SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP FINAL Celtic 2 Rangers 0: THE RESPECTIVE managers will deny it, but it is difficult not to believe that this encounter will have an impact on the remainder of the Scottish season.
Celtic Park will house the first major trophy of the campaign, the League Cup is also the sixth honour Gordon Strachan has secured in almost four seasons in Glasgow.
Another league championship may well follow; the nature of Celtic’s victory here and sense of dejection among anyone connected with Rangers is likely to linger. Given their recent troubles in front of goal, it was little surprise it took until extra-time for Celtic to emphasise their superiority or that neither of their two goals came from a striker. That they were the better team for the vast majority of the 120 minutes, nonetheless, should not be overlooked.
Recent Old Firm matches have received criticism for their lack of entertainment but this one would have lifted such gloom. Hampden Park housed an invigorating affair, a match which ebbed and flowed and one in which the only genuine artistry was supplied by those in green and white; namely Aiden McGeady, Scott Brown and Shunsuke Nakamura. McGeady was afforded the chance to round off a memorable afternoon with a penalty kick in the dying seconds and duly slotted home.
Rangers, not for the first time, lacked invention. From the time of Darren O’Dea’s opening goal there appeared no logical means of redemption for Walter Smith’s outfit. Their game plan seemed built around trying to smother proceedings although in fairness, Smith did have his troubles. Madjid Bougherra, his influential central defender, was a late call-off through injury and Kris Boyd had been the subject of a rather public spat with Smith during the week.
On the day, those in blue who have the natural ability to rise above general mediocrity – namely Barry Ferguson and Pedro Mendes – seemed encapsulated in a duel for the title of worst player on display. Ferguson’s misery was illustrated by two acts of petulance: he entered into a needless spat with the Celtic coach Neil Lennon, something for which, bizarrely, he escaped a booking before volleying the ball into celebrating supporters at full-time.
However, this was a day for Celtic and Strachan, the manager who continues to deliver success despite the reservations of a section of his club’s fans. “All victories like this do for an Old Firm manager is give you a couple of days of leeway,” he insisted. This was a tactical victory for him despite his assertions to the contrary, as he had surprisingly deployed only a single striker, Scott McDonald, from the outset.
A five-minute burst from Celtic brought the opening half to life. Brown, twice, and Glenn Loovens narrowly failed to beat the Rangers goalkeeper, Allan McGregor. The response arrived from Kyle Lafferty, who warmed Artur Boruc’s palms. It took a late intervention from the colourful goalkeeper to deny the same player on the hour mark, Boruc prompting heart palpitations for his manager by attempting to dribble round the Northern Ireland striker.
McGeady was proving a constant menace, while only a superb save from McGregor prevented Nakamura from supplying his latest example of set-piece magic. Mendes kicked a Loovens volley off his own goal-line before Boyd, elevated from among the substitutes, mis-controlled the ball when handed the final chance of regulation time. Within a minute of extra time O’Dea showed those naturally more used to finding the target how to do it. The young Dubliner leapt to meet a Nakamura free-kick and planted a powerful header beyond McGregor.
Georgios Samaras and McDonald should have put matters out of sight but their profligacy opened the door for McGeady. One of his many driving runs of the day resulted in Kirk Broadfoot hauling the Ireland international down inside the penalty area; as McGeady and his team-mates celebrated his success from 12 yards, Broadfoot was en route to the dressingroom having received a red card for his troubles.
Guardian Service
CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel, Loovens, McManus, O'Dea (Wilson 105), Caldwell, Nakamura, Scott Brown, Hartley (Samaras 72), McGeady, McDonald (Vennegoor of Hesselink 120). Subs not used: Mark Brown, Crosas. Booked: Hinkel, O'Dea, McGeady, Boruc. Goals: O'Dea 91, McGeady 120 pen.
RANGERS: McGregor, Whittaker, Weir, Broadfoot, Papac, Davis, McCulloch (Dailly 82), Ferguson, Mendes, Miller (Novo 58), Lafferty (Boyd 76). Subs not used: Alexander, Edu. Sent off: Broadfoot (120). Booked: Novo, Weir, McCulloch.
Referee: D McDonald(Scotland).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)