Celtic 3 Rangers 3 (aet 5-4 pens): Maeda penalty clinches Premier Sports Cup as Rodgers wins TENTH Hoops trophy

BRENDAN RODGERS may remember it as his imperfect ten.

But the history books don’t show how a team wins cup finals.

Just that they do.

And for everything that was wrong with Celtic’s performance at Hampden yesterday, Bhoy, they did the all-important bit right.

Rodgers took his trophy haul as Hoops boss into double figures with this penalties Hampden victory over Rangers.

Did his team play anywhere near as well as they can? No, they didn’t.

Do they care? Nope, not one jot.

Because when Daizen Maeda held his nerve to beat Jack Butland with the tenth kick of the shootout at the Rangers end – after Ridvan Yilmaz missed – the old trophy was on its way back to Parkhead.

After it was all over Philippe Clement gathered his squad together to tell them they were so, so close to retaining the cup.

But when push came to shove they didn’t do enough to get their hands back on it.

It was a cup final that took a while to get going.

But once it did, the drama and excitement was off the charts.

Could there have been better quality?

Absolutely.

This was far from a classic for the football purists out there.

But it was 3-3 after 90 minutes with the two teams giving it absolutely everything to get their hands on the trophy.

The players virtually staggered their way through extra-time before the nerve-shredding spot-kick shootout.

Rangers were worth their lead at half-time.

The opening goal came from a mistake from Greg Taylor with Nedim Bajrami making the most of it.

But Clement got the courage and bravery he called for in the build-up.

Rodgers? He was far from impressed with what he got from his side in the first-half especially.

But you had to hand it to the way Rangers rushed their opponent into mistakes all over the pitch.

That’s how the opening goal came about.

Taylor was stepping infield and being the extra man in midfield and his passing up until that crucial moment was crisp and sharp.

But all it took was for one split-second of hesitation and he was robbed in an area of the pitch where he couldn’t afford to be robbed.

The ball was fired straight to Bajrami who played a pass forward to Hamza Igamane who drilled a low shot that was on target.

Kasper Schmeichel got down to it and he made the initial save. But Bajrami had continued his run and had an empty goal to tap the ball into.

He couldn’t miss and didn’t.

Celtic could have few complaints as they regrouped in the changing room at the break.

In there, Rodgers must have had some harsh words to say to his players who weren’t following his instructions.

All Clement could do at that stage was encourage more of the same.

Like the performance against Spurs in the Europa League last Thursday night, he couldn’t have asked for any more from his men.

Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande were outstanding again like they were in the European game.

Celtic had to make a change for the second-half with Liam Scales replacing injured Auston Trusty and the Ireland stopper wasn’t far away from scoring with a glancing header from a free-kick.

But in 51 minutes Rangers wasted a huge, huge chance to go 2-0 ahead.

They broke upfield when Taylor slipped in their half and had a man over and an incredible opportunity to double their lead.

But Bajrami and Igamane didn’t combine well enough and allowed Cameron Carter Vickers to race back and made a last gasp intervention. It was brilliant defending but bad attacking.

You wondered there and then if Rangers may live to regret it.

Because soon they were watching Celtic score twice inside four minutes to equalise and take the lead.

Their leveller had a huge slice of luck attached to it with Taylor’s shot from outside the box hitting Raskin on its way into the net.

Celtic’s second, though, was just brilliant from Daizen Maeda.

Raskin played an awkward pass back to Leon Balogun who was on a booking and unable to be as aggressive as he would have liked.

Maeda charged him down, won the ball and drilled a superb shot past Butland to turn the final in its head.

Rangers could have folded but showed real resilience to stay in the game and then make it 2-2.

This time, a clip off Kyogo helped the ball into the back of the net after Diomande held off Arne Engels to get a shot on target.

Suddenly the cup final was there to be won again.

In 86 minutes, it looked like Nicolas Kuhn had done it with his cool finish past Butland, but Rangers refused to let the game go quietly.

The defending and goalkeeping from Schmeichel and Tony Ralston could have been better at Danilo’s equaliser but the way the Brazilian’s movement and determination to get on the end of the cross was terrific.

His dad was in the main stand and went wild, running up and down the steps to celebrate his boy’s goal.

It meant extra-time where the two teams slugged it out before penalties.

James Tavernier, Ianis Hagi and Danilo all scored for Rangers with Adam Idah, Callum McGregor and Arne Engels netting for Celtic.

But after Yilmaz missed – Schmeichel saving low to his left- crucially it was advantage Celtic.

Incredibly, Jack Butland took Gers’ fifth spot-kick ahead of outfield players back on the halfway line before Maeda smashed past Butland to win the cup.

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk