Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 17:30; Saturday; Premier TV
- Scottish Cup Fifth Round
- Raith Rovers are in the Championship – second tier at this time. Managed by ex-Celt Barry Robson.
- Lower crowd as game was NOT on the season book whereas it was at one time given for free for this early a round.
- Debut for Sinsalo, little tested in this game.
- Maeda gets a hat-trick, but Yang steals the show with a goal and two assists.
- Daizen Maeda becomes the first Celtic player to score three hat-tricks in a 12 month period since Moussa Dembélé (September 2016 Vs Rangers, February 2017 Vs St Johnstone and February 2017 Vs Inverness C.T) Celtic’s last three hat-tricks have all been scored by Maeda, all in cup
- Liam Scales was given the Captain’s armband as the McGregor was subbed off, as CCV was out injured.
- Second-tier Queen’s Park produced one of the biggest upsets in Scottish Cup history as they beat Sevco 1-0 at Ibrox to advance to the quarter-finals!!! Playing was on-loan Adam Montgomery in his debut for Queen’s Park having just joined a few days back!
- Greg Taylor has signed a pre-contract to join Dinamo Zagreb according to reports in Croatia. No surprise
- Ex-Celtic manager Neil Lennon says the club could have the next Callum McGregor on their hands in the shape of 19-year-old midfielder Kyle Ure.
- Celtic fans permitted to attend the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich in Germany after being handed a UEFA reprieve. Were on a suspended ban on away supporters when hit with a disciplinary notice after a green smoke canister was thrown from among the visiting fans during 4-2 defeat at Villa. €10k fine, but this is so close to the bone with reprieves.
- Reports: Celtic working on deal to sign Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden in the summer after failing to get him in the Winter window.
- Bayern Munich 3-0 Werder Bremen ahead of Celtic clash next week!
- Celtic added Jota, Jeffrey Schlupp and Johnny Kenny to the Champions League squad after departure/loan out of four players!
Summary
Brendan Rogers: “We set some objectives pre-game. We wanted to counter press and ensure they got no more than 6 passes. I made 9 changes because I can do and I trust the team. The players were very good today in all aspects”Daizen is a massive miss next week. He’s so explosive. His intensity, workrate and now goals”“We’ve shown we can compete against the very best teams in the Champions League. It should be an exciting match”.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor tells Premier Sports: “Maeda’s been on fire, what a season he’s had.
“He’s got that hunger to score to get in at the backpost. His finishes were immense today. He wants more and so do we.
“We’ve built a really strong squad, everyone’s fighting. Even with nine changes today, there were a lot of top performances and the most important thing is people are hungry.
“We’re in a good place and in order to stay there we need to keep working hard.”
joebloggscity: Celtic put out a mostly reserve side and some suprises too with Nawrocki coming on as a sub (long time since anyone seen him onfield) whilst Sinsalo got his debut. Most happy for Maeda with a hat-trick to further fuel his cult status, but Yang had a dream match (albeit against more limited opposition) with a fine goal and two fine assists. Yang deserves this moment in the sun for a change, undeniably there is some talent there but can he reach the levels that Celtic now demand consistently? Still a long way to go.
Jimmy_mach of KDS:
Slow first half watch before sticking the after burners on in the early part of the 2nd half. Good performance all round considering the changes. Maeda will rightly get all the headlines but Yang had a 20 minute spell where he was on fire, 2 assists and a goal. McCowan came on to a good game. I was really impressed with Murray. Obviously not tested defensively but very assured on the ball and progressed the ball quickly and very well.
