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The moment Maeda knew he had Rangers star beat as smirking Celtic hero had first AND last laughs at Hampden
He was the hero at Hampden for Celtic - and it appears that Daizen Maeda knew the exact moment he would get the better of Rangers star Leon Balogun.
The battle between the duo was crucial in during the topsy-turvy Premier Sports Cup showpiece with the Hoops' forward nabbing the ball off of the toes of the centre-back after a short back-pass from Nicolas Raskin. The ball bounced up before being claimed by Maeda - who calmly slid the ball under Jack Butland to put Celtic in front during the thrilling encounter.
But it appeared that the Japan international knew he had the beating of the Rangers' man after a first half exchange between the pair. With the game goalless, Balogun was forced into a foot race with the pacy wide man after a high press. After the dual for the ball, the defender thumped the ball out of the pitch for a throw in.
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Maeda would be caught by the TV cameras smirking after battle on the flank. And he would continue smiling when the trophy was finally lifted.
The forward stepped up to net the crucial final spot-kick as Celtic scored a perfect five out of five from 12-yards in the shoot-out. Ridvan Yilmaz would miss for the Light Blues to gift the Hoops the first piece of silverware on offer in Scotland this term.
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