Journalist Aidan Macdonald has praised Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley for his “phenomenal” display in the Scottish Cup.
What’s the latest on Matt O’Riley and Celtic?
The Bhoys were hoping to progress into the final of the competition as they met Old Firm rivals Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday lunchtime.
It was a hard-fought encounter, but in the end, Ange Postecoglou and co came away with the victory thanks to a single goal.
Indeed, late on in the first half, Michael Beale’s side men suffered a lapse in concentration which allowed Daizen Maeda to steal the ball in a dangerous area and find Jota with an inch-perfect cross.
The Portuguese winger made it 1-0 with a fine header and that’s how the match finished. Rangers will no doubt be disappointed with the result but in O’Riley they came up against a midfielder who was on top of his game.
This was certainly noted by Macdonald who gave the 22-year-old an 8/10 player rating for the Glasgow Times.
The football writer also added: “The Dane had a phenomenal afternoon in the middle of the park. He dictated play for the 65 minutes he was on the pitch. Some of his passing and touches were that of a top-level player. Ultimately he was replaced by Aaron Mooy.”
How good was Matt O’Riley against Rangers?
It’s safe to say Macdonald wasn’t the only one impressed by the efforts of the young midfielder on the day.
Indeed, freelance journalist Ryan McGinlay took to Twitter to lavish the praise on the Dane, saying: “Matt O’Riley has been absolutely sublime so far.”
Adding to that, Ryan McDonald noted how the player put in one of his best recent performances, handing him a 7/10 in the Scotland Football player ratings and writing: “The midfielder hasn’t been at his best this season but put in a combative shift in the middle of the park.”
All in all, it seems everyone is in agreement, this was a fine outing for the midfielder as he helped the Bhoys continue on their hunt for major silverware.
They have already won the Scottish League Cup – beating Rangers too – and look destined to win the SPFL, so this could be a season which ends with a treble should they go one step further having now reached the final of the Scottish Cup.
Not at all a bad season for 22-year-old O’Riley and his Celtic teammates.
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