CONOR HAZARD says he had to blank out the fact that Celtic were on the cusp of a quadruple Treble as he faced up to a penalty shootout at Hampden, with the stopper ultimately pulling off two stops to help win the Scottish Cup.
The young keeper was making just his third senior start for the club, and was partly culpable for two of the three Hearts goals in a topsy-turvy tie.
That was all forgotten though as he emerged from the penalty shootout as Celtic’s hero, and it is a moment he won’t likely top no matter how long his career lasts.
“You can’t think about all the history and the fact there is another trophy on the line,” Hazard said.
“You just have to focus on the penalties and try to make as many saves as possible.
“It was a crazy afternoon but it was a great afternoon and a momentous day for my family and the club.
“The team was announced yesterday, which gave me time to get ready for the game. I was delighted.
“What was going through my mind? It’s been a crazy two weeks! If you’d have asked me a question about it a fortnight ago I definitely wouldn’t have said this.
“In a shoot-out all the pressure is on the taker to score so I was thrilled to make two saves. You’ve got to make the striker think.
“It’s been an important couple of weeks for me and the three games have come very quickly. It’s a huge honour for me just to put on this shirt and, hopefully, that continues in the future.
“At the end of the day, it’s a quadruple treble and a historic occasion for the club. Hopefully, this will get some momentum going for us because we have some very big games still to play.
“Obviously, we have a quick turnaround, with Ross County at Parkhead on Wednesday. We’re looking forward to that and we need to treat it the same way we treated this one.”
Scorer of Celtic's third goal, Leigh Griffiths, was delighted meanwhile to exorcise some Hampden ghosts against Hearts after being in the Hibernian side who lost heavily to their city rivals back in 2012.
“Listen, it’s brilliant,” Griffiths said. “To win one trophy is some achievement, but to win 12 on the bounce is something that will never be repeated.
“Apart from winning the league, the Scottish Cup is the pinnacle of Scottish football. I’ve been part of winning four on the bounce now.
“And I’ve obviously been on the end of an absolute thumping against the team we’ve just beaten, so it was extra nice to score that goal – and go on to win the cup.”
Griffiths wasn’t surprised by how deep Celtic had to dig to overcome Robbie Neilson’s side.
“People think that just because Hearts are a Championship side and we’re a Premiership side that it’ll be a walkover," he said.
“But Robbie has them playing well, they’re a really good team and they should win the Championship at a canter.
“For us, it was about coming here with humility – and making sure we came home with the trophy.
“To have that winning mentality, it’s based on a core group of serial winners. Boys who have been there and done it before.
“When I score, you think it’s job done, only for Hearts to hit us with the sucker punch.
“Then penalties, it’s a lottery. Luckily big Haz has done his homework and he’s seen us through.”
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