2019-05-25: Celtic 2-1 Hearts, Scottish Cup

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Review

(JBC of TheCelticWiki)

Teams

Hearts

• 1ZlamalBooked at 61mins
• 2Smith
• 4Souttar
• 6Berra
• 51Hickey
• 22Edwards
• 5Haring Substituted forBozanicat 81’minutes

• 10Sutchuin-DjoumBooked at 65mins
• 9Clare Substituted forWightonat 75’minutes
• 18MacLean Substituted forIkpeazuat 78’minutesBooked at 90mins
• 23Mulraney

Substitutes

• 3Shaughnessy
• 7Bozanic
• 13Doyle
• 15Wighton
• 19Ikpeazu
• 20Cochrane
• 31Burns

Goals

• Edwards (52′ minutes)

Celtic

• 29 BainBooked at 90mins
• 23 Lustig
• 5 Simunovic
• 35 Ajer
• 15 Hayes Substituted for Bitton at 89’minutes

• 08 BrownBooked at 90mins
• 42 McGregor
• 49 Forrest
• 18 Rogic Substituted for Ntcham at 70’minutes
• 73 Johnston Substituted for Sinclair at 72’minutes
• 22 Edouard

Substitutes

• 2Toljan
• 6Bitton
• 11Sinclair
• 21Ntcham
• 24de Vries
• 32Benkovic
• 77Dembele

Goals

• Edouard (62′ minutes pen, 82′ minutes)

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

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• Voting Thread
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• Winner –

Stats

Possession
Home44%
Away56%

Shots
Home6
Away7

Shots on Target
Home3
Away2

Corners
Home4
Away5

Fouls
Home18
Away13

Articles

Scottish Cup final: Hearts 1-2 Celtic. Jambos denied by Odsonne Edouard double

Barry Anderson

Published: 16:59 Saturday 25 May 2019

Ryan Edwards’ first Hearts goal was overhauled by Odsonne Edouard’s double as Celtic won the Scottish Cup and an unprecedented Treble Treble.

The Australian midfielder opened the scoring at Hampden Park in only his fifth appearance, but Edouard’s penalty and calmly-converted second earned the Glasgow club victory.

Hearts deserved credit for a brave performance which caused Celtic various problems throughout the afternoon. A flat first 45 minutes gave way to frenetic second half on a drizzling afternoon in Mount Florida.

Edwards scored first on 52 minutes, Edouard was pulled down by Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal and scored the resultant penalty ten minutes later. The Frenchman then secured the trophy with a cool finish one on one with Zlamal.

The inclusion of 16-year-old Aaron Hickey was the biggest pre-match surprise. That he made only his third Hearts appearance in a national cup final underlined manager Craig Levein’s faith in a player who was still at school this time 12 months ago. Arnaud Djoum made it despite being an injury doubt. Peter Haring started but Uche Ikpeazu only made the bench.

Celtic’s matchday squad included an even younger member. Karamoko Dembele, eight months younger than Hickey, was one of Neil Lennon’s substitutes. Kieran Tierney’s lack of fitness precluded him and that meant Jonny Hayes starting as an attack-minded left-back.

The first 15 minutes saw both teams try to get at the other. Hickey produced the afternoon’s first shot of the afternoon with a low attempt from 25 yards which Scott Bain collected comfortably. Hearts were pressing Celtic aggressively and forcing mistakes but remained susceptible to a counter-attack.

That arrived on 21 minutes when Callum McGregor fed Tom Rogic, who carried the ball forward to slide a pass to Edouard. John Souttar’s timely sliding tackle thwarted the French forward’s shot at goal. Berra then made a crucial clearance ahead of Edouard as McGregor’s left-sided cross arrived six yards out.

There were more than 20,000 Hearts supporters inside the National Stadium. Many of them rose on 39 minutes to applaud in honour of fellow fan Alex Currie, who recently died aged 39 while watching his son play football.

This final had yet to come to life as the interval arrived with the scoreline blank. Levein would have been content with his team’s first half performance, while Lennon was more than likely unsatisfied with his players’ lack of creativity.

He would have been completely outraged seven minutes into the second half when Hearts moved in front. Djoum’s deflected shot landed at the feet of Sean Clare, who eventually managed to flick it behind him. Edwards was waiting to pounce and slide his finish into the net beyond Scott Bain from around seven yards.

Hampden’s west side erupted in delirium. However, the advantage lasted merely ten minutes. When Edouard collected a through ball inside the Hearts penalty box, he was impeded by Zlamal’s sliding challenge and referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot. Edouard picked himself up and planted the spot-kick into the net to the goalkeeper’s right.

