MY ACCOUNT
Kyogo Furuhashi fired Celtic to Scottish League Cup final glory as the Japanese striker’s double delivered a 2-1 win against Rangers at Hampden Park.
Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops completed a successful trophy defence and remain firmly in the hunt for a domestic treble.
Top of the league by nine points from nearest challengers Rangers, this result for Celtic denied their Old Firm rivals a chance to turn the tables and scoop silverware.
Rangers were seeking their first trophy in this competition since 2010-11, but on a pitch that looked better suited to battle than football, it was the men in green and white hoops that had the better attacking ammunition.
Celtic took the lead in the 44th minute when Furuhashi turned in left-back Greg Taylor’s cross from close range, on hand to convert after team-mate Daizen Maeda missed his kick at the near post.
Rangers’ Ryan Kent shot against the left post early in the second half, with Fashion Sakala firing into the side netting on the rebound.
Furuhashi doubled Celtic’s lead when he bundled in Reo Hatate’s low ball from the left in the 56th minute, putting Michael Beale’s unbeaten record as Rangers boss in severe peril.
Beale, who was appointed in late November, was given encouragement when Alfredo Morelos got one back in the 64th minute, jabbing in as Celtic failed to deal with James Tavernier’s free-kick from the left.
Both sides spurned chances in a typically high-octane contest between the Glasgow giants, with Celtic’s Sead Haksabanovic shooting wide after being put through in stoppage time.
His miss did not matter ultimately, the men from the east end of Glasgow getting the better of their fiercest rivals, showing they remain top dogs in Scotland’s biggest city for now.
