Celtic's spot-kick resolve in Hampden final impresses captain Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor praised Celtic's spot-kick heroes for holding their nerve in front of the Rangers fans as they edged a thrilling Premier Sports Cup final 5-4 on penalties to claim the first major trophy of the season.

The Hampden showpiece between the bitter Glasgow rivals went the distance after a topsy-turvy match was deadlocked at 3-3 following the regulation 90 minutes and with no further goals in extra-time.

The penalties were taken at the end of the national stadium housing the Rangers fans but all five Celtic players - including McGregor himself - blocked out the distractions from behind the goal to net their spot-kicks, while Gers substitute Ridvan Yilmaz was the only one unsuccessful from the spot as his kick was saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

"I just said we've got to do it the hard way," said McGregor when asked if he had any words to his team-mates before the shoot-out. "We lost both tosses, but then you understand where it is and it's fine.

"You just know that you've got to go down there and take your penalties and obviously shoot second as well. It just adds to all the moments that the players showed up with big quality.

"There's probably no better way to win it than that. Such a big pressure situation and the players stepped up and delivered in those moments. So, amazing, good cup game and obviously to win it on penalties, you kind of get that added feeling but (it's) fantastic for the group."

McGregor admitted Rangers gave Celtic a serious test of their resolve before they got over the line to win their third major trophy out of four since Brendan Rodgers returned to the club in the summer of 2023.

"Yes, mentality is massive," said the Hoops skipper. "Obviously, we've had a bulk of good experiences against them in recent years, which can help the group as well.

"But then when you come into the game, you obviously have to do a lot right and give as much as you possibly can to make sure it's a success.

"I think cup finals are always tight and you look back through the years, there's not many that have been won comfortably really. They're always tight, they're always edgy and especially when you play Rangers, they're a good side as well.

"They brought a lot to the game, a lot of quality as well, and it was a good cup game. So you've got to do a lot right, you've got to fight and in the difficult moments you need to change the momentum of the game and we did that really well at the start of the second half.

"We can be really proud of ourselves. In a difficult moment, we produced the moments that we needed."

McGregor was confident veteran goalkeeper Schmeichel would deliver in the shoot-out.

"He's a top goalkeeper," said the captain. "He's shown that since he's come in, since the first day he trained with us. He's been fantastic. And again, another big moment.

"We kind of fancied him to save one, if I'm honest, because that's how good he is. He's been a massive player since he's come in, made some big saves and none more so than that today."

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