Kyogo reckons yesterday was one of the greatest days of his career so far, and hopes there are many more to come…
Yesterday’s match at the National Stadium against a spirited Hibs side, who managed to take the lead against the run of play before Celtic bounced back to ultimately win the tie, will most likely be remembered as ‘The Kyogo Final’ due to our match winning Japanese star who scored two wonderful second half goals to win the trophy for manager Ange Postecoglou.
The 26-year-old striker, who only joined The Hoops at the end of July, made the Premier Sports League Cup final his own by netting the all important goals, taking his tally for the season so far to 16. Rather unsurprisingly, Kyogo wasn’t just delighted with the goals but, always the team player, was even happier that those goals meant his teammates got their chance to lift the trophy.
Speaking to the official club website today, Kyogo said: “You want to be a footballer and play football for days like yesterday, to be part of these moments when all our hard work comes together and we get the rewards through this kind of success.
“I thought we deserved the win and to come out on top with the trophy we are just all really happy. It is just a brilliant feeling to be part of this team and win my first trophy with Celtic and I am delighted for everyone at the club, the manager, our staff and all our supporters.”
Celtic dominated the first half but didn’t translate that possession into goals, although centre back Carl Starfelt passed up a glorious chance with a free header from a corner during that period. The game exploded in the second half though when Hibs captain Paul Hanlon scored the opener from yet another set piece play that Celtic made a mess of defending.
Thankfully Celtic had a special player in attack, who even though not 100% fit, sprang to Celtic’s rescue almost immediately as Kyogo scored less than a minute after the restart. The Japanese international then sealed the trophy with a sublime lob that will be replayed for years to come.
Speaking about his goals, Kyogo said: “After we went behind in the match it was really important to get back into the game quickly and thankfully that’s what we did, immediately really. That then gave us the opportunity to go again and try and fight to get the win.
“I wasn’t 100 per cent going into the match after the injury but I just had to play. I had to! I could not miss it. I knew what an important match it was for us all and I wanted to be part of it and give as much as I could.
“The atmosphere was so good and it was a joy to play out there in such a big match in front of a full crowd, it really was something special and one of the great moments of my career so far – but I hope, of course, there are some more days like this.
“It’s nice to score the goals but everything we do, we do it together as a team and I need to say that the passes I received from Callum and Tom were fantastic.
“I know it is my job to find the net but any forward needs support and to receive great assists like that makes my job a bit easier. So this win is about every one of us at the club working hard together and doing all we can to bring our fans success. We are glad we did and hope our fans enjoyed the day as much as we did.”
Let’s hope we can hold on to Kyogo for many years to come. It’s been a long time since the Celtic fans have been so united in their love for one of our players and luckily for us it seems that love is reciprocated!
Conall McGinty
— Tam sellic son (@TamsellicsonIII) December 19, 2021