dtic of KDS:
The 40 or so mins between our 1st & 2nd goal – maybe it was credit to Raith – but I thought we were finding it hard to break them down. Was imploring Yang to be more successful in beating the man & to get some telling crosses in, when it came good for him, with the pass to Maeda for the 2nd. Seemed to give him a whole new level of confidence. Fair play to him. Thought Murray did well. But Maeda man .. superb
E-Tims @ETimsNet · 2h FT #Celtic 5 Raith Rovers 0 9 changes from midweek but no difference as Celts won convincingly. @M_daizen_1020 player of the match with a fine hat-trick and a goal for his two weans (pre-match mascots) and himself. A beautiful person
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland · 3h Daizen Maeda last Sunday he started at left wing, scored then moved to CF where he assists Jota, on Wednesday he plays right wing, scores twice, including a goal of the season contender and tonight he starts up front, and has scored two in the first 45. Unreal anywhere he plays.Ange Postecoglou’s 2nd season was widely regarded as the most attack minded Celtic team in decades, after 39 games in all competitions so far, Brendan Rodgers’ current Celtic team have scored just 5 goals fewer than that side at the exact same stage of season & conceded 6 less. Celtic has now scored 110 goals from 39 games in all competitions so far in 2024-25. 73 – League 13 – Champions League 17 – League Cup 7 – Scottish Cup. Yang adding an end product to his game from out of nowhere, a well taken goal & 2 very good assists. You’d imagine his game time would be far more limited now, but Rodgers has been very patient with his development, but with the options now available, his numbers need to be good.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
12 V. Sinisalo
15 J. Schlupp, subbed for M. Nawrocki at 72mins
05 L. Scales
47 D. Murray
56 A. Ralston
28 Paulo Bernardo, subbed for R. Hatate at 37mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain, subbed for A. Engels at 65mins
14 L. McCowan
10 N. Kühn, subbed for Jota at 65mins
38 D. Maeda
13 Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for J. Kenny at 65mins
Subs:
29 S. Bain
27 A. Engels
41 R. Hatate
09 A. Idah
24 J. Kenny
17 M. Nawrocki
07 Jota
03 G. Taylor
Goals:
D. Maeda (6′, 45’+3, 77′)
L. McCowan (47′)
Yang Hyun-Jun (56′)
Assists:
Paulo Bernardo (6′), Yang Hyun-Jun (45’+3, 47′), A. Ralston (56′), L. McCowan (77′)
Raith Rovers
Manager: Barry Robson
Formation: 5 – 4 – 1
63 J. Rae
03 L. Dick
04 P. Hanlon
06 E. Murray
26 L. Stevenson
22 J. Doherty
23 D. Easton, subbed for A. Marsh at 89mins
14 J. Mullin
08 R. Matthews
20 S. Brown (c), Captain
32 J. Gullan, subbed for F. Pollock at 57mins
Subs:
07 A. Connolly
01 M. Dąbrowski
05 C. Fordyce
17 L. Gibson
37 A. Marsh
25 K. Montagu
19 F. Pollock
Referee Chris Graham
Video Assistant Referee Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee 1 Gordon Crawford
Assistant Referee 2 David Dunne
Fourth Official Iain Snedden
Assistant VAR Official Graham McNeillie
Att: 39,207
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall possession
Celtic 74% Raith Rovers 26%
Shots
Celtic 12 Raith Rovers 1
Shots on target
Celtic 7 Raith Rovers 1
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 1 Raith Rovers 2
Fouls
Celtic 6 Raith Rovers 5
Corners
Celtic 7 Raith Rovers 2
Advanced match stats
Try our advanced match stats, including in-depth attacking and defensive stats
Shots
Celtic 12 Raith Rovers 1
Shots on target
Celtic 7 Raith Rovers 1
Shots off target
Celtic 3 Raith Rovers 0
Blocked shots
Celtic 2 Raith Rovers 0
Hit woodwork
Celtic 1 Raith Rovers 0
Fouls
Celtic 6 Raith Rovers 5
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 1 Raith Rovers 2
Diving saves
Celtic 1 Raith Rovers 1
Saved shots from inside the box
Celtic 0 Raith Rovers 1
Saved shots from outside the box
Celtic 1 Raith Rovers 1
Goal kicks
Celtic 0 Raith Rovers 10
Pre match stat: Celtic have won their last 8 home games by an aggregate score of 29-0.“The last time they won more in a row without conceding at home was in March 2014 – when they had 9 consecutive wins to nil.”
