The biggest worry that Celtic had going into the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian was the injury status of Kyogo Furuhashi. And the Japanese star showed exactly why. Most fans must have breathed a sigh of relief when he was named in the starting XI and then he scored an incredible brace to help them get a 2-1 win and lift the first trophy of the season and the Ange Postecoglou era at Parkhead.
It is easy to forget that there were many questions about whether Kyogo could make the adjustment to the physicality of the Scottish football when Celtic signed him in the summer. It is safe to say that his performances have spoken for themselves.
According to stats from Transfermarkt, Kyogo has scored 16 goals and provided 5 assists in 25 appearances across all competitions. And he scored the two most important ones this evening.
After winning the League Cup final, Kyogo sent a beautiful message to the Celtic fans as he tweeted out:
We are the champions! 🏆
— Kyogo Furuhashi 古橋 亨梧 (@Kyogo_Furuhashi) December 19, 2021
I am so happy to win the first title with @CelticFC! Proud of this team! This is for you, Celtic fans! Thank you for your support!🍀 pic.twitter.com/9d6tUz6RpM
Kyogo sends beautiful message to Celtic fans after League Cup win
This was Kyogo’s first trophy with Celtic and one can only hope that there are many more to come in the future.
When Postecoglou arrived as the manager of the club in the summer, not many would have expected him to guide the Hoops towards silverware this early on his run at Parkhead. After all, Celtic had finished the previous campaign without a single trophy and in fact, they had not even come close, finishing 25 points behind the Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and struggling in every other competition.
There is still a long way to go in this season though and many more trophies to compete for. Thus, there is not much time to reflect and celebrate. Celtic’s next game is in midweek, away from home against St Mirren.