And with that,. with Celtic Park now almost empty of fans – though the pitch is crowded with players and their families – I’m going to head off. Thanks for your attention. Here’s Ewan Murray’s match report again. Bye!
A little bit of extra McGregor magic:
double quotation mark It’s hard as players, when you feel that negativity. And it was a stop-start season. You talk about character and mentality. We won the title on that, basically. Hopefully we can use this as a catapult to get the club back on track. Let’s as a club try to push forward.
Callum McGregor speaks again:
double quotation mark At times it looked lost,. in that dressing-room, never ever did they stop believing for one second. You put your heart and soul into this job, and you can’t do it without emotion. You can never switch off. In the good moments it’s unbelievable and in the bad moments it’s even worse. When you start to overcome those hurdles,. see the team put one foot in front of the other … credit to the boys, they just never know when they’re beaten. Everybody’s had a pop at us, quite rightly at times, but it’s so good to answer that.
Martin O’Neill has a good, extended chat with Sky:
double quotation mark What I think is that Celtic today. when there’s unison in this stadium, it’s rocking, it really is. And they never give up. Maybe I did, but they didn’t.
I’m never sure about momentum. The lads will tell you, that can change in an instant. We were striving hard,. if you’d asked me before we played Rangers that we would take it into the final day, I’d have bitten your arm off. They’ve put heart and soul into the games. We make plenty of mistakes, but there’s great courage in the team. Not physical courage, mental courage, which has carried us over the line.
The coaching staff, they’ve been magnificent. But you have to have a response to that. I just think, they see me every day, the players,. they think, he’s a terribly old man, what’s he doing here, among us? But they’ve given me a rejuvenation. Seriously, rejuvenated. Back in October I was enjoying retirement. I get a call to come back, and then I get a call again in January. Obviously, I thought the days of me lifting a trophy at Celtic Park were well and truly gone.
Is he ready to go again next season?
double quotation mark I just don’t know. I really don’t know. It does take its toll, honestly.
And a bit more general happiness:
double quotation mark Last year I was here, watching Brendon winning it. And I was really jealous, of them lifting the trophy. It has been sensational. I really can’t take it in at this moment.
And a word on Hearts:
double quotation mark Hearts have been brilliant. And their manager deserves to be manager of the season. It’s very easy for me to say this,. I’m hoping I would have said it if they’d won the championship.
Callum Osmand, scorer of the third goal, has a word:
double quotation mark It’s one of those moments that … it doesn’t happen, and it’s happened again. I was injured for six months and it was a tough time. I felt like I couldn’t give what I wanted to give to the club. But it’s ended like this. Honestly, unbelievable. Every single fan in here, it’s immense. Everything is amazing. I can’t fault a single thing. It’s been a tough season. I’m really proud of the boys. I feel like I wasn’t in the team, sort of thing. It was tough. But towards the end, we’re all one and I’m so proud of the boys.
double quotation mark Everyone has been there for me. it’s just so refreshing, because they believe in me and they push me on every day. That’s how I perform my best. I can’t think them enough, they’ve changed my life.
Arne Engels has a chat:
double quotation mark I think what we did is amazing. I think we as a team deserve today, and the fans deserve it even more. Now we can finally celebrate together. We stay silent and then we just go for it. It shows how good we are and how strong we are. There’s a feeling we really deserve it. We’re really happy. We finally did it.
You’ll Never Walk Alone gets another airing. Kasper Schmeichel has his phone out, taking a video. Scarves aloft, one last time. Well, the last time before next week’s cup final, anyway.
And now McGregor takes the trophy. The stadium announcer counts down from 10, but McGregor lifts it when he’s on seven. Confetti canons explode! Fireworks launch! Flames reach for the sky!
Callum McGregor speaks to the crowd:
double quotation mark Unbelievable. Such a difficult season. So many downs. But the belief in this group is special, I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was never going to be easy today. We thought we’d string it out one last time. This is a special football club, with special supporters. You drag us through, time and time again. I hope everyone enjoys it. It’s been such a hard season, so you make sure that you have fun tonight.
