The Celtic Women have just completed their campaign by storming past their Ibrox rivals to win the Scottish Cup. It was a nearly faultless performance from the team, who were marshalled by the ever brilliant Hayes and Flint and O’Riordan, the latter two the goalscorer’s in an encounter at Hampden that was all too easy for Fran Alonso’s side.
Listen, we dominated that one today from the first minute to the last. I hear Leeann Crichton’s BBC commentary is coming in for a lot of what I’m certain is richly deserved stick. It would not be the “national broadcaster” if they did not indulge in pro-Ibrox reportage. But nothing will take anything from away from what was a storming display and a fully deserved win.
The women must have been crushed to lose out on the title last weekend, in that heart-wrenching final few minutes at Celtic Park when just for a moment it seemed as if they had done enough to get over the line. Glasgow City’s late goal and Ibrox’s disallowed one snatched the defeat from the jaws of victory; in the end the women have been magnificent all season long and deserved more. It was great to see how they shook themselves off today to produce that.
After a goal-less first half, but one in which we were completely dominant, we started the second well and truly on the front foot.
The opening goal came in the 65th minute when a Jacynta corner had the Ibrox defence flapping. Flint pounced on a loose ball in the Ibrox penalty box and swept it home. The goal had been coming, it was richly deserved and Flint – playing in a more withdrawn role than usual – was never going to pass up the chance. She has had a fantastic time since her signing in January.
Another sweeping, brilliant, Jacynta corner was then nodded majestically home in McNeill like fashion by O’Riordan just three minutes later and at that point it was clear that only one side was going to win the game. To be honest, I thought that from the start.
Shortly before the end the Ibrox club had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled off for offside. I got a slew of texts telling me Crichton was wailing about the “injustice” and “unfairness” of a team from Ibrox having to play by the same rules as everyone else.
It had been the only time our keeper was troubled in the whole of the match. That today was exactly what you hope for when your team has suffered a major blow. Everyone rallied. Everyone bounced back and produced a performance that I think was quite exceptional.
What a great team Fran Alonso has built here and the expectation levels for next season are now through the roof. This is a title challenging team, one that now regularly wins things. It is a matter of time before it makes the full transition to a title winning one.
Congratulations to the women’s team today on a quite exceptional display, and in particular after such crushing heartbreak last week. They have shown their quality, the very finest. They and their manager deserve all the plaudits coming their way.
You have to say that took real strength of character. The Ibrox ladies are no mugs in the woman’s game and were far more prolific than Celtic in front of goal in the Cup competition. I get they will have been just as disappointed about last week as their Celtic counterparts. But Celtic were always the more likely of the two to take it away from Glasgow City. So I’d say last weekend was a much bigger gut punch for the Hoops. For them to win like that today was very impressive indeed. Well done Celtic Ladies ?
James
Crichton also saying “ should give the striker benefit of doubt”… re VAR on offside goal…. Would not have said that if it was a Celtic woman …. says it all about her!
HH
Well done to the Celtic women in there throughly deserved victory.
Was hard to watch with the level of bullshit coming out of the commentary team but no surprise either.
Again our supporters made the occasion special for the women also and deserved the respect shown towards them, who responded in kind with adding even more success gained for the club.
Sour note was to see the blue witches showing such contempt in losing with discarding there runner-up medals, suppose keeping in line with the men’s team is the way within the shit hole now, and long may it all continue
the ibrox coo,s got a way with murder and the captain cheep shots all over the park manky coo and as for Crichton that horror shouldnt be near a camera .