Brendan Rodgers knows what it takes to win at Hampden. That’s all the Celtic manager knows at the National Stadium, having never lost a game there in his two spells in charge of the club. The latest success came on Sunday with a League Cup final triumph over Rangers. The match finished 3-3 after extra-time, and it was the Hoops who held their nerve in the shoot-out, with Kasper Schmeichel saving a spot-kick and then Daizen Maeda stepping up to slot home the decisive penalty. Not surprisingly, Brendan Rodgers was delighted to have won another trophy – his fourth League Cup success – as he told Celtic TV after the game. “It was a really tense game and the players had to show a lot of heart and desire, and a lot of calmness and composure to get the win,” the manager said ‘But it’s such an amazing feeling. I said before the game that, in finals, you don’t expect everything to go your own way and that was certainly the case in the game.’ “We had some good spells but we were very loose in the first half, and in fairness to Rangers they capitalised on it, especially for the first goal. “We just needed to find a rhythm and get the ball moving, and we started the second half really well. “But the game goes all the way through to extra-time and then you have to show that mentality and patience and composure to score your penalties. And that’s twice now at Hampden we’ve been very good on the penalties. “I’m absolutely delighted for everyone involved with Celtic to win and we’re really pleased.”The triumph at Hampden was also Brendan Rodgers’ 10th trophy success, an impressive haul of winner’s medals for the manager, and he knows the importance of winning finals, for the team and also for the supporters. “Over the course of the night and the next couple of days, it’ll probably sink in more,” he said. “It’s probably more relief now, when you’re stood there. “And I know the magnitude of this game – a Celtic-Rangers game. ‘It’s so big and supporters all around the world would have been tuning in to watch it and all they want to see is their team win and pick up the trophy. And we’ve been able to do that.’ “There are things for us to learn and pick out from the game where we can be much better, but overall we showed that heart and desire to finish the job. So it’s just real pride in the players and for the supporters. “If it was about deserving a trophy, then they would have had it before the game but you have to earn it and it caps off a really good start to the season for us. “We’ll play better than we did today but finals can be like that at times but what you want to make sure is that you’re on the podium at the end, and we were on there, so I’m so happy for everyone and we can all enjoy the moment.”FixturesCeltic Vs. Rangers – Sun, Dec 15th 2024, 15:30
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