And so does Martin O’Neill
double quotation mark I must admit I never. never in my wildest dreams, thought that I could experience those lads up there [points to the team on the podium]. The players, the coaching staff, have given me a reason to live. That’s not to say my family haven’t. This is the most special place on earth. When there is absolute unison in this stadium it is a sight to behold. Obviously the players have been magnificent, epitomised by the captain, but we couldn’t have won it without you, absolutely not.
Time, then, for the trophy presentation. Out comes the pot, bedecked in its familiar green and white ribbons.
Ewan Murray has filed his match report from Celtic Park,. on “a shameful way for such an extraordinary season to conclude”:
Hearts arrived in Glasgow needing a point to create history. With four minutes of regulation time remaining, Derek McInnes and his players were doing precisely that. Enter Daizen Maeda. whose goal was ensuring Hearts did not end a title wait stretching 66 years before Callum Osmand added gloss. Celtic are champions again, now for a fifth season in a row.
It was the scenes that followed Osmand’s goal, though, that should have repercussions. Celtic fans flooded on to the pitch, including to goad despondent Hearts players. There was still added time to play but the referee ended proceedings. It was a shameful way for such an extraordinary season to conclude.
It looks like the Hearts team bus has already pulled away from Celtic Park.
Sky are saying there have been reports. some Hearts players were assaulted when fans ran onto the pitch at the end.
Matt Guthrie, a Hearts fan in Montana, emails: “We led the table every day of the season except one. We were three minutes away. I cannot imagine how MacInnes, Shankland and the others are feeling right now. But there’s so much bitterness mixed in with the sadness. The nonsense penalty at Fir Park midweek, another cheap penalty today, and then VAR intervening to give Celtic the winner. ”I’m 62 years old. I grew up by Haymarket Station. my childhood on the terraces was the days of Jim Cruikshank and Donald Ford. This hurts really, really badly.”
I don’t think there was any controversy about this result. Celtic’s second was certainly offside, and a positive VAR intervention. The penalty was, as I said at the time, a bit generous to my mind. my issue I think is that it illustrates a flaw in the game, rather than a flaw in the officiating today.
Whether Celtic deserved to win the title this season. whether they should have been in a position to do so with a marginal victory here, is open to debate. But though for much of this game they seemed not to know how to break down an organised Hearts team. in the end they certainly deserved to win today. In the second half both managers tried to bend the game their team’s way, and Martin O’Neill did so.
double quotation mark This, this full season has been absolutely mental. From where we were at some points of the season, to today, and the atmosphere. Our captain is unbelievable, he’s kept this changing room together. And I’m buzzing for everyone, but Callum McGregor deserves every bit of this. We never give up, and this is the most mentally strong team I’ve been involved in by far. We had everybody doubting us, and we’re still here today. This is the best thing I’ve ever won, with everything we’ve come through.
Alistair Johnston now:
double quotation mark What in the world was that? It’s the best feeling ever when you realise you’ve got an empty goal. We’ve won a lot of leagues here, but that’s got to be the greatest of all time.
double quotation mark He’s a winner. Listen to this place. You’ve just got to build a statue, simple as that.
Callum McGregor, the Celtic captain, has a quick chat.
double quotation mark We knew we’d get a chance. We just keep going and going. Honestly, it’s a special, special group of people.
The referee is still looking interested. I don’t think he thinks the game has been completed. But now he indicates that it is indeed over, and it’s hugs for the hoops!
90+9 mins: Has the final whistle been blown? Does anyone know? Does it matter? The pitch is full of people. And the players are escorted off the pitch and down the tunnel!
It’s a poor, poor ball from the free kick. Celtic break and it’s three on none! There’s nobody to stop them, and Osmand runs it to the line before stroking it in!
90+7 mins: Another yellow card, for McGregor this time. A free-kick for Hearts, and the keeper’s coming up for it!
90+6 mins: A booking for Maeda, for kicking the ball away.
90+6 mins: Not a hint of a sniff for Hearts. Rod Stewart is on his feet, grinning and clapping.
