Celtic have won yet another derby this season with a 1-0 victory over Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday.
Portuguese star Jota was the hero of the afternoon, netting a header from close range after Daizen Maeda showed superb quick-thinking and craft to catch out the Rangers defence with a sumptuous cross in the first half.
Undoubtedly it was a difficult afternoon, especially in the second half protecting a lead, but the Bhoys have delivered on the big stage again and now a treble of trophies is in sight. This could end up being a very famous season in the club’s history. Manager Ange Postecoglou was understandably delighted post-match.
Postecoglou delighted after Celtic beat Rangers
He said [BBC Radio Scotland, 16:14]: “It’s the semi-final of a cup, it was a big prize to get into the final, we knew what was at stake and knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game today. Credit to the lads, they played their football when they needed to. It’s just a non-negotiable with this team, they just work hard – defensively the whole group. I’m super proud of them.
“That’s what we do. Dare I say, we never stop. We’re always focused and always involved, always alert. We force the opposition into mistakes and then we have the quality. It’s a great ball across and Jota knows where he needs to be.
“We’ve given ourselves the opportunity to do something special. We still have to get the job done, that’s the key thing. The progress we’ve made as a team and as a club over the last 23, 24 months is immense. It’s a credit to everyone involved – players, staff. They’ve taken on the challenge of rebounding as a football club very, very quickly knowing that if they don’t, the alternative is very hard to break out of.”
Celtic now move on to another big match. Next weekend it’s a trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. A win in that one will deliver another league title. If that happens, there will be a few weeks of pressure-free, victory-lap football, including a brilliant trophy day at Celtic Park.
The Bhoys will then face Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday, June 3rd at Hampden for that chance to shoot for a glorious treble. As Ange says, it’d be something special.
In other news, Carter-Vickers season over, Johnston injury, Abada update; latest from Ange after Celtic win.
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