Celtic 3-2 Hearts: Furuhashi can 'handle' rough stuff, says Postecoglou
- Published
Odsonne Edouard's well-crafted goal gave Celtic a deserved lead
Kyogo Furuhashi showed he can "handle" the the rigours of the Scottish game in Celtic's League Cup win over Hearts, says manager Ange Postecoglou.
Furuhashi scored Celtic's third in the 3-2 win, after earlier goals from Odsonne Edouard and Stephen Welsh.
Liam Boyce's penalty got Hearts back in it at 2-1 and Aaron McEneff netted a late consolation.
"I'm sure he's had that in his career in the past," said Postecoglou of some of the tackles Furuhashi received.
"I think he can handle himself all right. You saw that he just gets on with it. If the opposition resort to those sorts of things to try and stop him then that just shows how much of a threat he is.
"He's the type of player supporters want to watch and he feeds off their energy."
Celtic gained revenge on Hearts to sweep through to a last-eight tie against Raith Rovers. Postecoglou's men, beaten in their league opener at Tynecastle, dominated but finished with a slender win to end the visitors' 100% start to the season.
The margin of defeat flattered Hearts after a one-sided contest. Celtic have hit their stride since that defeat at Tynecastle, with their winning streak now extended to four games with 16 goals scored.
The loss of soft goals blotted an impressive home performance in which Edouard - restored for his first start in four matches - could have had a first-half hat-trick.
Celtic's intensity and work-rate was matched by their quality as they hemmed Hearts in. The stats at the interval were revealing - Celtic had 82% possession and 21 shots while Hearts had none.
The only surprise was Robbie Neilson's side lasted until almost the half-hour mark before conceding.
Furuhashi had a near-post drive tipped away by Craig Gordon, Edouard dragged a shot narrowly off target and Tom Rogic did likewise after leaving Peter Haring and Craig Halkett floundering with nifty footwork.
Welsh stooped to head over from a dinked David Turnbull corner and Furuhashi had a shot blocked by Stephen Kingsley as Hearts failed to stem the flow.
The opening goal proved worth the wait. Furuhashi's sublime pass with the outside of his boot found James Forrest galloping down the right, and his low cutback was met with a first-time finish by Edouard.
The Frenchman should have quickly made it two, with Gordon smothering his close-range shot, but teed up Welsh for the second. Hearts were caught dozing at a short corner as Edouard slung over a cross and Welsh thundered a header into the bottom corner of the net.
There was no let-up from the home side, with the overworked Gordon twice foiling Edouard after the restart and Welsh heading over.
Celtic should have been out of sight, but sprightly half-time substitute Josh Ginnelly finally gave Hearts a foothold as their change of shape brought improvement. The winger's cross was not dealt with by Carl Starfelt, who clattered Boyce and the Northern Irishman sent Joe Hart the wrong way from the spot.
Suddenly Celtic's intensity dipped and passes began to go astray. However, Furuhashi soon restored calm, beating Gordon at the near post after being released in the left-hand channel by Rogic.
Furuhashi, substitute Adam Montgomery and Callum McGregor all came close to adding a fourth for Celtic, who gave James McCarthy a debut off the bench, but McEneff tucked home a Kingsley cutback in the final seconds.
Man of the match - Kyogo Furuhashi
The Japan forward marked another impressive showing with what proved to be the winning goal
What did they say?
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "For the first hour we were outstanding - it's as well as we've played this season. The only thing is we didn't take more of the chances we created.
"The last half hour we got a bit ragged, which is understandable and down to fatigue, but overall I'm pleased."
Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson: "We couldn't get a foothold in the game in the first half but I was really pleased with the second half after we changed shape and played with more belief.
"We scored the goals and had Celtic under pressure at times. We're really disappointed to be out of the cup but we'll take the positives."
What's next?
Celtic turn their attention to the Europa League on Wednesday, with a play-off first leg at home to AZ Alkmaar (19:45 BST), followed by the Premiership visit of St Mirren on Saturday (15:00).
Hearts bid to make it three league wins from three when they host Aberdeen on Sunday (15:00).