Credit to Aberdeen and Celtic for offering up a classic cup tie at Hampden on Saturday. You and I watch a lot of football, but we seldom get to enjoy two teams going at it from the first to last minute.
Aberdeen manager-elect, Jimmy Thelin, must have watched, wondering just how a team that can put in two hours football like that are sitting ninth in the Scottish Premiership. We’ll leave him to ponder that one.
The game came alive in the second minute, when Cameron Carter-Vickers was caught square-on to the play, when he should have shifted his body shape to follow Bojan Miovski. Joe Hart got a leg to the Macedonian’s shot but it wasn’t enough; Aberdeen had an early lead.
Central defender, Angus MacDonald, pondered on the ball, which was enough to encourage Kyogo to pounce and rob him of possession. Bearing in on goal, Kyogo’s first forward touch was poor, which allowed Gartenmann to get a leg in front of the striker and block his shot. However, Nicolas Kuhn was on hand to stroke the ball into an empty net.
James Forrest replaced Yang, who had struggled playing out of position on the left, on the hour mark. Within three minutes James had marked his territory with a drive inside and shot, before repeating the feat and scoring on the second attempt. Keeper Roos was unsighted and had little chance to make the stop.
On most occasions, that would be that, but Aberdeen had battled throughout and were not about to give up without a fight. A goalmouth scramble saw a Junior Hoilett beat Hart but not Carter-Vickers, who blocked on the line.
The game peaked as it entered the 90th minute. Hoilett, a 33-year-old Canadian international, created the best move of the afternoon. He pitched a cross between a deep Celtic defensive line and the goalkeeper, which dropped into the six-yard-box in front of goal for Sokler to attack. Brendan Rodgers will ask questions about the other two goals Celtic lost, but this one was a peach.
Aberdeen seemed to flag during the first period of extra time. Connor Barron picked up an injury five minutes before the break in extra time but Aberdeen interim manager, Peter Leven, decided to hold off making a change. As the first period entered added time, Alistair Johnston hit the bye-line and cut back for Matt O’Riley, who scored Celtic’s third and gave them a lead which most fans assumed would be decisive.
As play entered the second period of extra time, Aberdeen were without Barron and Miovski, their best two players, but they would not be denied. In the last minute of extra time, Brendan Rodgers hooked James Forrest to put on an additional central defender, Maik Nawrocki. Before the Pole settled, Aberdeen found space on the wing James Forrest had been working.
Celtic were playing five at the back, with Nawrocki to the right of the central defensive three, patrolling the box. It didn’t work. We had no pressure on the ball to stop the cross, and Nawrocki was caught in no man’s land, available only to block a low cross, when the ball went high. Aberdeen’s stand-in captain for the day, MacDonald, made amends for his mistake at the first Celtic goal to send the game to penalties.
Who knew Celtic had six good penalty takers? Idah, Palma, O’Riley, Bernardo, Johnston and Iwata all scored with ice-cool precision. Three kicks were missed, the first, after Aberdeen keeper went over on his ankle, causing a lengthy delay before his team-mate, Ryan Duncan, was able to take his attempt.
Coincidentally, we talked on Thursday about the effects of a penalty taker forced to delay taking his kick. It cost Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva against Real Madrid and proceeded Ryan Duncan’s kick against the post.
Joe Hart watched his former side against Real and saw their keeper, Ederson, score in the shoot-out. I expect his motivation to take Celtic’s fifth penalty came from watching Ederson on Wednesday, not from weeks of meticulous practice demonstrating he was one of our better penalty takers. Confidence is important in these situations, but not as important as practice.
The smile on Joe’s face after his miss was a coping mechanism. He needed to demonstrate he was still in control to himself as much as anyone else. He might not be a good penalty taker, but he’s an experienced professional.
14 penalties taken, 12 on target, the first 11 of which found the net. Joe got his arms to Killian Phillips attempt to put Celtic into the final.
Occasionally, you will see losing fans turn and leave the moment the losing kick is made. On Saturday, both sets of fans remained to congratulate their sides on a performance which drained the public as much as the players. This is Scottish football.
40 years ago there was a forward for Oldco who was known as ‘Polaris’, for his ability to dive like a nuclear submarine. I don’t know if there was an unspoken understanding between John MacDonald and match officials, but to his credit, MacDonald at least did his work in an era before VAR. How utterly stupid would you have to be to be faced with an open goal and crash to the ground, hoping for a penalty instead when VAR can review your act? You wonder what Silva has been told about how life in Scotland works.
Fabio was offered around by Wolves in January. It wasn’t just his £50k a week wages that turned off all but the most gulible, it wasn’t even his theatrics. Fabio ended up where he did because of his ability.
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Just a wee thought about Aberdeens Two Headed Goals v Celtic on Saturday.
