Brendan Rodgers Full of Praise for Player who “Changed the Game”

The rollercoaster ride of the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park left everyone connected with Celtic reeling with emotions.

Despite not being at their best, Celtic emerged victorious against Aberdeen in a nail-biting penalty shootout after a back-and-forth match that finished tied at 3-3 in regular time.

Brendan Rodgers acknowledged that there were aspects of the team’s performance that needed improvement, particularly in defence. However, his focus post-match was on praising his team’s resilience and character under pressure.

Among those singled out for commendation was James Forrest, who entered the fray in the second half and immediately left a mark with a stunning distance strike that put Celtic in the lead for the first time in the match.

Rodgers expressed his admiration for Forrest’s impact, as quoted by The Celtic Way: “He was absolutely brilliant, he changed the game for us. It was just his composure and his quality. We started to keep the ball in the final third, he got the goal.

“He’s just a big-game player with big-game experience. Another big plus was that when we took Callum off, Jamesie gave us another experienced head out there. I wanted to bring someone on with calmness and authority and James had that.

“He’s shown recently what a big part he has to play in the final part of the season, especially with Daizen Maeda being out for us.”

Brendan Rodgers has previously been full of praise for the winger, saying that Forrest is the best winger in terms of quality at the club. Yesterday, on the ball, he showed that.