Celtic now had the momentum as they pursued a second goal. Those in maroon seemed slightly shaken for a few moments but regained their composure quickly. This was now a wide-open affair with either side looking capable of winning.
Hearts captain Christophe Berra and Celtic captain Scott Brown face off ahead of the William Hill Scottish Cup Final. Pic: SNS
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It was Celtic who seized the opportunity when it arrived. A long ball into their half was returned by Mikael Lustig’s header. Edouard’s movement saw him sprint in behind Souttar and Christophe Berra undetected. He was now one-one-one with Zlamal and clipped a tidy finish over the advancing goalkeeper.

That was sufficient to win the game, the trophy and the Treble Treble for Celtic. Hearts had put up a brave and commendable effort and left the pitch with chants of “we’ll support you evermore” from their fans.

Celtic (4-2-3-1): Bain; Lustig, Simunovic, Ajer, Hayes (Bitton 89); Brown, McGregor; Forrest, Rogic (Ntcham 70), Johnston (Sinclair 72); Edouard. Unused subs: De Vries, Toljan, Benkovic, Dembele.

Hearts (4-3-3): Zlamal; M Smith, Souttar, Berra, Hickey; Edwards, Haring (Bozanic 80), Djoum; Clare (Wighton 75), MacLean (Ikpeazu 78), Mulraney. Unused subs: Doyle, Shaughnessy, Cochrane, Burns.

Referee: Willie Collum.

Neil Lennon hails ‘immortals’ after Celtic’s treble treble triumphCeltic Manager Neil Lennon lifts the Scottish Cup. Pic: SNS/Craig Foy

Celtic Manager Neil Lennon lifts the Scottish Cup. Pic: SNS/Craig Foy
Andrew Smith
Published: 20:09 Saturday 25 May 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/neil-lennon-hails-immortals-after-celtic-s-treble-treble-triumph-1-4934726

Have your say

It was a day for grand feats and grand statements. Both were encapsulated in now permanent-manager-in-waiting Celtic manager Neil Lennon hailing his players as “immortals” for their clinching of an unprecedented treble treble thanks to their fraught 2-1 Scottish Cup final success over Hearts on the 52nd anniversary of the club’s most immortalised success that came with the 1967 European Cup triumph.

“They are immortal now,” said Lennon, who declared the day “one of the best of my life” as his side recovered from going a goal down to snare the trophy with an Odsonne Edouard double. “You can’t quantify how difficult that achievement is to pull off.

“In my career winning the treble was the Holy Grail. They have done it three years consecutively, Unbelievable and it is the 25th of May, quite synonymous we have two magnificent days in the history of the club on the same day.”

Lennon, who now has added two more trophies as interim since Brendan Rodgers left in February to the five he won as manager between 2010 and 2014, conceded to exasperation over the endeavours of his side in a largely forgettable opening period. That gave way to a second half when the encounter appeared to turn on Ryan Edwards’ 52nd minute deadlock breaker, only to then turn again as Edouard prove the matchwinner.

“You will never see it again so you can see the emotion and tension in the game,” he said of the club’s ninth straight domestic trophy success. “They had to stretch themselves to the limits to win and I think first half we were flat and pedestrian, playing it backwards. I did say to them Hearts may score but we will score, don’t panic and that is exactly the way it panned out. It almost gave them a jag and then the urgency and the response from them was fantastic and they deserved to win it.

We need to find a bit more urgency, purpose in our play and when Hearts did score, the reaction was fantastic. They dug deep and they played particularly well the last half hour under immense pressure; every team wants to beat them, every team raises their game to beat them. That’s 27 [straight] cup wins since Brendan came in, it is a remarkable feat and I can’t speak highly enough of them.”

A support divided over his elevation to permanent successor will now demand he converts a run of eight titles into the record 10. Lennon wanted to give no thought to that quest in the Hampden media room last night.

“Well, get the nine first,” the 47-year-old said. “That will be tough. If we get the nine we can start talking about 10. Again, the modern-day supporter wants to look into the future. I can’t. That’s something I’ve learned: stay in the present. I want to enjoy the moment, enjoy tonight. I want the players to revel and bask in the glory because it’s been hard work. That was tough today. I said before the game, it was their cup final too, their story to write, and they made it really, really difficult for us today.”

The negativity that has surrounded his return to the Celtic technical area Lennon was astute enough not to venture would have been swept away by yesterday’s crowning glory.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Football’s a fickle game sometimes. When your in the public eye as a coach and a manager, you’re going to get criticised. It comes with the territory and some of it can be very inappropriate. My professional integrity is staying intact the whole way through it and I’m very, very pleased with the outcome. I’m very pleased with my backroom staff who’ve helped me enormously in the past few months.” Ultimately, whatever the misgivings from the Celtic support, Lennon has helped himself earn a special status. On a day that the late Billy McNeill was honoured, Lennon becomes the only other man to be given two spells in charge of the club.