Considering how long BOTH Crosses were in the AIR until Aberdeen players scored with their Headers….MAYBE Joe Hart could be expected to leave his Goal Line and either catch the Crosses…or at least Punch the Ball away.
Those Crosses came from out wide, and surely Joe Hart could have realised that our defence would struggle with those Crossers due to the lack of height and/or ability to deal with said Crosses ?
Maybe I am being too harsh on our Goalie ?
HH.
Good afternoon all from the Brazen Head. Monday club in full swing. 🍺
Jeffers and Wayne Rooney both attended De La Salle School in Liverpool at the same time. There were hopes that they would both play in the same team for England. Don’t think it happened, although Jeffers did play for their U21s.
Testing
AN DÚN on 22ND APRIL 2024 12:46 PM
We’re in a position we could only dream off ten days ago. Dundee is important because it’s the next game but if we can get to the last 4 games 3 points clear then we’re big favourites.
Scales won’t be dropped. I suspect we’ll continue to get minutes into CalMac but certainly, I’d expect Yang to sit out Dens Park.
……………
Yang ripped Dundee to shreds on the recent 7-1 game at Parkhead. He took the highly praised Owen Beck apart and was given a standing ovation by the crowd as he walked the long route round the pitch when he was subbed.
Just in fae a walk in the park………….who shud i meet but none other than the Great Celt Daniel Fergus McGrain.
got ma foto taken annaw annaw
WOW
TIMBHOY163 on 22ND APRIL 2024 1:50 PM
Scales and Taylor both were found out when it comes to defending same Aberdeen player puts to crosses to the far left post 2 goals scored,
*Canadian international Junior Hoilett who has 62 caps as a left winger signed for Blackburn Rovers at the age of 13 after turning down Manure, he was loaned to SC Paderborn and FC St. Pauli in the Bundesliga, he spent 9 years at Rovers transferring to Queens Park Rangers where he spent a further 4 years alternating between the Premier League and Championship before moving to Cardiff where in his second season with them, he helped the side win promotion to the Premier League, after 5 years there he moved on to Reading for another 2 seasons eventually returning to Canada and the MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps for 1 season arriving at Pittodrie to joining Neil Warnock on a short term deal earlier this year
He was part of the Canadian squad at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023, reaching the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament and also was played for them in all 3 of their games at the 2022 Qatar World Cup
Although I don’t personally know him I do have acquaintances who do so have followed his career, so, how’s about a bit of credit where its due as he’s no slouch, now I’m no advocating we sign him or someone his age as we do have James Forrest but he gave his fellow countryman a hard time when he come on
Big Jimmy from earlier this morning, yes my Hospital pre op assessment took about 2 hours and all good to go for a new knee. Just waiting on a date but they said it could and should be imminent. In case anything from pre op changes.
Oops I shouldn’t have said that in case people think I am a malky that is content, oops malcont or whatever.
Thanks for asking.
D. :)
David66
Good luck with the op. Unfortunately your surgeon is Hiram T. Hackenslash.
D66
Always complaining. Never complimenting PL :)
fkn BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
There is an argument being made that we should lose the hyphen in our typed text and only use it in hand-written text (see what I did there).
However I have just come across an unhyphenated phrase that has made me plump for keeping the hyphen. In a description of a film that I have not seen, it was said that Will Smith used deaging effects. I thought, perhaps, someone with the surname Deaging had maybe invented an effect but why then was there no Capitalisation of the D?
Was it a word I was unfamiliar with?
What does it mean to deag?
Reading on, in context, I was enlightened that the effect was to make him look younger and the word should have been de-aging or possibly de-ageing. Am I alone in wanting to preserve the hyphen?
Dobwin 1.21
How many monikers do you have?
Jhb
Cloud9
Superannuated fenian
Andrena
Are you making up a flute band?
When are you the finished article?
It was am incredible game. thats without doubt.
Howeva….the rather simple way our midfield was nullified by man marking, the complete failure of our wide players to create, the brittle nature of our defence, particularly on the left , ll give serious case for concern.
BR has a task ahead, but if he working within a budget, then GL, left back and Left CH are the critical positions for me
Gotta say, we missed Maeda big time, as without him Greig is far less effective.
Must sort out defence.
Some one asked Idi Amin what he was going to do about defence, He said, de man with de nails will fix it de morning
Get my coat
KINGLuBO
Tontine Tim – agreed re Junior Hoilett.
The main reason I tempered my frustration at our weak defending of goals two and three was the quality of the crosses.
Back in the day, I vividly recall Hoilett tearing it up for Blackburn Rovers.
He was a brilliant player.
I couldn’t believe he didn’t get picked up by a bigger club.
BTW – I also couldn’t believe he wasn’t in the reckoning for the England squad … until someone helpfully pointed out he was Canadian.
🤦🤦🤦
I see AJ is still exempt from criticism.
“I see AJ is still exempt from criticism.”
No he’s not. You criticized him earlier.
