While the dust begins to settle on a seismic Scottish Cup victory at Ibrox, the praise for Celtic’s newest hero is extending far beyond the walls of Parkhead.
Viljami Sinisalo may have arrived as a relatively unknown quantity last summer, but his performance under the most intense scrutiny has earned him a standing ovation from the elite.
It isn’t just the Celtic Park faithful who are taking notice; even Premier League stars and ex-teammates are queuing up to acknowledge Sinisalo’s masterclass against Rangers.
Leading the social media praise were Aston Villa captain John McGinn and former Celtic striker Adam Idah, with the latter describing Sinisalo’s display over the 120 minutes, and then during the penalty shootout, as ‘top.’
Who was your Celtic man of the match against Rangers?
Viljami Sinisalo gets his deserved flowers after Celtic beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup
For McGinn, a man whose family is deeply rooted in Celtic’s history, the performance from Sinisalo earned applause.
The boyhood Celtic fan would have watched Sinisalo come through at Aston Villa, before he left in 2024 as a free transfer and joined the champions of Scotland.
On the other hand, Idah would have seen firsthand the goalkeeper’s rapid ascent at Lennoxtown.
In a match where the margin for error was non-existent, Sinisalo’s bravery throughout the game – and his handling throughout the siege – has officially announced his arrival as a mainstay in Celtic’s XI.
This was Sinisalo’s message on Instagram following Celtic’s penalty shootout victory over Rangers:
‘Togetherness 🍀,’ wrote the Finnish star. ‘Thank you for the amazing support.’
And then in the comments section of Sinisalo’s IG post, several players reacted to the goalkeeper’s display against the Gers.
- John McGinn: ‘👏👏’
- Auston Trusty: ‘Vamos!!!’
- Adam Idah: ‘Top!!’
- Colby Donovan: ‘😎😎😎’
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