Celtic celebrate Daizen Maeda’s penalty to WIN the Premier Sports Cup Final 2024

Celtic 3-3 Rangers (5-4 pen): Brendan Rodgers’ side win the Premier Sports Cup after a 5-4 penalty shoot-out. Watch as Celtic fans celebrate Daizen Maeda’s winning penalty at Hampden.

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Celtic 3-3 Rangers (5-4 Pen) Premier Sports Cup Final Match Report Transcript:

Full-time here at Hampden Park, and Celtic are the League Cup champions after defeating Rangers 5-4 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time.

Peter, we’ll start with your thoughts. What did you make of that one?

A quite incredible game here at Hampden, absolutely unbelievable. It swayed one way and then the other. Just when you thought Celtic were in command, Rangers came back. Kyogo looked as if he’d scored the winner, and then Danilo with a brilliant equalizer. The second half had everything. Extra time was full of tension as you wondered if someone would make a mistake.

It’s a sad way to lose for one team, but I think Philippe Clement will feel very proud of the effort his side gave today. They were just unlucky. Anyone can miss a penalty. Celtic edged it, and it’s a great performance from Rangers—a brilliant advert for the game. But in the end, Celtic find a way to win in a shootout.

Alison, as Peter said, penalties are one of the cruelest ways to win or lose a game of football, but Celtic fans will certainly be enjoying it.

Of course they are. I think the game was on a knife edge. When Kyogo scored, everyone thought Celtic would see it out—they had a hand on it. But they allowed it to slip, and Rangers came straight back into it. When it goes to extra time, you can feel the tension within the stadium and the apprehension with every misplaced pass. At that point, you felt that any goal for either team would be decisive.

Then, of course, penalties are a lottery. It’s about holding your nerve, and we saw some exceptional penalties in the shootout—a lot of composure and calmness. There was one very good save from Joe Hart, too. But really, it could have been anyone’s game today.

Peter, let’s focus on the winning team. Brendan Rodgers seems to have the edge over Rangers, especially here at Hampden.

Yes, he does. And as mentioned, it’s now 119 trophies for Celtic. But all Brendan Rodgers will care about is the fact that they’ve won this one. For Philippe Clement, he can tell Rangers fans, “Look, we are closing the gap.” This was a tight Cup Final. Rangers pressed Celtic all the way, got their tactics spot on, but a shootout can go either way.

It was a great Cup Final. Celtic had the edge at one point, Rangers fought back, and in the end, penalties decided it.

Alison, for the losing side today, are there positives for Rangers? Can Philippe Clement look at this game as something to build upon?

Undoubtedly. I think what Rangers fans wanted to see in recent weeks was evidence that there are foundations to build on. This performance gives them that. There was spirit, there was heart, and Rangers twice lifted themselves off the canvas to come back.

Those are all things they can take encouragement from. It will feel raw and sore right now, but going forward, this is something they can build upon.

Peter, just your closing thoughts. Will this result set Celtic up domestically and in Europe for the rest of the season, and where does it leave Rangers for the second half of the campaign?

For Celtic, in Europe, they just want to play a knockout game—that would be progress for them. Domestically, they’re 11 points clear in the league and look set to win it. The Scottish Cup will be the final domestic trophy up for grabs, and they’ve already secured the first one of the season here. Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with that, and for Celtic, the result is all that matters.

As for Rangers, they’ve shown progress under Philippe Clement, and today will give them belief that they’re heading in the right direction.

That’s what we think here at Hampden, where it’s been a stunning advert for Scottish football and an incredible League Cup Final. Celtic claim the first trophy of the season.

It finishes here at Hampden Park: Celtic 3, Rangers 3. Celtic win 5-4 on penalties.

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