Celtic secured their spot in the Scottish League Cup final after a commanding 6-0 victory over Aberdeen at Hampden Park. The match saw Daizen Maeda shine with a hat-trick, leading the team to an impressive performance against the second-placed side in the Scottish Premiership.
Manager Brendan Rodgers expressed his satisfaction with both the result and the team’s display.
Rodgers praised his players, stating, “It was a testament to our players and the demands they have. They play every week in big games. We have to manage this group through every game.” He highlighted their aggressive approach in the second half as key to their success. Despite Aberdeen’s strong season, Rodgers remains confident they will continue to perform well.
The match marked Aberdeen’s first loss in 17 matches across all competitions this season. Cameron Carter-Vickers opened the scoring with a header after 29 minutes. Shortly after, Maeda set up Kyogo Furuhashi for a second goal. Maeda then scored himself before halftime, despite some drama involving Rodgers receiving a yellow card for kicking away a ball.
Reflecting on the incident, Rodgers admitted, “To be fair, I was raging because we had given the ball away. I have my moments, like every manager.” Despite being comfortable at 3-0, he wanted to maintain the game’s tempo. The team continued their dominance in the second half with Maeda scoring again in the 50th minute and Nicolas Kuhn adding a fifth goal on the hour mark.
Maeda completed his hat-trick by finishing off an attacking move five minutes before full-time. Afterward, Rodgers commended his team’s outstanding performance against a formidable opponent. Speaking to BBC Scotland, he said, “You come up against a team that has been so, so good. We knew it would be a challenge.”
He emphasised their need to deliver their best game and praised their ruthlessness and ability to create space through effective ball movement and runs. Rodgers also appreciated Hampden Park’s pitch conditions, which suited Celtic’s style of play perfectly.
Celtic now looks forward to facing either Rangers or Motherwell in the final. Their recent performance has set high expectations for what promises to be an exciting conclusion to their cup campaign.