The cup final on Sunday won’t go down as one of those epic finals that will be talked about for years.
It was the usual Glasgow Derby frantic football that Celtic pretty much controlled apart from a fifteen-minute spell in the second half as our rivals chased the game.
I think it is fair to say that we never really got out of second gear on Sunday and if we had to, we could have kicked up the pressure a notch to put the game to bed.
But there was one act of sportsmanship that former referees Steve Conroy and Des Roache noticed within the game and I have to say, it did go unnoticed by all pundits and commentators.
The moment when Kyogo clashed with Alan McGregor.
The Celtic striker was chasing down a ball when McGregor advanced to clear it and caused a collision. No penalty said Nick Walsh and Kyogo didn’t claim for it either. And that drew praise from the former men in black.
“Who needs VAR when you’ve got Kyogo?” Steve Conroy told Grosvenor Sport via Football Scotland.
“I’ll bet John Beaton was breathing a sigh of relief when the Celtic striker jumped straight up after a collision with Allan McGregor and indicated there was no foul committed, never mind a penalty.
“It was Michael Beale showing sportsmanship a couple of weeks ago when he allowed Partick Thistle to score unimpeded after Malik Tillman netted for Rangers, blissfully unaware of a deal struck about Thistle getting the ball back.
“Now it’s Kyogo showing the same thing which is great to see. It really is a different world.”
Des Roache also added: “I think it’s the first time in Old Firm history we have not seen a player claim for a penalty. Maybe it’s because Kyogo is from a different culture and not ingrained in this fixture.
“Fair play to him for getting up and getting on with it. It really is a sea change in this fixture.”
Now, I’ll take the praise for Kyogo as he has received unjust criticism in the past from certain quarters (we all know who) for diving. He has never dived in his Celtic career but that didn’t stop the narrative in the press and, of course, stop Crawford Allan from appearing on BBC Sportsound to comment on it.
But after all the VAR drama we have seen since November, where is he now BTW?
Weird that isn’t it?
I’m a bit surprised Kyogo wasn’t shown a straight red card for his penalty box tackle against MC Gregor ! Then given a 10 match compulsory ban in the run in to the end stages of the league for blatant rule flouting … All done to the letter of the law you understand !
Mooy got a push of morelos that should have been looked at I’ve seen them given but Beaton history of bad judgement call the man has blotted his careerer had he knows I don’t think he’d ask ref to look at infringement it did give morelos space