SFtB at 3.10pm
You are far from alone, sir – I am pro-hyphen.
QB 12.32.
Thanks for clearing that up 👍
The 2nd and 3rd Aberdeen scorers were both booked for running to the crowd. That is very easily checked & verified. It took me lesz than a minute, but it’s much easier to come on here and ask why they weren’t booked.
Also, the rule is that when a team of players run to the crowd, only the goalscorer is yellow-carded.
The hypocrisy from some posters on here is breathtaking. One minute they want Coventry to be awarded an offside goal because the player who crossed for the goal was only a wee bit offside AND he was 35 yards out when he received the ball AND the offside saved the “establishment club” AND “VAR is killing the game” next minute they want 10 Aberdeen players booked for going to celebrate with the crowd.
https://thecelticstar.com/opinion-brendan-rodgers-digging-his-heels-in-over-liam-scales/
With friends like these who needs enemies?
I’m not Liam Scales biggest fan … far from it …. but we’ve got a league to win.
Surely not too much to ask of the so called Celtic supporting clickbaiters that they put their negative op eds on hold for five weeks and a day?
ERATIC on 22ND APRIL 2024 4:10 PM
QB 12.32.
“Thanks for clearing that up 👍”
There is no clearing it up sadly – unless refs are allowed to explain themselves. Sadly wont happen as that would be far too transparent and would expose how incompetent most are.
QB
Thanks guys for the messages and texts about the operation.
Even Adi dassler a real Bobby dassler in real life.
Can we all just accept that we have different views regarding players, performances etc but all agree that the board need to go, ffs even WITS has came around to knowing the board are useless.
Let’s get behind the team we all want the same thing to play football the Glasgow Celtic way and get trophy’s in the bag.
COYBIG
Could you all say a wee prayer for my sister in law (Michelle) after her fall down the stairs in her house on Friday, she has quite severe injuries at least 9 broken ribs, collar bone and others,and will be in hospital for a while, so any prayers are welcomed. Michelle is a right good Celtic Ghirl. Not that it matters.
Thanks in advance.
D. :)
Test
Why is Liam Scales still getting stick for Aberdeen 2nd and 3rd goals the real culprit was Alastair Johnston who twice, stood a yard back from the players who put the cross in.
he made no attempt to close them down at all, and let them cross with no challenge.
As Alan Hansen used to say terrible defending.
MICHELLE…….Get well very soon young lady.
All the best.
HH.
Why is it hypocrisy to have an opinion?
FIELDOFDRAMS on 22ND APRIL 2024 4:05 PM
SFtB at 3.10pm
Free the hypen-one!
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 22ND APRIL 2024 4:17 PM
The 2nd and 3rd Aberdeen scorers were both booked for running to the crowd. That is very easily checked & verified. It took me lesz than a minute, but it’s much easier to come on here and ask why they weren’t booked.
Also, the rule is that when a team of players run to the crowd, only the goalscorer is yellow-carded.
……………….
I asked ” IF” ANY Aberdeen players were Booked ? I wouldnt have a clue how to check that over 48 hours later ?
I did NOT ask ” Why werent they Booked”, because I had NO IDEA IF any Aberdeen player got Booked or not when celebrating their Goals.
As for the ” RULE” that ONLY the Goal Score is Booked…What IF the Goal Scorer runs towards the Crowd and STOPS short of jumping into the Crowd, but some of his Team Mates DO celebrate amongst the Crowd ?
What happened to the RULE, that ANY Player MUST NOT leave the Field of Play WITHOUT the Refs PERMISSION ?
Has that RULE been Binned ?
I also made NO mention of anything to do with Coventry and/or Offside or not…that was some other Posters on here.
QUEENS PARK GIRLS TEAM
The under12 girls WIN the boys league unbeaten.
Fantastic
👏👏👏👏
DAVID66
Best wishes and a speedy recovery for Michelle 🤗💚
David66
All the best to Michelle. Having you as a brother in law must be a comfort. 🙄
With regards diving to get a penalty . It’s been a rangers thing for years , they had a left winger Davy Wilson oh dear , , we had to hold our breath in the old jungle when he was running down the wing, expel and he would have went down an awful cheat .
Jimtim
I remember he scored against us in the first minute at Celtic Park, January 1966. Celtic 5 hun 1. 😂😂
I’ve seem so many moans and complaints about the team on Saturday. Like everyone else I prefer it when we play well and win comfortably, but semi-finals are supposed to be hard and are rarely classic games. With the benefit of hindsight, this one was a cracker and the whole squad did brilliantly. We’re into the final where I hope we’ll celebrate another Scottish Cup win as Premier League Champions. What a way to end the season and set up the America Tour.
👍One from the grandson👍
Which english manager sold Olivier Tebily to Celtic and then signed him from Celtic?
MNCELT
Aye indeed 👍
Neil Warnock?