Celtic 3-1 Inverness CT: Ange Postecoglou's side win Scottish Cup to claim treble

Celtic proved excessively beardown for second-tier Inverness Caledonian Thistle arsenic they claimed the Scottish Cup and a 5th home treble successful 7 seasons.

The deluge of goals that mightiness person been expected ne'er followed, but substitute Liel Abada finished a slick determination to enactment Celtic firmly successful power and commencement the treble enactment for the Premiership champions.

However, retired of nothing, Daniel MacKay stooped to caput successful Wallace Duffy's fantastic transverse with six minutes near to abruptly springiness the last beingness and the tiny country of Inverness fans immoderate anticipation again.

But arsenic they person each season, Celtic persisted and Abada's dinked transverse was yet turned location successful stoppage clip by Jota to seal a 40th Scottish Cup and yet different home cleanable sweep.

Manager Ange Postecoglou has present won 5 of the six home trophies disposable since joining the nine successful the summertime of 2021, but the question is whether the Australian volition beryllium astir for much amid links to to the Tottenham job.

Regardless, helium has achieved what helium was brought successful to bash - reconstruct Celtic arsenic the Scottish football's ascendant unit - and helium has done truthful successful emphatic fashion, besides becoming the manager to instrumentality the nine past their large rivals Rangers connected to 8 trebles won.

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It was acold from a vintage show from Celtic, though, astatine a sun-soaked and mostly greenish and achromatic Hampden.

Inverness, who finished sixth successful the Championship and had not played a crippled for astir a month, were good drilled by manager Billy Dodds and gave precious fewer chances to an uncharacteristically sluggish Celtic.

But Kyogo has shown each play helium lone needs 1 show of goal, and the Japanese striker tucked the shot into the apical country from Matt O'Riley's transverse for his 5th cupful last extremity successful a Celtic jersey.

Even the tiny bluish and reddish set of Inverness fans mightiness person feared the worst astatine that point, but their squad stuck astatine it contempt posing small threat.

Celtic looked location and hosed by the 65th infinitesimal erstwhile Abada tapped successful Callum McGregor's transverse to marque it 2-0, which allowed the club's fans to enactment successful the sunshine connected Glasgow's southbound side.

But from nowhere, Duffy surged down Celtic's right-hand broadside and picked retired a diving MacKay and acceptable up an breathtaking finish.

But Celtic celebrations were lone connected clasp for six minutes. Jota went tearing disconnected to observe with the delirious fans aft taking 1 interaction earlier burying Abada's transverse to seal the win.

Player of the lucifer - Matt O'Riley

O'Riley was the subordinate to unfastened the doorway erstwhile Celtic looked retired of ideas successful the archetypal half

Postecoglou completes the acceptable - analysis

Mission accomplished for Postecoglou and Celtic, adjacent if it was little emphatic than galore expected. Their fans, who are surviving done an epoch of dominance, volition not care.

Postecoglou has present won everything successful Scottish football, taking Celtic from 25 points down Rangers erstwhile helium arrived to back-to-back champions and present treble winners, portion bringing an effervescent benignant of play.

Just earlier Celtic lifted the trophy, fans sang successful tribute to their totemic manager, successful different plea to amusement conscionable however overmuch helium is loved successful Glasgow's eastbound end. The Aussie took it each successful quietly, soaking successful the ambiance and applauding, earlier getting a monolithic cheers erstwhile helium hoisted the trophy.

Who knows what's going done his head. He has expertly avoided saying whether helium volition beryllium astatine the nine adjacent play oregon not amid persistent links to Spurs.

Whether helium goes oregon not, his clip astatine Celtic volition beryllium revered.

As for Inverness, they gave it perfectly everything and unsurprisingly fell conscionable short.

Not playing competitively for a period earlier the last was hardly perfect preparation, but they looked arsenic though they had been coached brilliantly successful the interim to frustrate Celtic successful the archetypal half.

They deserved their extremity astatine the extremity for sheer effort and resilience, and it made for a frantic last fewer minutes. Dodds and his squad tin locomotion distant with their heads held high.

More to follow.

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