Four things we learnt after Celtic’s win over Falkirk, including the judgment on Valle’s debut and Palma.
Celtic advanced to the Scottish League Cup semi-finals with a thrilling 5-2 victory against Falkirk at home on Sunday afternoon.
The Bhoys had to battle hard for their victory, as John McGlynn’s team had strong conviction and took the lead twice.
Paulo Bernardo tied the game at 1-1 in the first half, but Adam Idah scored twice in a minute after the break to give Celtic the lead.
Substitute Nicolas Kuhn scored a one-on-one goal and added another from the edge of the area to complete the scoring.
Falkirk gave Celtic the best game they’d had all season, which is to their credit. However, it was the home team that shown their quality to secure their spot at Hampden.
These are the main talking points from the 90 minutes.
Adam Idah comes up huge to prove his Celtic value.
It’s been a huge week for Idah. After scoring his first goal of the season against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League, he demonstrated his real significance to the Bhoys tonight.
His high price tag has raised expectations, yet he has shown to be a strong rotation option for Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japanese star has a better all-around game than Idah, as seen by his performance against Falkirk, but you’d always trust the Irishman to score – especially with pressure on.
He likes big situations in big games, and with Celtic behind in a cup encounter with less than 30 minutes left, the striker stepped up to pave the way to a quickfire double. He possesses the appropriate qualities.
Alex Valle made his debut.
The Barcelona loanee was given the opportunity to replace Greg Taylor at left-back, but the 20-year-old battled during his hour on the pitch before being replaced.
He did deliver the headed assist for Bernardo to score, but he appeared uneasy throughout his play, both on and off the ball.
Falkirk winger Alfie Agyeman gave him a rough afternoon, as the youngster struggled to establish himself in the game.
It’s far too early to make any predictions regarding his readiness for Celtic this season, but it appears he still has a lot of work to do to reach the standards necessary.
He now understands what those levels are, and he hopes to rise to the occasion as a young, developing player.
All new acquisitions require time to adjust, and it will be intriguing to see what he can achieve in a full-strength Celtic lineup.
With Luis Palma in front of him today, he did not have the type of assistance that Daizen Maeda would normally offer on the left wing, which is an essential issue to consider.
The signals are not favorable for Luis Palma.
Luis Palma was also handed a significant opportunity today. The Honduran international began on the left flank, but supporters are unlikely to demand another start very soon.
He lacked imagination in the last third and appeared to be a step behind players like Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn.
His early-season form has vanished, and he now has a clear objective to change the course of his Celtic career.
Palma is undeniably talented. We saw this in the Champions League last season. However, he isn’t a good match with Rodgers’ current squad structure.
Nicolas Kuhn is the genuine thing!
Kuhn’s substitution influence altered the course of the game. Celtic needed to be saved by the four players who came on after an hour, and the German accepted that responsibility.
He was electrifying, pinning Falkirk with pace and penetration that they couldn’t handle. His two goals and two assists provided Celtic with the quality boost they needed to win tonight.
The German has five goals and six assists in eight games this season, and he’s fast becoming one of Rodgers’ most crucial players. It’ll be intriguing to watch where he goes next.
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