90+4 mins: Saracchi and Shankland butt chests on the touchline, and the referee books them both.
90+3 mins: Hearts have had two shots on target but really only one chance. They’ve spent the great majority of the game defending.
90+2 mins: The corner is a bit overhit, and it’s turned behind for a goal-kick.
90+2 mins: The ball goes out for a Hearts throw-in, and Celtic’s ball-boy tries to stop it being taken. When it is, it’s turned behind for a corner.
90+1 mins: There will be at least eight minutes of stoppage time!
90 mins: Dane Murray comes on for Nygren as Celtic look to lock it down.
89 mins: There’s no argument about this decision. Osmand is absolutely onside when he’s played through, as is Maeda when he turns in Osmand’s cross.
And the on-field decision is overturned! Maeda is offside when the ball is played through, but not when the cross comes in! Celtic lead in the game and lead the table, with 90 seconds and stoppage time to go!
87 mins: A cross from the left is turned in by Maeda, but the referee immediately blows his whistle. Over to VAR …
86 mins: The ball is half-cleared to Kingsley on the edge of the area. an excellent shooting chance that he profoundly fluffs.
86 mins: Shankland wins a corner for Hearts. who as much as anything just need to keep the ball down that end for a bit.
85 mins: Schwolow takes his time over a goal kick. “It couldn’t be any more tense, could it?” asks Chris Sutton on commentary.
83 mins: Another offside flag. Deep breath. Some of the passes Hearts are attempting at the moment make it look like they are losing control not just of their nerves. of their limbs.
82 mins: And they go close again! Maeda cuts onto his right foot and shoots. It might have been going in at the far post, but Osmand gets his head to it at the near, diverts it wide,. is offside!
81 mins: 10 minutes and (quite a lot of) stoppage time to go. Celtic must score, and for the first time in the game have started to look like doing so.
80 mins: Save! Excellent play from Celtic to set up Nygren, whose shot should be stopped. is, eyecatchingly and athletically, Schwolow turning over the bar!
79 mins: Celtic hit the post! It’s full-on chaos at the moment,. Iheanacho’s side-footed shot from just outside the area just fails to find the net!
79 mins: The goal kick is sent long and breaks for Forrest, whose shot is straight at Sinisalo.
78 mins: Engels shoots, and the ball dips and curls but it goes well wide!
77 mins: Celtic for the first time overwhelm the Hearts defence. They have three unmarked players on the edge of the area. pick out one of them, but Nygren’s shot is intercepted. There’s a foul in the follow-up, though, and Celtic have a great shooting chance from just outside the box.
76 mins: Celtic win another corner, their eighth. Iheanacho does well to keep it in play at the far post. after it bounces around the area a bit Schwolow does well to keep it in play and in his hands.
74 mins: Celtic break and suddenly it’s Osmond against Kent, one on one with nothing but space and goalkeeper behind. It’s Osmond’s first touch after coming on, though, and he takes a heavy one which allows Kent to intervene.
73 mins: Another Celtic move peters out, ending in a goal kick. They’ve had 68% of possession but outwith the penalty have managed just one shot on target. Celtic take off Trusty and Tierney and bring on Osmand and Saracchi. A forward for a defender. It’s that time.
71 mins: The tension! Simon McMahon emails requestiong “more goals,. maybe a full blown donnybrook”, and any or indeed all of those things are very possible.
68 mins: What a run from Chesnokov, down the right wing, past Scales. to the byline, but Trusty gets in the way of his pull-back.
67 mins: It was always only a matter of time before Claudio Braga was brought on,. that time is now. Chesnokov. Alan Forrest – whose brother came on for Celtic not long ago – also come on, Kabore, Kyziridis and Milne going off.
66 mins: Another Tierney cross leads to another Celtic corner. It’s played short, sent in, and Maeda heads over.
64 mins: Hearts just have to find a way to keep the ball a bit longer. Perhaps they’re on the right path in their search for a positive result, but it’s a really tough one.
62 mins: James Forrest comes on for Celtic, replacing Yang Hyun-Jun.
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.