To lose one cup tie may be regarded as misfortune. To lose two in succession would have looked like carelessness.
Three months after a rare blemish appeared on their copybook under Brendan Rodgers in domestic knockout competitions when they lost to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Final, Celtic were never in danger of relinquishing their grip on the Premier Sports Cup.
In complete control from the first whistle to the last against Falkirk, Rodgers’ men made light work of advancing to the last eight.
Daizen Maeda’s first-half header, Alistair Johnston’s second-half curler, Dane Murray’s thumping effort and an own goal by Liam Henderson did the damage before Keenan Adams netted a spectacular consolation for the visitors.
Last September in this competition, Falkirk had served notice that they were a team on the rise. Twice John McGlynn’s men led that day before being buried with four late goals.
The just didn’t have enough about themselves here to cause the same degree of concern. In all facets of their game, aside from their finishing in the first period, Celtic were on point.
Daizen Maeda headed home his first goal of the season to put the hosts in front
Alistair Johnston doubled Celtic’s advantage shortly after the break with a powerful finish
Youongster Dane Murray celebrated signing a new contract on Friday with his first senior goal
The 40th cup tie of Rodgers’ two spells in charge brought up a resounding 38th victory. The ongoing disquiet over a lack of new faces off the field didn’t overshadow the performance on it.
Falkirk were game, but just didn’t have the ability to play through Celtic’s press or to make the most of their rare opportunities. If Rodgers’ men had had their shooting boots on in the first half, this could have been a rout.
It said much about Celtic’s lack of transfer activity so far this summer that Kieran Tierney was the only starting player who wasn’t at the club on the day of the Scottish Cup Final. Only two of the nine-man bench, Benjamin Nygren and Shin Yamada, fell into that category.
Given his need for a goal, Adam Idah’s place on the bench was surprising, with Johnny Kenny tasked with finding the net.
Some 15 months after he last kept goal here in a 3-2 win over St Mirren, Scott Bain was back in the colours of Falkirk.
The keeper saw a familiar scene unfolding. Playing with tempo and purpose, Celtic dominated the ball. Maeda and James Forrest peppered the visiting box with crosses.
Kenny was inches away from flashing home the opener on 10 minutes after Forrest put one on a plate for him.
While Callum McGregor’s curler was never worrying Bain, Henderson’s wayward back pass almost crept in at the keeper’s far post.
With the Bairns unable to get up for air, Tierney’s strike was beaten away by the keeper.
The onslaught continued. Luke McCowan’s clever pass set up Kenny. Bain was equal to the strike.
Dylan Tait’s body check on Tierney allowed Arne Engels to try his luck with a free-kick from the right. This time the far post came to Falkirk’s rescue.
Arriving on the 26-minute mark, Celtic’s opener had long felt inevitable.
Forrest’s strike was blocked. McGregor floated the ball to the back post. Tierney had the presence of mind to nod it back across goal. Maeda threw himself at the ball to open his account for the campaign with a flying header.
It was only after falling behind that Falkirk posed any threat. Calvin Miller, once of this parish, forced Viljami Sinisalo to stretch and turn a bouncing strike round for a corner.
A poor cross field pass by Forrest gifted Ross MacIvor an opening. Again, Sinisalo was equal to the strike.
Forrest seemed to be everywhere. He buried his head in his hands when he headed McCowan’s cross over the top when it was easier to score.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted to see his side ease through to the last eight
Miller was just as conspicuous for the visitors. A smart take and strike at the outset of the second half was straight at Celtic’s Finnish keeper.
Seeking to score in his 17th successive season, Forrest’s fierce drive forced Bain to leap to his right and pull off a fine save.
If there’s such a thing as trying too hard then Miller was guilty of it. As Falkirk tried to build from a throw-in deep on their left side, he’d took too many touches and had his pocket picked by McCowan.
The ball was shuttled to Johnston who took one steadying touch before bending the ball into the far corner. Job just about done.
The cherry on the cake was provided just after the hour mark by Murray. Rising to meet Arne Engels’ corner, the towering defender found the far corner of the net. Quite the way to celebrate signing a new long-term contract.
Rodgers’ threw on a string of subs. Hyun-jun Yang’s impact was immediate. His burst down the left channel preceded a cross which Henderson turned into his own net.
Although they lacked much from middle to front, you certainly couldn’t fault the application of McGlynn’s men. They got something for their commendable efforts with the game long gone, a quite brilliant strike by full-back Adams which arrowed into the top corner from 20 yards.
Despite conceding for the first time in a competitive game this season, it was still a fine night’s work for Celtic.
Former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield got a frosty reception after coming off the bench
Yamada looked a handful when he replaced Kenny through the middle. Blessed with physicality and pace, the forward certainly has many of the attributes which could allow him to become the latest Japanese player to make an impact at Celtic.
In danger of becoming the forgotten man of Celtic’s midfield, Paulo Bernardo also showed up well when he was sent on. Only a deflection prevented the Portuguese from opening his account for the season.
Auston Trusty looked the better for getting 90 minutes under his belt, McCowan was excellent throughout with and without the ball while Tierney just cruised through the evening.
Kairat Almaty may well pose a greater threat when they contest the first leg of the Champions League play-off next Wednesday.
Despite a bewildering lack of investment in the side to this point, Celtic approach that challenge in good shape.