Articles
Daizen the hat-trick hero as Celtic deliver emphatic Scottish Cup win
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/february/08/daizen-the-hat-trick-hero-as-celtic-deliver-emphatic-scottish-cup-win/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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08 Feb 2025, 7:23 pm
Scottish Cup
Fifth round
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Celtic Park, Glasgow
CELTIC… 5
(Maeda 6, 45+3, 76, McCowan 46, Yang 55
RAITH ROVERS… 0
Daizen Maeda produced another impressive goalscoring display, netting a hat-trick as Celtic eased into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Raith Rovers today (Saturday).
As well as Maeda’s treble, Luke McCowan and Yang also Scored to ensure the cup holders will be in the draw for the next round.
The first-half was bookended by Daizen Maeda goals, as the Japanese forward reached 21 goals for the season – and 50 goals overall in the green and white Hoops.
With nine changes from the midweek victory over Dundee – which also included two Maeda goals – Celtic got into their groove and opened the scoring after just six minutes.
Luke McCowan clipped the ball in to Maeda on the edge of the area and he nudged it on to Paulo Bernardo. The Portuguese midfielder flicked it back into Maeda’s path and he curled a left-foot shot beyond the Raith Rovers goalkeeper and into the net.
And just two minutes later, Callum McGregor almost scored another brilliant goal from outside the area, but his powerful shot hit the bar and went over.
Not surprisingly, Brendan Rodgers’ side were dominating the game in terms of possession against their Championship opponents, and Maeda had a chance on 22 minutes with a header from a Nicolas Kuhn cross. His effort was well-saved by Josh Rae but the offside flag subsequently went up.
Three minutes later, Raith Rovers had their first chance of the game when Josh Mullin was put clear. He tried to lob Viljami Sinisalo, but the Celtic goalkeeper, making his competitive debut for the club, did well to push the ball away for a corner.
As the first-half entered three added minutes, Celtic had the ball in the net Celtic through Maeda after a brilliant ball across the box from Anthony Ralston, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
However, the Japanese forward wasn’t to be denied a second goal for long, and he scored with the last attack of the half.
The Hoops hit on the break from a rare Raith corner, with Kuhn slotting the ball through the visitors’ defence for Yang racing down the left
He drove forward and cut the ball across for Maeda to fire the ball into the net to make it 2-0 at the break.
74%
Possession
26%
12
Shots
1
7
Shots On Target
1
7
Corners
2
6
Fouls
5
0
0
Cards
0
0
It didn’t take Celtic long to extend their lead when the second-half resumed, and this time it was Luke McCowan who flicked the ball home from a low Yang cross within 60 seconds of the restart.
And having provided two assists, the Korean winger then got on the scoresheet himself in the 55th minute. Anthony Ralston delivered a great ball from the right-hand side all the way to the back post and Yang connected with it first-time for a powerful finish.
Raith goalkeeper, Josh Rae, then produced a good save to deny Nicolas Kuhn after his shot looked to be heading into the net.
But with just under 15 minutes remaining, Celtic made it 5-0 and Maeda claimed the match ball. McCowan was the provider, firing a low ball across the six-yard box for the Japanese forward to knock the ball into the net from a couple of yards out to make it 21 goals for the season.
Arne Engels, on as a substitute, then tested the goalkeeper with a free-kick from the left-hand side of the area, but his effort was punched over the bar by the keeper.
It was another impressive attacking display from Brendan Rodgers’ side who can now look ahead to Wednesday night and the visit of Bayern Munich for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off tie.
Celtic: Sinisalo, Ralston, Murray, Scales, Schlupp (Nawrocki 72′), McCowan, McGregor (Engels 65′), Paulo Bernardo (Hatate 37′), Hyunjun Yang (Kenny 65′), Maeda, Kühn (Jota 65′)
Subs: Taylor, Jota, Idah, Nawrocki, Kenny, Engels, Bain, Hatate
Raith Rovers: Rae, Doherty, Murray, Hanlon, Dick, Stevenson, Brown, Matthews, Mullin, Easton (Marsh 89′), Gullan (Pollock 57′)
Subs: Dabrowski, Fordyce, Connolly, Gibson, Pollock, Montagu, Marsh
Manager: It was a complete performance and I’m very pleased
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/february/08/manager–it-was-a-complete-performance-and-i-m-very-pleased/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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08 Feb 2025, 8:41 pm
It was another blistering display from the Hoops today at Paradise, as Brendan Rodgers’ men cruised by Raith Rovers with a 5-0 victory to advance to the last eight of the Scottish Cup.
