Daizen Maeda miserable, Carter-Vickers stuns – Celtic ratings in loss v Aberdeen
Daizen Maeda endured a torrid afternoon as Celtic lost the Scottish Cup final to a resilient Aberdeen.
The Hoops threw away their chance of a domestic treble during a frustrating afternoon against the Dons.
An Alfie Dorrington own-goal gave Celtic the lead after 40 frustrating first-half minutes.
Brendan Rodgers’ side tried to kick on, but Aberdeen were stoic and resolute at the back, nullifying the trio of Adam Idah, Nicolas Kuhn, and Maeda with ease.
The Dons were then the beneficiaries of an own goal themselves, as Kasper Schmeichel made a mess of a routine cross, bundling the ball into his own net.
After a nervy 30 minutes of extra time, penalty misses from Callum McGregor and Alistair Johnston condemned Celtic to their first Scottish Cup final loss since 2002.
Celtic lose Scottish Cup final on penalties to Aberdeen
Kasper Schmeichel – 4
Schmeichel returned to the side after suffering an injury on international duty. The Danish shot-stopper was completely at fault as he made a hash of dealing with an Aberdeen cross, putting the ball into his own net.
Alistair Johnston – 7
Energetic. The Canadian was essentially playing as a winger, given how dominant Celtic were with the ball and his energy gave the Dons all kinds of problems.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 9 – Player of the Match
Sublime. Whilst the USA international’s name won’t appear on the scoresheet, it was his header that caused Dorrington to score the own-goal that opened the scoring. Had zero issues dealing with Aberdeen’s limp attacking threats.
Liam Scales impresses for Celtic v Aberdeen
Liam Scales – 8
Too easy. Scales cruised through the game, finding it simple to deal with Aberdeen’s sporadic forays forward.
Greg Taylor – 5
Playing what could be his last game in a green and white shirt, the left-back was good, not great, and should have offered more going forward. Failed to deal with the cross that ultimately led to Schmeichel’s own goal.
Arne Engels (off for McCowan 65′) – 6
Engels may be on his way to the Premier League soon, the Belgian youngster hit the post with a delightful effort just past the hour mark and was unfortunate not to double Celtic’s lead.
Callum McGregor – 7
Marshalled the midfield well, incisive with his passing and strong with his tackling. A solid performance from the Hoops’ captain.
Paulo Bernardo – 7
Tidy. The Portuguese midfielder connected the defence and attack well, consistently making dangerous passes in behind Aberdeen’s backline.
Nicolas Kuhn endures difficult afternoon for Celtic
Nicolas Kuhn (off for Forrest 65′) – 5
Kuhn is a target for Newcastle, but as good as the Hoops’ defence was, their attacking triumvirate was largely nullified, and the German could not find a way through.
Adam Idah (off for Yang 65′) – 4
Unimpactful. The Irish striker lacked movement and was predictable enough that Aberdeen’s back five had no issue dealing with him. A disappointing afternoon.
Daizen Maeda – 2
Absent. Maeda could be leaving Celtic this summer, and the Japanese international had a miserable time at left wing, struggling to get into the game. Had the chance to win it in the dying moments and fluffed his lines.
Substitutes
James Forrest (on for Kuhn 65′ off for Kenny 96′) – 7
Immediately added a new dimension to the Hoops’ attack with his introduction with his wonderful dribbling.
Hyun-jun Yang (on for Idah 65′) – 5
Had the chance to score just minutes after coming on, but hesitated and ultimately wasted the opportunity.
Luke McCowan (on for Engels 65′) – 6
The star when these two sides met last time out and was unfortunate not to start the cup final. McCowan was composed in midfield but found it difficult to find a way through Aberdeen’s backline.
Jeffrey Schlupp (on for Bernardo 99′) – 5
Unable to contribute in a meaningful way as Celtic went in search of a winner.
Johnny Kenny (on for Forrest 96′) – 5
Frustrated by Aberdeen’s resilient backline after coming on for Forrest.