Ange Postecoglou lauds Kyogo's 'massive shift' for Celtic recently; pundit also impressed

By Ben Evans

March 11, 2023

Kyogo Furuhashi has earned praise after Celtic advanced to the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Covering the match for BBC Sportsound, pundits such as Pat Bonner were impressed with Kyogo’s 26th goal of the season. Manager Ange Postecoglou also wholly praised the immense effort he’s put into his performances for the club over the last week.

Celtic kept their hopes of winning yet another treble alive with a 3-0 win over home side Hearts. Ange Postecoglou’s men roared to victory after Aaron Mooy opened the scoring with just two minutes on the clock before Kyogo worked his magic once again. Just before the half-time break, he doubled Celtic’s advantage with a quality back-heel flick past the goalkeeper.

These close-range goals are almost becoming synonymous with the Japanese striker, as defenders simply can’t keep up with his movement.

Alistair Johnston will also be glad to pick up his first Celtic assist so early in his career with the Hoops. The pair could end up striking up a lethal combination for a long time to come at Parkhead.

Celtic star Kyogo’s ‘glorious’ flick and Postecoglou praise

Describing Kyogo’s latest goal for BBC Sportsound, Bonner said: “It’s the movement of Kyogo across the defender, and a glorious flick at the near post. Someone has got to cut out that ball in.”

Leading up to the game, Ange admitted he was frustrated that Celtic’s players weren’t getting the ball to Kyogo enough.

Today, he praised the Japanese star again, speaking post-match [Celtic Way]: “Kyogo has had a massive shift this week. You can’t underestimate the workload he’s put in leading the line all week. But he was still running today and you could see he was really fatigued towards the end of it.

“He’s getting rewarded for the hard work he’s putting in and the quality he possesses. His teammates appreciate him and I think he appreciates playing in this team. From our perspective every time he plays, I think he’s a goal threat and I’m sure there are more goals that come.”

The Japanese forward was the hero in Celtic’s last cup game, when they overcame Rangers to win the Scottish League Cup final. Callum McGregor praised his impact that day, and will be delighted he’s found the back of the net again.

This afternoon, Cameron Carter-Vickers finished off the scoring to confirm another outing at the national stadium for the Bhoys.

Kyogo has already had the best scoring season of his career, and still has plenty of games left to play. He’s already said he wants to score 30 goals this season, and he should be able to surpass that number in all competitions.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou delivers verdict on Kobayashi and gives Starfelt injury update after HT Celtic sub.