The Path That Led Celtic to the Quarterfinals
CELTIC will play Hearts in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Tynecastle on Saturday March 11 following their 5-1 victory over St Mirren at Parkhead, thanks to a late flurry of goals.
Tireless forward Daizen Maeda scored from close range in the 16th minute, but the visitors, the only domestic team to beat Celtic this season, showed spirit and ambition to keep the game alive.
However, substitute Reo Hatate scored from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after referee Steven McLean sent off Buddies defender Richard Taylor for conceding the VAR-confirmed spot-kick with a hand to prevent a certain goal. You can access more of such updates on GGBET.
The home team, trying to win all three trophies, got off to a quick start as usual, with David Turnbull starting in place of Hatate.
After only a few minutes of play, the Saints, who now had Taylor and Declan Gallagher in place of Charles Dunne and Greg Kiltie, could give Trevor Carson their thanks for the first time.
The goalkeeper for the Buddies blocked a powerful shot from the Portuguese winger Jota, and the ball went wide of the post for a corner kick that the visitors dealt with easily.
The Paisley side attempted to push forward, but the trouble was never far away, and in the 11th minute, Maeda shanked a cross, only to see it rebound off Carson’s far post. The Paisley side ultimately failed to advance.
Kyogo Furuhashi, another Japanese forward, was taken out of the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. Winger Liel Abada replaced Furuhashi, and Maeda moved into the middle of the field.
After a few moments, he was in the perfect position to score the game’s first goal by converting a cross from Aaron Mooy. Abada had sent the Australia international down the wing earlier in the play.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, a defender for the Hoops, headed away a shot from Alex Grieve, who later suffered an injury and was replaced by former Celt Tony Watt, who recently signed with Dundee United. The Buddies did not give up and fought back, and the Hoops defender Carter-Vickers blocked the shot.
Curtis Main, a striker for St. Mirren, was causing problems for the Hoops’ defense, but his defensive block kept Celtic defender Carl Starfelt from scoring a second goal just before halftime.
Once again, Robinson’s team positively started the second half. Still, they did have some good fortune when a cutback from right-back Alistair Johnston hit Buddies defender Marcus Fraser and rebounded off a post.
A little after the hour mark, Postecoglou made a triple substitution by putting Hatate, O’Riley, and Oh on the field instead of Turnbull, Mooy, and Jota.
Still, even though St. Mirren kept pressing forward in numbers, they could not test Joe Hart, who was playing goalkeeper.
After Abada’s close-range shot hit Taylor in the 71st minute, there was a thorough review by the video assistant referee. Before sending Taylor off for using a hand, the referee McLean looked at his monitor and pointed to the penalty spot, which met a massive cheer from the home fans.
Hatate then stepped up to take the penalty kick and slammed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. After Carson had saved a long-range shot from skipper Callum McGregor, there were even more cheers when Oh scored a third goal with a low drive. Carson had made the save earlier.
Moments later, after Starfelt had tripped substitute Kiltie, the Saints scored a goal from the penalty spot, with captain O’Hara scoring the goal and beating the goalkeeper from 12 yards out. However, Celtic responded with late goals scored by O’Riley and Hatate, which added some gloss to the scoreline.
Celtic Transfers
Kyogo Furuhashi isn’t going to be in a hurry to leave Celtic, according to Frank McAvennie, who played for the club.
Kyogo is now 28 years old. Since joining the Hoops in the summer of 2021 from Vissel Kobe, the Japanese striker has been nothing short of a revelation for the team. In his first season with Parkhead, Kyogo scored 20 goals but was sidelined with an injury and could not rack up an even more impressive goal total.
McAvennie believes that Crystal Palace is monitoring the Celtic striker. The Japan international has maintained his outstanding form in front of goal this season, registering 22 goals in 33 appearances, and he currently sits atop the goalscoring form for the Scottish Premiership. Recent reports in England suggested that Crystal Palace is monitoring the Celtic striker, but McAvennie believes he still has “unfinished business” with a Hoops side that is “so together.”
However, the former Celtic and West Ham striker believes that defenders in the English Premier League would be “terrified” by Kyogo’s speed if he ever moved down south.
The possibility of a windfall for Celtic with Jeremie Frimpong as his departure from Leverkusen becomes more likely.
Expected windfall for Celtic as Jeremie Frimpong approaches the exit door at Bayer Leverkusen.
Since moving from Parkhead to the Bundesliga giants in 2021, the right-back has gone from strength to strength and has already racked up over 50 appearances for Die Werkself. Because of his performances, several even bigger clubs, including Manchester United and Barcelona, have noticed him and expressed interest in moving to sign him.
As the likelihood of the 22-year-old player leaving Leverkusen increases, the club is reportedly beginning to plan for the player’s eventual replacement. According to Kicker, managing director Simon Rolfes is reportedly interested in signing Spanish right-back Ivan Fresneda as he looks to make changes to the team in preparation for the Bundesliga campaign of the following year.
Conclusion
Celtic are hosting Aberdeen this afternoon. Visit GGBET for all the game information and betting details.
