It didn’t take him long, but Kasper Schmeichel has lifted his first trophy as a Celtic player.
There is plenty more of where that came from, as Celtic’s new goalkeeper gets a taste of what it is like representing the greatest club in Scotland.
Schmeichel replaced Joe Hart in the summer after previously working under Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City.
The 38-year-old would have seen it all during his career, including helping the Foxes become Premier League champions under Claudio Ranieri in 2016.
But Celtic’s League Cup final win over Rangers would have been on another scale for the shot-stopper because it had it all.
An end-to-end encounter, with six goals, extra-time, and penalties, including his counterpart, Jack Butland taking a spot kick for Rangers during the shootout.
Kasper Schmeichel wasn’t surprised Jack Butland took a penalty for Rangers against Celtic
In such a pressure moment, rather than an outfield player taking a penalty, it was Butland who stepped up and put the ball into the back of the net.
Butland and Schmeichel have worked together before, so they know each other well and Celtic’s number one wasn’t surprised.
The Denmark international hailed Butland as a ‘very confident’ guy and someone who has a high-level technique, as he told Premier Sports.
“That was some experience,” Schmeichel. “Incredible atmosphere, two teams proper going for it. Just very glad it worked out for us in the end.
On if he was ‘surprised’ by Butland taking a penalty: “No, no, listen, I know Jack, he is a very confident guy and he has incredible technique,” added Schmeichel.
“So, his penalty was brilliant. If he can take penalties like that as the last penalty taker under pressure, then fair play to him.”
Kasper Schmeichel’s penalty record
Butland might have scored his penalty, but his job is to save them, which he didn’t so, with Daizen Maeda scoring the winning spot-kick, alongside his four other teammates.
Schmeichel stopped Rıdvan Yılmaz’s penalty and that proved to be the trophy-winning moment.
English reporter Henry Winter touched upon Schmeichel’s penalty record on Twitter and how he has saved ‘one in four penalties’ during his career.
“Throughout his long career, Kasper Schmeichel has faced more than 115 pens and averages one save in four,” wrote Henry Winter.
“Salah, Kane, Aguero, Modric, Lukaku & Van Persie all failed against him. Schmeichel continued that form in the Scottish League Cup final, saving from Ridvan Yilmaz.”
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