The Celtic manager made nine changes to his starting eleven from the team that thumped Dundee 6-0 on Wednesday night, but despite the personnel changes, there was no change in the Celts’ intensity and quality today.
And speaking to Celtic TV after today’s match, Brendan expressed his delight at what he said was a very good performance from his side.
“It was a complete performance,” he said. “These games can prove tricky.
“Teams come with big motivation from either further down the league or from the league below.
‘I thought our professionalism, concentration and quality in the game was very, very good.’
“I’m very pleased with our performance.”
There were standout performances across the pitch, but the headlines will, once again, belong to Daizen Maeda who grabbed a hat-trick on the day, taking his tally for the season to 21 and his overall tally in the hoops to 50.
And the Celts’ boss was quick to praise the Japanese forward after the match for his performance today and his contributions throughout the season so far.
He added: “Anyone who has done any depth of work on Daizen before he came in here, you’ll see he played as a striker at Yokohama and the various range of goals that he scored
“He might not be your traditional No. 9, but he runs in behind, is mobile, has speed and can make those finishes in the box.
“His three goals today were great. He can score different types of goals.
“He’s been absolutely sensational this season with his work rate. Because it’s not just the 21 goals, it’s everything else he brings to the team. I’m so happy for him.”
Luke McCowan: We put in a performance that reflects our mentality
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/february/08/luke-mccowan–we-put-in-a-performance-that-reflects-our-mentality/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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08 Feb 2025, 8:58 pm
The Celts are through to the quarter-final stage of the Scottish Cup after today’s resounding 5-0 victory over Raith Rovers.
After a first-half double from Daizen, Luke McCowan put the Bhoys 3-0 up just after the break before Yang grabbed his second goal of the season to give the Celts a four goal lead.
The in-form Daizen wasn’t in the mood to stop at a brace, however, and the Japanese forward grabbed his hat-trick on the day and his 50th Celtic goal overall to cap off another five-star performance from the Celts.
His contribution to the success the Bhoys have enjoyed so far this season has been clear to see, and, speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Luke McCowan was happy to single the Japanese forward out for some praise as he reflected on another great win for the Celts.
“His mentality every game, he’s ruthless,” McCowan said. “He wants to score every game, help the team to defend and attack at every moment.
“That brushes off on everyone in the squad and he’s a real joy to play with.
‘We knew going in to the game that we had to be at it and put in a performance that reflects our mentality.’
“And I think the boys done that. Right to the final whistle, we were still pressing and looking for that extra goal. So credit to everyone who played today.”
…
Celtic player ratings vs Raith Rovers
https://www.67hailhail.com/match/celtic-player-ratings-vs-raith-rovers-as-9-10-nets-hat-trick-and-yang-proves-his-worth/
Luke McCowan of Celtic scores his team’s third goal during the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup match between Celtic FC and Raith Rovers FC at Celtic Park…
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Viljami Sinisalo – 7
Clean sheet on his debut for the Finnish international. He only had one save to make and it wasn’t even on target. Dealt with Raith’s corners well.
Jeffrey Schlupp – 7
Took 15 minutes or so to adjust to his role at left-back and strolled it from thereon in. Good first start for the man on loan from Crystal Palace.
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Liam Scales – 6
Got caught underneath an over-the-top through ball in the first-half that saw Raith in on goal. But he was hardly troubled across the entire match.
Dane Murray – 7
Brendan Rodgers was keen to see how the youngster would get on on his first start for Celtic. Again, it was the perfect game to build some confidence as he saw a lot of the ball and wasn’t required to defend very often.
