CELTIC 5 FALKIRK 2
A WHIRLWIND double salvo from Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn rescued Celtic from a humiliating Premier Sports League Cup exit at Parkhead this afternoon.
The favourites were rocking and struggling a goal adrift, until the German winger was introduced along with three other substitutes just after the hour mark.
Kuhn, who deservedly picked up the Man of the Match award, set up two within TEN SECONDS for Idah and then claimed a double for himself as the challenge from John McGlynn’s side disintegrated.
The Hoops had looked a pale imitation of the team that have hit the ground running this season, but they were knocked out of their stride by gallant opponents who ended the match with 10 men after Michael McKenna’s straight red card in the fading moment for a dangerous challenge on Anthony Ralston.
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING…Adam Idah turns away after scoring the second equaliser.
At the interval, the hosts were trailing 2-1 after paying the price for some alarmingly slack defending.
The Championship side could hardly believe their good fortune as the champions continually went to sleep and their marking was non-existent at both goals.
The first strike in the 11th minute was practically gift-wrapped for the visitors’ leading marksman Ross MacIver when a simple ball launched in from the left wasn’t dealt with.
It fell to the the opposing striker who was allowed to measure two strides before whipping a low 22-yard drive wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s grasping fingers at his left-hand post.
At 1-1, the back lot staged a horrendous action replay just on the interval that must have had manager Brendan Rodgers wondering if his defenders were taking this game seriously.
Alfredo Agyeman, who had been giving debutant Alex Valle a fairly torrid time with his sheer pace on the right wing, got away from the on-loan Barcelona defender who went down after appearing to be hit on the face by a trailing arm.
Referee Calum Scott and his VAR colleagues were not impressed and the winger carried on before pitching a perfect cross into the box where Finn Yeats had the freedom of the east end of the city to rise unchallenged and place a 12-yard header wide of the static Schmeichel.
Exhibits in Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks looked more lively than a back lot who looked as if they had taken root.
NO 1…Paulo Bernardo blasts high past the helpless Nicky Hogarth.
No.2…Adam Idah turns in Nicolas Kuhn’s low cross.
No.3…Adam Idah strikes again from close range.
No.4…Nicolas Kuhn flicks the ball away from the stranded keeper.
No.5…Nicolas Kuhn (extreme right) lashes the final goal past Nicky Hogarth.
The only moment of joy in the first-half for the suffering home fans arrived in the 21st minute when Paulo Bernardo blitzed in an eye-catching equaliser.
It was a neat move as Auston Trusty and Reo Hatate combined on the left before the Japanese ace delicately lobbed a cross into the sanger zone.
Valle reacted with a neat knock down to the Portuguese playmaker who almost took the net away behind keeper Nicky Hogarth when he hit the ball full on the drop and it was a mere blur as it flew into the roof of the net.
After a slow start to the second-half, Rodgers made some expected changes in the 61st minute with four coming on to help restore balance and rythym to the team.
Off went Valle, Hatate, Forrest and Palma and on came Greg Taylor, Arne Engels, Kuhn and Yang Hyun-jun.
Nine minutes later, the hosts were level after Kuhn hared onto a pass from Ralston on the left. The pacy winger sizzled over a deadly cross and I dah was smack in front of goal to thump it past the helpless Hogarth.
The goal went to a VAR check for offside before technical match official Andrew Dallas gave it the go-ahead.
Exactly 10 seconds after Flakirk’s kick-off, Idah had the ball in the net again – and once more it was all down to the good work of Kuhn.
The speedy flanker won possession on the right, took flight down the wing before squaring inside to the Republic of Ireland international hitman.
The towering marksman stepped betwen two defenders and made no mistake as Hogarth raced from his goal-line.
The Celtic support were in full voice in the 81st minute when a sublime through pass from Engels sent Kuhn racing clear and he finished a 40-yard burst by whipping a left-foot effort into the net.
And it was Kuhn again three minutes later when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box before flashing No.5 past the overworked Hogarth,
Maik Nawrocki then came on to replace Welsh as the champions finally got over a tricky hurdle.
Bring on Aberdeen in the semi-final!
TEAM: Schmeichel; Ralston, Welsh (sub: Nawrocki 84), Trusty, Valle (sub: Taylor 61), Bernardo, McGregor, Hatate (sub: Engels 61); Forrest (sub: Kuhn 61), Idah, Palma (sub: Yang 61).
