Six goals, 10 yellow cards, extra time and a penalty shootout that was won by the narrowest of margins. there will be no consolation Rangers that they played their part in the Hampden Park epic. The scale of Celtic’s celebration as they claimed the League Cup gave a tacit understanding of how difficult it would be to work there.
Ridvan Yilmaz proved Rangers’ fall guy. Rangers’ Turkish back was only dropped from the opening 10 spot, Kasper Schmeichel was caught low to his left. So the Celtic tradition took over to win one domestic trophy last season.
The final started at 120 mph and didn’t let up until extra time, when both teams were visibly distraught. Jack Butland denied Nicolas Kühn and Reo Hatate as Celtic the first end was pursued. Leon Balogun put Rangers ahead, but a cross from James Tavernier was headed over the line. But the story is that, before time, and dignissim ex. Celtic were clearly short of their best in the opening 45 minutes. A Greg Taylor error gave Rangers their opening goal. Nedim Bajrami played in Hamza Igamane, whose shot was saved by Schmeichel. Bajrami repulses the rebound.
Celtic would turn the tables four minutes into the second half. Taylor flicked a shot from 19 yards past Nicolas Raskin, leaving Butland helpless. If Raskin was hardly at fault, the poor fellow put his header towards Balogun Daizen Maeda’s free for Celtic’s second. The Japanese advance made no mistake as they rushed to the finish line.
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It would have been a mistake in that situation to believe that the storyteller would accept his fate. Celtic led to a short corner, with Mohamed Diomande able to pull Arne Engels. Diomandes deflected Kyogo Furuhashi’s shot beyond Schmeichel. Game on.
A Celtic fifth, one of the two acrid between Kühn and Engels, resulting in a typically cold German home. Rangers struck again, Vaclav Cerny heading a terrific cross from the right flank through Danilo’s place.
No team could call an extra time winner. Nor did it appear that, either. They felt that the punishment was a fitting conclusion. There, a Celtic who held his nerve. After Yilmaz missed, Maeda rattled home the decisive kick.
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