Brendan Rodgers spoke to BBC Scotland after the match on Saturday and revealed his delight at guiding the Hoops to yet another Scottish Cup Final. The Celtic manager is no stranger to these affairs and has the opportunity to deliver another domestic cup on the 25 May this year, where our old foes await in the Hampden Showpiece.
The man who delivered a domestic Treble during his first season at Parkhead and overseen some monumentous moments, including Tom Rogic’s late winner against the Dons in his first spell as boss revealed that he might need therapy sessions after that one.
Speaking to the BBC Scotland team after the match, he sounded relieved: “It was awful wasn’t it?,” he said elatedly. “I need a therapy session after that. What a game for the neutral, great spirit. Credit both teams, Aberdeen done fantastic. Nothing to lose, but came and played really well. We had to dig in after a slow start but just happy to be in the final.”
It was a game the Bhoys could and should have wrapped up in 90 minutes and then extra-time when it came along, however, the team tried their best endeavour to the contrary and we ended up facing a penalty shootout.
Brendan coninued: “I think we had the chances. We just needed a bit more care with the ball to arrive into the spaces. Especially with the third goal in extra-time, that’ exactly what you need to do Get yourself up the pitch, shorten the game, work the spaces and make them work. But we just couldn’t see it through.”
The Carnlough native also bizarrely revealed that one-time full-back and fellow countryman, Anton Rogan, was etched in his mind as the penalties ensued after 120 minutes of action-packed drama. Rogan famously missed a spot-kick against Aberdeen at Hampden Park and Rodgers revealed: “I had in my mind a flash of Anton Rogan.
“Anton Rogan was a player for Celtic and, bless him he missed a penalty against Aberdeen many years ago and I’m thinking ‘Don’t be the next Irishman in the position, please’. But I’m really proud of the team, the supporters were brilliant for us and it brings us to another final.”
Here’s the penalty shoot-out from the 1990 Scottish Cup final. While everyone of a certain vintage remembers Anton Rogan missing it’s the other Irishman whose contribution to the shoot-out that is overlooked.
How many times does Pat Bonner go to his right for Aberdeen players to stroke the ball to his left?
Yet Bonner was on BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday putting the boot into Celtic players for their performance against Aberdeen on Saturday. He said: “I was shocked at some of the passing there was out there. Short, inaccurate, also tripping over the ball at times. And that’s a combination probably of them not being up to scratch at that part of the game.
“But also Aberdeen closing them down with aggression and almost not allow them to simply pass the ball. You’ve got to use your body and maybe keep people off and then get the ball away. I watch O’Riley maybe falling over the ball, Yang falling over it and all of that. And that’s been a poor display from Celtic.”
Oh, and O’Riley was named Man of the Match.
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