Callum McGregor: We showed great personality to win the League Cup

Callum McGregor lifted another trophy at Hampden as he led the Hoops to a League Cup final penalty shoot-out triumph over Rangers. The Celtic captain was again an inspirational presence in the heart of midfield, and he praised his team-mates for the character they showed throughout the 120 minutes of action and the drama of the shoot-out. Speaking to Celtic TV after the game, he said: “It was a tough game, an old-fashioned cup final and the game becomes a bit chaotic and, to be honest, we gave ourselves a lot of work to do by the way we started the game. ‘When we started to play in the second half, you could see the team more dangerous but, like I said, by that point the game is a bit chaotic and anything can happen.’ “So the big takeaway is how well the players dug in and fought for each other, and then in the moments when we had to show quality, we did that to make sure we bring the trophy home.” Celtic found themselves trailing at the interval, but early second-half goals from Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda put the Hoops in front. Rangers grabbed an equaliser before Nicolas Kuhn restored Celtic’s lead with three minutes of the 90 remaining. That looked as though it could be the winner, but Rangers went straight up the park and equalised again. It meant an extra 30 minutes of football, but with no further goals, meaning a penalty shoot-out would decide the destination of the League Cup trophy.Callum McGregor was one of the five Celts who scored their spot-kicks, while Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty and Daizen Maeda converted the decisive kick. “If you want to win things you need a big personality in difficult moments and pressure situations,” McGregor explained. “That’s so many penalties in a row we’ve scored, so it bodes well, it shows the work the boys are doing leading into these games. “You know that anything can happen but then it’s about keeping your nerve and trusting yourself, trusting your technique and trusting your team-mates, and Kasper came up with a big save as well.” The latest success is Callum McGregor’s 23rd major honour as a Celt, drawing him level with legendary captain, Billy McNeill. And while the current holder of the armband is understandably proud to be alongside such a legend of the club, he’s also intent on adding further to his haul of winner’s medals. “When you start to get mentioned in the same breath as these guys in terms of honours and what you’ve achieved, you’re super proud and you just try and put one foot in front of the other,” he said. “I think anybody who wins a lot of trophies will tell you that – it’s just a combination of day-to-day work, and then, when the games arrive, you just try and give your all to not miss the opportunity. “So I’m delighted. It was massive personality shown by the group and quality in the difficult moments. “It’s brilliant because it shows the combination of the work we’ve done so far – it gives us something tangible to show for how well we’ve started the season and it can be a real springboard for us.”