Brendan Rodgers’ hopes of leading Celtic to a third domestic treble ended in heartbreak at Hampden as the Hoops lost the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen on penalties. The game finished 1-1 after extra time, but the Dons held their nerve from the spot to win 4-3.
Brendan Rodgers was honest after the game. He said Celtic didn’t do enough in attack and were too slow in their play. The Irishman was also unhappy with how Celtic played the ball backwards instead of trying to break through the Aberdeen defence.
He said: (BBC Sport), “Our quality, our running, especially in the final third. We had a lot of the ball, but we lacked our combinations, our speed in the final third, our runs. When you play like that, and Aberdeen defend well, that made it difficult for us.
“With the greatest respect, it was more ourselves. We failed to get to the level you need to get to. We’ve played against a 5-3-2 so many times this season, scored goals against it. But you have to be slick, precise, running, and not be safe.
“There were too many times where we weren’t getting turned, we were setting the ball back. You need that personality. Unfortunately, that combination of not being at our level and Aberdeen being very motivated to defend, we couldn’t quite make the breakthrough.”
Celtic looked in control for much of the game. They were 1-0 up and seemed to be heading for a win. But a simple moment turned the match. Schmeichel misjudged a cross and meant the game headed to extra time.
In the shootout, Celtic missed crucial penalties, and Aberdeen took their chance. The result ends any chance of another treble for Rodgers’ side, who had already won the league and League Cup.
Players and fans will feel the pain of this defeat, especially after being ahead for so long. Now the focus turns to the summer, as Celtic aim to come back stronger next season under Brendan Rodgers.
