Celtic managed to rally late on to defeat Livingston 4-2 this afternoon and advance to the last four of the Scottish Cup.
Daizen Maeda struck a first-half double on either side of a goal for the visitors from Daniel MacKay, who exposed the Bhoys’ flailing backline to give David Martindale’s outfit hope in the tie.
Despite being the dominant force within proceedings, Tete Yengi capitalised on a lapse in concentration from Matt O’Riley before leaving Joe Hart with no chance to level the scoring at the 54th-minute mark.
Nevertheless, Celtic’s attacking quality shone through, and Brendan Rodgers’ men made their quality count, courtesy of Maeda ghosting in at the back post to seal his hat-trick with four minutes of normal time left following a Tomoki Iwata centre.
Putting the seal on a successful day’s work, Kyogo Furuhashi sprung the offside trap to cooly slot past Michael McGovern in the Livingston goal, granting his side a place in the draw for the Scottish Cup semi-final tomorrow evening.
Speaking post-match, Rodgers praised the mentality of his players to battle through against the Lions despite having the likes of Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers absent due to injury.
He stated: “We got ourselves into the semi-final. You can see the players we had missing and the difference it makes to the team. But you’ve still got to show that mentality and drive and ambition to get there.”
Pat Bonner delivers glowing verdict on Celtic’s Daizen Maeda
Undoubtedly, Maeda was the start of the show today for Celtic, picking up a hat-trick and providing a constant threat down the left-hand side that was difficult to tame.
Former Hoops goalkeeper Pat Bonner was also in agreement, as he sang the Japan international’s praises live on air following his third goal.
The Irishman believes his exploits against Livingston could provide Maeda with a platform to get himself on the scoresheet regularly.
Bonner explained live on BBC Radio Sportsound: “It was a great moment to get a hat-trick; that is a real confidence booster for him. I think he’s looked really sharp today.
“For a couple of weeks there, I thought he was jaded a little bit. He looked jaded, and he didn’t look sharp, but today, he’s looked really, really up for it.”
He later added after the match: “I thought they (Celtic) were much brighter in those forward areas. Especially in the wide areas, I thought Nicolas Kuhn had a decent game, especially in the first half.
“I thought Maeda, his sharpness, energy, his anticipation and (ability to) get in the right position. (He is) an example to young people that when the ball is on the opposite side, he gets into the areas.
“He might miss a few, which he normally does, but today, he was on song, so I think that was the brightest bit of the team today.
Celtic did what they needed to do against Livingston
Granted, there were a few scary moments from a defensive perspective today; however, Celtic were exciting to watch going forward and deservedly made their way into the semi-final.
According to BBC Sport, the Scottish Cup holders took 31 shots, 11 of which were on target, and recorded 77% possession, making for some convincing statistics that would’ve looked even more impressive if their rearguard stayed watertight.
Regardless of the circumstances, cup football is about putting your name in the hat. Celtic now find themselves one game away from a first showpiece occasion at the national stadium this season.
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