CELTIC 2 KILMARNOCK 1
CELTIC turned what should have been a Scottish Cup stroll into a struggle against Kilmarnock at Parkhead tonight.
Brendan Rodgers watched his players miss a remarkable catalogue of chances before goals from Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda got the job done.
As they did against Dundee in midweek when they had to rely on a stoppage-time penalty-kick from Arne Engels to salvage a draw after twice being in the lead, the Hoops again appeared hell bent in making life difficult for themselves.
Captain McGregor delivered a superbly-struck opener in the 12th minute, but team-mates Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate then contrived to pass up THREE excellent chances to add to the lead.
HANDS UP IF YOU’VE JUST SCORED…a delighted Callum McGregor.
And the hosts paid the price in first-half added-on time when Bobby Wales was left unmarked at the back post to scramble in the equaliser after VAR ruled a handball from Robbie Deas in the lead-up was okay.
Killie boss Derek McInnes must have been looking out the cigars and champagne at the interval to celebrate still being in the competition.
But for the wasteful finishes from the Hoops the tie would have been done and dusted inside half-an-hour.
In fact, Nicolas Kuhn also spurned a fabulous opportunity in 22 SECONDS when he took a heavy touch as he raced clear into the box onto a pass from Hatate.
The expected piece of control from the German never materialised, he let the ball run away from him and allowed keeper Robby McCrorie to sprint from his goal and throw himself at his feet to divert the danger.
Unfortunately, the netminder took a blow to the head and, after two minutes of onfield treatment, was taken off with substitute Kieran O’Hara taking his place.
One of his first actions should have been to pick the ball out of the net in the eighth minute after an astonishing quickfire episode of play.
Kasper Schmeichel managed to get a fingertip to a Hugh Murray 25-yard free-kick to divert the ball onto the crossbar.
The ball was cleared, Kuhn sent Maeda hurtling clear into the box, but the winger elected for power rather than precision and clattered the ball off the keeper.
THE OPENER…Callum McGregor (left) fires a low drive past diving Killie keeper Kieran O’Hara.
O’Hara, though, was left helpless when McGregor sent an effort straight and low into his left-hand corner from 25 yards for a well-deserved breakthrough goal.
And then the Hoops passed up a sequence of glorious openings to add to the skipper’s strike.
In the 20th minute, Hatate sent Kyogo in the clear and it looked a goal all the way as he had only O’Hara to beat, but he unbelievably hit whipped an effort wide of the post.
It didn’t get much better nine minutes later when Hatate thumped a low right-wing cross from Engels over the bar from four yards.
And then Kyogo elected to pass when it looked like a shot was the obvious action and his pass to Kuhn was booted clear by Deas.
Celtic were playing with fire and they were burned when Killie levelled just before the turnaround.
THE CLINCHER…Daizen Maeda slides in the goal that sealed a place in the next round of the Scottish Cup.
The holders started the second-half on the front foot, but, in keeping with the opening period, chances came and went and Kuhn was slow to react to an inviting left-wing cross from Kyogo that fizzed across goal in the 46th minute.
Just after the hour mark, Kyogo received a Hatate pass, but ballooned his shot into the crowd from the edge of the box.
In the 68th minute, Paulo Bernardo replaced the ineffective Engels who was toiling to find his range and vision.
Two minutes later, Meada at last netted the crucial winning goal as he brought an end to an alarming conveyor belt of blown opportunities.
Alistair Johnston, Kyogo and Kuhn were all involved in the build-up that was completed when the speedy winger came in from the left, took a touch with his left and then slipped a low right-foot effort under the exposed and helpless keeper.
Near the end, Maeda had the ball in the net again, but was ruled offside by VAR in an extremely tight call.
HAPPY DAZE…Daizen Maeda celebrates his Cup winner.
There was another escape for the visitors when Kuhn clattered the crossbar with a rasping 20-yard left-footer and Hatate took the rebound on his chest before walloping a half-volley at the target, but O’Hara clawed his netbound shot round the post for a corner-kick.
In the 83rd minute, Liam Scales and Adam Idah replaced Taylor and Kyogo before Luke McCowan came on for Hatate as the clock ticked down.
Kuhn also contrived to pass up a glorious chance when he swept one past the far post after being set up by Idah.
So, the holders are in Monday night’s draw, but they really made this a lot more difficult than it should have been.
The firing squad might need some shooting practice before they take on Switzerland’s Young Boys in the Champions League at the same venue on Wednesday evening.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor (sub: Scales 83) Engels (sub: Bernardo 68), McGregor, Hatate (sub: McCowan 92); Kuhn, Kyogo (sub: Idah 83), Maeda.
