LATEST NEWS: “I don’t think the scoreline reflected the game and the dominance,” Brendan Rodgers.

Brendan Rodgers reflected on Celtic’s 2-1 Scottish Cup fourth round win against Kilmarnock, as he prepares for Wednesday’s crucial Champions League match.

The Hoops advanced to the final 16 of football’s oldest cup competition, overcoming a well-organised Killie team at Celtic Park yesterday evening.

Skipper Callum McGregor’s stunning effort into the bottom right corner was cancelled out by Bobby Wales’ contentious equaliser for the visitors on the stroke of halftime. However, as has been the case this season, the ever-dependable Daizen Maeda scored the winning goal by sliding the ball past substitute Killie custodian Kieran O’Hara, relieving any tension in the crowd.

After the game, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers lauded his team for their resilience and perseverance in defeating Derek McInnes’ men, who made the task difficult for the current Scottish Cup winners. Q: I am sure you believe you deserved it as well, but Kilmarnock pushed you, didn’t they? Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, listen, I don’t think the scoreline reflected the game or our dominance, but when you don’t finish your chances and opportunities, you know it. Kilmarnock is a formidable opponent. You know, they play a pressure game, the ball comes up, you’ve got to be forceful, nice throw-ins into the box, and one of the goals comes from a throw-in on the side that we didn’t defend well enough. Overall, I’m pleased with the appetite of the team and how we responded to the 1-1 because we had so many chances and the game should have been dead and buried by half-time.”

Q: Were you frustrated that you hadn’t achieved it, but perhaps a spell wouldn’t have come on if they’d been able to move up the pitch and put you under pressure? Brendan Rodgers: “Well, I believe that’s what you know, no matter your domination, no matter how many opportunities you have when the score is close, and if a side has a good run, you just have to keep calm and deal with it. I think the players handled it well. Q: It is unusual for a team to come here and perform so well. Were you startled by this at all?

Brendan Rodgers: “No. no, I think that Derek’s team and when we won 2-0 a few months back on the astroturf, they were very aggressive, getting to the ball and it was a similar tactic. I thought we played through it well today, the pitch and the size of the pitch helped us get through that pressure well and just gave us so many opportunities in on goal that we didn’t capitalise on.”

Q: You’re through, which is ultimately what you want. You got minutes into the legs of Daizen Maeda and Nicholas Kuhn. How do you now prepare for what’s a massive opportunity for you coming up in midweek?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, yeah, we’ll recover from this game and look at areas where we can improve. I believed it was a wonderful test for us to enter that game with the utmost respect for opposing teams. We had to be physical today; we had to work for the outcome, which will help us prepare for Wednesday’s game. So, we need to recover, we’ll devise a strategy for that game, and then it should be a fantastic evening here, which we’re looking forward to.” Q: You know, if you win that game, you’re almost guaranteed to advance. Isn’t it exciting for the group? Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, because we’ve done exceptionally well in the Champions League this season.

We’ve had one game when we were severely punished by a top-tier squad. Okay, we’ve had to accept that and learn from it, as have the players, but we’ve been very good at home, and we’ve picked up some valuable points away from home. So that puts us in a wonderful position now. With the audience, the team, and everyone in sync, Wednesday should be an incredible night, and maybe we can match it with a performance and a result. Conor Spence

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