OVERALL – 5.5/10 – Never in doubt! A marvellous, dramatic climax that had the jubilant, buoyant away section crumple in seconds into what best resembled a hedge-trimmer massacre in the Jim Henson workshop. As for the previous 95 minutes and the latter dread-laden moments of extra-time? God awful. The team seemed to mirror the boycotting fans’ apathy with build-up play from The Never-Ending Story tactical manual, ponderous and apprehensive – like daring to take a shot would get you five punishment laps and last use of the home changing room shower loofah.
So rather than exerting any sort of concentrated pressure in the final third, we walked ourselves into congestion and then walked it all the way back. It was like The Brodge had hacked into the Celtic mainframe and was channeling his tactical vision through a Playstation link.
“For me, it’s amazing feeling. I’m very happy to help the team.” 🗣️
Sebastian Tounekti and Junior Adamu speak after scoring in @CelticFC‘s 2-1 win over Dundee 🍀#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/fbnChU2cDq
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) February 7, 2026
But despite being unable to find a final ball or the courage to kick one hard enough to approach the goal, we dug it out with the one attribute so intrinsic to so many Celtic classics over the years – individual flair. In this case a double, out of the blue, sorry, green – a dagger to those dark blue hearts. And after you get one, why not two? So in the space of three on-field minutes the tie was settled. Celtic-style.
It’s all about getting through and we achieved the aim in a pretty roundabout manner, result trumping performance and morale boosted with sheer, savage desperation winning the day. Best not dwell on the grim procedure that led to the patient rising off the deathbed, just relish the extra days to come thanks to some miraculous intervention. Who’s next for the rope-a-dope knockout special?
Go Away Now
Sandman
Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order
