duo ultimately proved the difference. McGregor opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a sensational strike from range. Maeda himself netted the winner in the 70th minute after a Nicolas Kühn through ball found the Japanese winger, who, on his return from injury, calmly slotted past Killie substitute goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara.
Celtic supporters have come to expect brilliance from McGregor from range this season, including against the likes of Rangers, Hibernian, and St Mirren. However, Maeda showed his calmness under pressure, with his finishing previously questioned. He demonstrated, on his comeback, exactly what Celtic have missed over the last week.
With Maeda and McGregor revealing how they felt after the game.
When asked by Connie McLaughlin, “How happy are you at being in that draw on Monday night?” Maeda said: (Premier Sports),”I am happy to score a goal and win. Yeah, I am happy.”
With Celtic skipper McGregror adding: “The job is to be in the next round of the hat, and we’ve done that today. There was some unbelievable football at times, I can’t believe it’s only 2-1. We created so many chances, and on another day, it could’ve been so comfortable for us. So, a wee bit of work to do on the finishing, but the guys have been superb all season. The main thing is our name’s in the hat for the next round.”
“It’s always a tough game, a little bit of man-to-man stuff, so you’ve got to open the pitch and get running. But the game should’ve been more comfortable than it was.
“The finishing level from the boys has been unbelievable all season, but especially in cup games. If you can make the game more comfortable for yourself early on, we should probably have been 3 or 4 up in the first 25 minutes. Sometimes you just get games like that.”
Celtic were wasteful in front of goal at times; ultimately, the result is the most important takeaway from the game. A 2-1 win over Premiership opposition in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup is respectable, particularly given the chances the Hoops created.
If Celtic hadn’t created chances and only had two on target all game, there would be room for concern. However, as Celtic enter a huge game on Wednesday night against Young Boys at Celtic Park, with a chance to secure a place in the Champions League knockout playoffs, the opportunity is there against the Swiss champions to make history at Paradise.
After a hard-fought win in which they were tested this evening, Brendan Rodgers will hope the Bhoys can take it up another gear on Wednesday night, adding the killer instinct that has been missing recently.
