Celtic player ratings vs Aberdeen: 8/10 O’Riley dazzles, 2/10 is horrific
Celtic are through to the Scottish Cup final after beating Aberdeen at Hampden Park on Saturday afternoon (20 April).
Brendan Rodgers’ side came out on top of a dramatic penalty shootout [6-5] after Joe Hart saved Killian Phillips’ effort.
Aberdeen equalised late on in both regular and extra time through Ester Sokler and Angus McDonald but the Glasgow giants came out on top in the shootout.
PLAYER RATINGS
Joe Hart [6]
The penalty hero – despite missing the chance to win it with his own effort.
Made a vital save against Gartenmann minutes before half-time to keep the scores level and did well to starve Junior Hoilett of space when he was one-on-one in the second half. Survived a late scare on his goalline after fumbling a cross.
Alistair Johnston [6]
Defensively solid. Johnston made his mark early on with a heavy tackle on Jamie McGrath which helped settle the backline after a poor start. However, he was wasteful with his passing and offered little threat going forward.
Cameron Carter-Vickers [2]
Suffered a woeful start to the match after being caught sleeping for the opener. Bullied by Miovksi throughout with the Macedonian coming out on top in nearly every physical duel. Extremely lucky to not concede a late penalty in extra time.
Liam Scales [3]
A nervous return to the starting lineup after missing out vs St Mirren. Started sluggishly and looked intimidated by the physical presence of Miovski. Completely at fault for Aberdeen’s late equaliser in regular time after inexcusably losing his man at the back post.
Greg Taylor [5]
A combative performance at left-back. Defended well against the pacey Duk and forced Aberdeen to resort to long, looping passes. Poor going forward and struggled to link up with Yang. His attacking output improved once Forrest entered the fray.
Matt O’Riley [8]
What a talent. Lifted his head up at every available opportunity to try and find runners in behind. O’Riley’s passing was sharp and he was willing to take risks to unlock a deep Aberdeen defence. Capped his superb performance off with his 14th goal of the season in extra time and a well-taken penalty in the shootout.
Callum McGregor [6]
Carried out the dirty work for Rodgers’ side, providing a solid foundation for O’Riley and Hatate to burst forward. However, McGregor became a passenger when Celtic were looking to break down Aberdeen’s well-organised defence.
Reo Hatate [7]
After a quiet first half, Hatate burst into life after the break. Unlucky not to score after his shot fired back off the post at the hour mark. Carried the ball well and played a key role in winning back possession to keep Aberdeen under pressure.
Nicolas Kuhn [7]
Continued his brilliant form in a Celtic shirt with his third goal for the club. He has formed a deadly partnership with Kyogo and he is quickly claiming the right-wing position as his own. Consistently made good decisions in the final third and delivered multiple mouth-watering crosses.
Yang Hyun-Jun [2]
Invisible. Moans and boos could be heard from the Celtic end of Hampden Park after several poor touches and sloppy passes in the first half. Completely outshone by Kyogo and Kuhn, and Rodgers was quick to hook him off in the second half following a horrific display.
Kyogo Furuhashi [7]
Looked lively and continued to pop up in dangerous areas. His relentless pressing gave Aberdeen headaches and he pounced quickly to steal the ball for the equaliser. Full of energy but a handful of loose touches stained his performance.
SUBSTITUTES
Tomoki Iwata [5] – Made some crucial interceptions and blocks during a hectic period of extra time. Defensively impressive but struggled to create or string passes together in possession.
James Forrest [8] – Super sub. Made an instant impact with a scintillating strike just minutes after replacing Yang. Confident on the ball, turning and running at Aberdeen at every given chance.
Adam Idah [4] – Missed a golden opportunity to score the winner in the final few seconds of regular time. Offered Celtic a direct threat in the 18-yard box. Stepped up first to take his penalty and scored.
Luis Palma [6] – Injected energy and pace after coming off the bench, but his decision-making was questionable and he will regret not scoring a third for Celtic just moments before Aberdeen’s late equaliser. Put his previous penalty troubles behind him to score in the shootout.
Paulo Bernardo [6] – Added creativity and composure and covered plenty of ground in the heart of midfield during extra time.
Maik Nawrocki [3] – Celtic looked unorganised as soon as Nawrocki was introduced with Aberdeen scoring just moments after he stepped foot onto the pitch.
In other news, Major update on Celtic pursuit of 24-yr-old as approach made
For more Celtic and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.