Brendan Rodgers needed his heavy guns in the end after Falkirk achieved something Premiership clubs haven’t done: put his team on the ropes.
Falkirk’s impressive performance at Celtic Park prompted Brendan Rodgers to call on his best players to secure victory over the Bairns.
This season, John McGlynn’s Championship hopefuls defeated Celtic, a feat unmatched by any other team in Scotland or abroad.Rodgers rested important players after a rigorous start to the season and a taxing Champions League match against Slovan Bratislava. But he ended up needing some of those individuals to come off the bench, and a last-20 blitz secured their place in the Premier Sports Cup’s final four.
Adam Idah’s double inside two second-half minutes turned the game around after Ross MacIver and Finn Yeats had twice given the Bairns the lead each side of Paulo Bernardo’s early equaliser to take them into the final stretch. Nicolas Kuhn was the main spark, setting up both of the Irishman’s goals before completing a breathtaking double to earn man-of-the-match honours in only 30 devastating minutes. However, the previous hour was anything but easy, as Falkirk helped transform a potential formality into a cracker of a cup tie.It’s no surprise that their 2000-strong band in the corner worked hard all day. Their team performed admirably, and for an hour, they were on the attack. Celtic had £23 million worth of transfers in the starting lineup, with another £27 million on the bench. Not a bad backup when the first team wasn’t doing so well.
It’s no surprise that their 2000-strong band in the corner worked hard all day. Their team performed admirably, and for an hour, they were on the attack. Celtic had £23 million worth of transfers in the starting lineup, with another £27 million on the bench. Not a bad backup when the first team wasn’t doing so well.
Auston Trusty and Alex Valle had varied beginnings, while Luis Palma struggled and others were unable to get underway. Celtic didn’t really get going until Kuhn, Arne Engels, Greg Taylor, and Yang appeared. It demonstrated Rodgers’ ability to maintain reserve strength. However, some others will need to put in more effort if they wish to threaten the starting lineup on a consistent basis.
By the end, it was difficult not to feel sympathetic with Falkirk. McGlynn’s team was unbeaten in 43 league games and looked brave, especially in the first half. They pressed Celtic in the same way Celtic did to others. They were adventurous on the ball and clinical when opportunities arose. This season, no one has made Celtic feel more uncomfortable. But they were finally swept away by the Hoops flex, and they were already gone by the time substitute Michael McKenna was awarded a red card for hitting Tony Ralston in the last minute.
The first large shock occurred after 11 minutes. MacIver’s finish was fantastic; he stepped on the loose ball from Dylan Tait’s chipped cross and hammered low into Schmeichel’s bottom corner from 20 yards. Mind you, the defence was not very good. Valle yelled for a foul after being outmuscled on the edge of his own box by Alfredo Agyeman, and MacIver didn’t wait for a whistle.
The lead lasted barely 11 minutes, but Falkirk came close to double it. Agyeman once again shown his power by barging his way through and dragging his shot wide. Celtic equalised in spectacular fashion when Valle flicked on Reo Hatate’s pass, which Bernardo met flush on the volley to thump past Nicky Hogarth. However, Falkirk refused to accept defeat. In fact, they performed a very excellent job of Celtic when it came to pushing.
Even Callum McGregor was pressured into losing the ball in his own third before Miller shot directly at Kasper Schmeichel. They were rewarded again just before halftime, when Yeats superbly headed home after Agyeman brushed off Valle to send over a deep cross with the Hoops defence all over the camp. It was surprising that Celtic made no changes for the second half, and the Bairns’ strategy was tweaked slightly after a lung-busting first 45 minutes.
McGlynn’s men sat a little deeper to limit space, although they still attempted to play out of the back when possible. They were dealt a major blow when MacIver was forced to leave before the hour mark, having causing so much trouble for the Hoops defence.
However, it wasn’t long before Rodgers was forced to alter his strategy for the remaining 30 minutes. By that point, Bernardo’s deflected free kick was the Celts’ best chance on goal in the second half.
Engels, Taylor, Kuhn, and Yang were brought on, and the latter did give a spark. The Korean winger managed to cut a sprint inside before letting go, but Hogarth stood tall to block.
Moments later, Celtic were level again as the pressure mounted on 70 minutes. Kuhn sprung the offside trap to gallop on to Ralston’s through pass, and his cutback was perfect for Idah to convert. The same individuals scored 3-2 in the blink of an eye, as the Hoops seized possession shortly after the restart.
Kuhn put Idah through, and the striker brushed past a couple of defenders before finishing coolly. The resistance was finally broken, and No.4 arrived when Engels sent Kuhn sprinting towards goal, where he beautifully dinked over the keeper.
McKenna’s crunching tackle earned him a red card, but by then, the big guns had cleared the route.
Read more at: https://sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply