You probably won’t see another Celtic Hampden trip like that for a good long while.
Bhoys supporters were put through the wringer at the national stadium during a 3-3 draw against Aberdeen that resulted in a crazy penalty shoot-out.
Celtic were behind in the match, as well as ahead on two occasions, in a roller-coaster 120 minutes that nobody will forget.
The reigning cup holders came through the semi-final victorious in large part thanks to goalkeeper Joe Hart, despite him missing his own penalty that would have put the Bhoys into the final.
The veteran shot-stopper ended up saving the fateful penalty that resulted in a 6-5 shoot-out win, sparking jubilant scenes at Hampden. He had also made a couple of crucial saves during the match itself, letting everyone know that despite his impending retirement, he is still in top form.
Joe Hart wants another shot at a Celtic penalty
Amusingly, after the match, he told Brendan Rodgers he wants to stay on penalty duties if Celtic end up in another shoot-out in next month’s final against Hearts or Rangers, who play tomorrow.
Rodgers also explained to BBC One Scotland that the takers were determined in training yesterday, so Hart was always in line to take the fifth one.
Asked for his reaction to Hart’s contribution, the Celtic boss said: “He says he still wants another penalty. We’ve worked on it the last couple of days, before the cup games we go into them knowing who is taking the penalties.
“It was a great save and he’s the hero in the end.”
Hart meanwhile gave his own reaction to events, telling Premier Sports: “I put myself forward. I’ve got the biggest mouth when it comes to penalties and they gave me the opportunity. There’s a lot of trust and a lot of hard work gone into that. I took that penalty with confidence. I missed it, but what a game eh?
“We should have never been at penalties. We should have put that game to bed. James scored probably one of my favourite goals of the season and I was hoping that would win us the game. But we got it done, that was the most important thing.”
No doubt many fans were frustrated at points during today’s match. Aberdeen’s equalising goals were near-identical to each other with some very slack defending on display.
However, sometimes in the cup, you just have to ride out events and thankfully Celtic’s winning mentality ultimately saw the Bhoys through.
Rodgers’ side will need to be better in the remaining league matches, as well as the Scottish Cup final, to bag a double. But that double is most certainly on.
Maybe don’t let Hart take a penalty though, despite what he says!