Anthony Ralston – 7
Gave the ball away a few times in the first-half when making forward passes down the right wing. But he made up for that with a stunning cross for Yang to make it 4-0.
Callum McGregor (C) – 7
The ever reliable captain did not put a foot wrong in the centre of the park and put in yet another professional performance.
Paulo Bernardo – 6
Assisted Daizen Maeda with a clever little pass for Celtic’s first goal but had to be substituted on the 37th minute due to a knock sustained on his lower leg.
Luke McCowan – 8
Always extremely neat and tidy on the ball and makes difficult passes look utterly straightforward. Got himself into a dangerous area early in the second-half to score Celtic’s third and assisted Maeda’s hat-trick.
Yang Hyun-jun – 8
The South Korean can flatter to deceive at times but that wasn’t the case tonight. The winger did extremely well to race through and square for Maeda’s second goal before adding another assist for McCowan’s strike.
He then got on the scoresheet with a lethal first time finish after Anthony Ralston’s wonderful cross.
View Tweet
Nicolas Kuhn – 6
Extremely busy as always but perhaps not quite at his scintillating best. Jota replaced him after 65 minutes.
Daizen Maeda – 9
Deployed as a central striker this evening, the 27-year-old was unbelievable again. Finished well for the opening goal and took his second with equal aplomb.
Maeda then got his hat-trick in the 77th minute with a back post tap in that moved him onto 50 Celtic goals. Proving more and more that he has bags of quality to add to his relentless work ethic and running.
View Tweet
Reo Hatate (sub) – 6
The substitute started in midfield before moving to left-back when Schlupp was taken off in the second-half. An easy night’s work for the Japanese man.
Arne Engels (sub) – 5
Came on and did a job in midfield. Hit two free-kicks from distance but both sailed over the bar.
Jota (sub) – 5
Another half an hour under Jota’s belt as his fitness continues to improve.
Johnny Kenny (sub) – 5
Had a chance to get on the scoresheet but failed to get on the end of the cross.
Maik Nawrocki (sub) – 4
Handed some rare minutes off the bench and helped see out the game for Celtic.
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cd7d0jn983yt#Report
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park
Daizen Maeda took his Celtic tally to 50 goals as his hat trick helped the much-changed holders into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable 5-0 win over Raith Rovers.
Brendan Rodgers brought nine players into the starting line-up but it was very much business as usual as Celtic extended their unbeaten home run to 32 matches – one shy of the mark reached by Gordon Strachan’s vintage of 2007.
Second-half goals from Luke McCowan and Yang Hyun-Jun had Celtic well in command before Maeda completed his hat-trick late on from McCowan’s fine assist.
The Japanese attacker, who scored twice before the break to dull the Championship visitors’ resistance, now has 21 goals for the season.
An able deputy, perhaps, for departed compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi, having now rattled in six in his last three games.
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It could have been an even more difficult game for Raith had Callum McGregor’s early effort from the edge of the area not found the junction of debutant Josh Rae’s right-hand post and crossbar.
Maeda was also denied before the interval by an offside flag after tapping home Anthony Ralston’s cross.
With Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich next up at Parkhead in the Champions League on Wednesday, the likes of Alastair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty were given the night off.
As was goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, with Viljami Sinisalo making his Celtic debut.
There was no discernable drop-off in levels for Rodgers’ men, who have now scored 14 goals in their last three games and 110 for the season as a whole.
It was a harsh lesson for Barry Robson’s Raith, who thought they were heading in just one goal down at the interval before Maeda pounced for his second to remove any doubt about the outcome.
Celtic’s quality shone throughout the second period and they can now look forward to the visit of Harry Kane and co on the back of another healthy victory.
The only downside is that man of the moment Maeda is suspended for the first leg.
What they said
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “Games like this can be tricky if the attitude is not right, no matter what talent you’ve got.
“It’s a huge testament to the players in terms of how hard they worked in the game right from the beginning to play to the level they did.”
Raith Rovers manager Barry Robson: “The boys gave me absolutely everything, you can’t deny that. I can’t ask for any more than that.
“What they will have done is learn what it’s like to come up against real top quality players.”