Kyogo hobbled out of Celtic’s Trophy Day celebrations having sparked the party with another two lethal finishes
The prolific striker took his personal tally for the term to 33 with a couple of clinical strikes before half-time. But Kyogo lasted just moments after the break when, after a collision with Aberdeen keeper Kelle Roos, he had to limp off. It was a worrying sight for the home fans as attention turns to next Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final against Inverness Caley Thistle at Hampden and the bid for the Treble.
By the time he departed, he’d already damaged Aberdeen and set up a win which allowed the trophy presentation to skipper Callum McGregor to be made on the back of a thumping success. Spurs’ interest in manager Ange Postecoglou did nothing to dampen the mood within the stadium as the boss savoured a second-straight title after the sort of trademark home win which has been the regular occurrence since his appointment. Barry Robson’s side had little answer as the hosts and Carl Starfelt’s towering late header for a third saw the champions surpass the Lisbon Lions’ record of 111 league goals in 1966/67.
Oh Hyeon-gyu, who had taken the place of Kyogo, had the final say of the title run when he also nodded into the top corner to seal the deal before adding a fifth in the final seconds of the match. It was a procession and done by the interval. Starfelt almost broke through for Celtic with a header from a Matt O’Riley corner which forced a superb low save from Roos.
But the Dons No.1 had no chance when Kyogo rifled the opener past him shortly after that stop. Greg Taylor’s incisive pass found the Japanese who sold defenders with a turn back inside before reversing a cracker into the top corner with his left peg. Roos could do nothing about that one, but he was at fault for Kyogo’s second.
The keeper should have held McGregor’s shot. The fumble spilled out and the hitman was onto it in a flash to bury the loose ball. Celtic, who had Alistair Johnston back after a month out through injury, could have had more before the interval, but the injury to Kyogo soon after the restart was a worry for them.
Johnston also had to go off just after an hour Jota thought he’d added a third with 16 minutes to go after skipping around Roos and firing into the net, but an offside flag was up and verified by VAR.
It would soon arrive. And more. Starfelt rose unchallenged to bullet home a header via the underside of the crossbar from an O’Riley corner for the third. Oh then produced another quality header to add a fourth after some delightful wing play and an inch-perfect cross from Jota.
The South Korean was not finished and again profited from the efforts of the Portuguese to finish it in style.
Jota’s curling free-kick hit the bar and Oh was first onto the rebound to gobble up and the chance and score his second. Here's three things we spotted.
Centre stage Ange
The Spurs interest in the Celtic manager meant there was as much attention on the Aussie as the team at times and the home supporters made their feelings on him crystal clear inside the opening seconds of the contest when they rose as one to chant his name. The future will play out, but Glasgow’s East End has belonged to him since he moved into the hotseat and it is an outstanding feat that his team haven’t lost a solitary domestic home match over his two campaigns. His record of 43 unbeaten in league and cup has been the platform on which he’s built the success. This was a typically-dominant Parkead show. Four trophies out of five can become five out of six next week. A brilliant job.
Don and Dusted
Barry Robson’s team arrived in Glasgow having done their job in recent weeks by amassing the points to secure third spot ahead of Hearts and Hibs. It was understandable that performance may drop with their mission completed and the venue is the toughest of the lot even for visitors in peak form. It was most certainly not a scoreline that would have pleased him. Nonetheless, Robson can now take his short break and start working towards the squad alterations needed for next season and the budget available to him will be crucial and could change depending on the outcome of the Scottish Cup Final.
The Dons fans didn’t seem too happy at their team doing a Guard of Honour for the champions prior to kick-off, but they’ll be hoping Postecoglou’s team can win at Hampden to guarantee additional funds from a Euro jackpot and group-stage action at Pittodrie next term.
Tomoki takes his chance
Tomoki Iwata was given an opportunity again to show himself in the centre-back role ahead of the Scottish Cup Final. Yuki Kobayashi was not involved in the matchday squad as his countryman partnered Carl Starfelt at the heart of the backline.
Postecoglou made six changes from the midweek loss to Hibs and it looked like, barring any injury issues, the potential Hampden team. Iwata did not have too much to do defensively and was able to carry the ball out from the back. Johnston was outstanding at right-back during his hour on the pitch and didn’t look as though he had missed a training session despite a month out. The midfield was back to being crisp and Kyogo is still in the goals before having to go off. Oh replaced him and also scored a couple of goals himself in a fine cameo. It looks ominous for Inverness Caley Thistle.
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