Celtic secured a historic treble of domestic trophies for the third consecutive season as Odsonne Edouard’s two goals overcame Hearts in the Scottish Cup final.

BBC
Neil Lennon has now led Celtic to a league and cup double after succeeding Brendan Rodgers mid-season and has been offered the manager’s job permanently.

His side overcame the setback of Ryan Edwards’ second-half strike.

Edouard equalised from the penalty spot before coolly hitting the winner.

The Edinburgh side fought hard for an equaliser of their own in the closing stages, but Celtic stood firm to establish a new mark of triumph in the history of Scottish football.

The final whistle brought an emotional response from Lennon on the touchline for a victory that also means Aberdeen qualify for the Europa League instead of Hearts having come fourth in the Premiership.

His claim to the manager’s role was based on his experience of leading the club to success during a previous spell, of being able to urge and cajole players to deliver the best of themselves during the uncertainty that followed Rodgers’ departure for Leicester – and this cup victory was built on the resilience of his players.

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Edouard delivers devastating double

Celtic were forced into a period of reflection during the interval at Hampden. It was clear enough what Lennon thought of their first-half performance, as he hollered for his players to raise the tempo of their game.

Much of the lethargy was caused by the organisation and determination of Hearts, who brought a level of assertiveness to their game that belied the pre-game assumptions that they would struggle to compete at Hampden.

Christophe Berra and John Souttar were solid pillars of resistance at the back, the latter clearing from Edouard inside the penalty area then blocking a James Forrest shot.

Hearts were not at full strength – striker Uche Ikpeazu was on the bench while 16-year-old Aaron Hickey started only his second game for the club at left-back, having made his first start last week in the final Premiership game of the season against Celtic.
Neil Lennon spoke about his pride prior to the news about his job offer

Craig Levein’s side fought valiantly, though, and took the lead when Arnaud Djoum’s shot broke to Sean Clare, who back-heeled the ball to Edwards to shoot first-time beyond Scott Bain.

As Celtic responded, Souttar stood firm again, clearing after Scott Brown burst into the penalty area and then stepping in to clear from Tom Rogic.

Hearts could not maintain Souttar’s flawless display. Zlamal hesitated as he left his line to close down Edouard inside the penalty area, then panicked and slid into the striker. Referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot and Edouard converted with confidence when Zlamal perhaps could have done better.

The striker remained unflustered when Berra was caught out of position and Mikael Lustig’s header sent the ball through for Edouard to chase, and he coolly lifted the ball beyond the Hearts keeper’s reach and into the net.

“No fouls, no fouls” shouted Lennon as his side tried to close the game out, conscious of Hearts’ threat at set-pieces. Celtic had the experience and the calmness to see themselves over the line.
‘Hearts stifled Celtic’ – analysis

BBC Sport Scotland’s Brian McLauchlin at Hampden

The pressure on the Celtic players was evident from the start, as they looked nervous in the early stages and it was only after Hearts took the lead that an urgency entered their game.

Hearts were wonderfully well organised and ensured Celtic’s key players were not allowed to dictate the pace while stifling their creativity.

Craig Levein and his players may look back upon this as a missed opportunity but there are plenty of positives to take from the 90 minutes.

None more so than the performance of teenager Aaron Hickey at full back, who belied his youth and was more than a match for James Forrest.

Both squads will have major surgery in the summer, with many players leaving new faces arriving at both Tynecastle and Parkhead. Then the quest will begin once more for league and cup glory.

Celtic parade halted over safety fears

Image caption The parade made its way to the east end of Glasgow before it was called to a halt

A parade to celebrate Celtic’s treble Treble victory had to be halted due to safety fears, police have said.

Thousands of supporters spilled onto the roads as an open-top bus carried players from Hampden Park after the Scottish Cup final.

The parade made its way to the east end of Glasgow before police took the decision to bring it to a halt.

Celtic said they hoped to have another event to celebrate the victory ”in the near future”.

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Relive the drama as Celtic beat Hearts to win Scottish Cup

The club tweeted: ”Due to safety concerns, the bus parade, on the advice of @policescotland, had to be rerouted. There were numerous supporters on the road and the safety of our fans will always be our priority.

“While this is unfortunate, it is outwith our control and we hope to have another event in the near future to celebrate today’s momentous occasion.”

Earlier the club had tweeted a warning to fans gathering on Saltmarket and Gallowgate, urging them to “get off the road otherwise the Parade will not be able to go ahead”.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that Saturday’s planned parade by the Celtic FC team bus was initially re-routed and subsequently cancelled by the event police commander in consultation with Celtic FC on the grounds of public safety.”

Celtic secured a historic treble of domestic trophies for the third consecutive season as Odsonne Edouard’s two goals gave the Parkhead side a 2-1 win over Hearts.