At Hampden, Celtic supporters witnessed a thrilling six-goal match as their team defeated Aberdeen to go to the Scottish Cup final.
Nothing could separate the teams in open play, but Joe Hart proved to be the hero in the shootout, making a save against Killian Phillips of the Dons to ensure the Bhoys won 6–5 on spot-kicks.
Despite a nervous performance, Brendan Rodgers expressed his relief at leading his team to their first domestic final of the season and joked that he might need to have treatment to help him relax.
“I need a therapy session after that,” he said after the game. What a game to watch as a neutral. Give credit to both teams; Aberdeen played incredibly well despite having nothing to lose, and we had to settle in after a sluggish start. Simply put, I’m glad to be in the final.
Although some Celtics fans may also be hoping for some peace after a close match that might have gone either way, we now have another date at the national stadium on May 25th to look forward to.
The Bhoys will now concentrate on their recovery and future preparations. Next Sunday, they play the first of their five post-split games in Dundee.
The elegant statement from Alistair Johnston to the Celtic support
Without a doubt, the sizable Celtic fan base at Hampden yesterday played a significant role in helping their team overcome a determined Aberdeen team.
In an interview with Sam North, well known for his YouTube video Footy Adventures, Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston, who scored in the penalty shootout, agreed with that notion and delivered a great message to the supporters following our victory.
“It was great; I’m not sure exactly what the split was, what the final number was in terms of Celtic fans, but how we played, they definitely could’ve got a bit more anxious and we could’ve felt that energy, but they didn’t,” he said in response to a question about the significance of Celtic’s support in the victory.
They were behind us even going into the penalty shootout; they stuck by us and made a significant impact because you could sense their extra energy.
“They did an amazing job of sticking by us and encouraging us to win, even though it’s already a difficult walk when you’re walking up to go grab a pen.”
After maintaining their composure yesterday, Celtic now know that they will face Rangers in the biggest match of the season at Hampden next month for the oldest football trophy.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you get to the finals; for the time being, league duties will come first before we plan out another outcome against Phillipe Clement’s team.
