Caley Thistle will hold their heads high after making the most of the opportunity to test themselves against the undisputed best side in the country.
Inverness, who finished sixth in the Championship, were looking to defy quite possibly the longest odds in Scottish Cup final history by denying Celtic a domestic clean sweep.
Predictions of a record Scottish Cup final scoreline were cast en masse ahead of the game, but proved to be far from the case.
The Highlanders would have been rank outsiders at the best of times, but even more so having not played a competitive fixture in nearly a month.
Their final-day Championship fixture against Ayr United on May 5 was their only domestic outing since their last trip to the national stadium in their semi-final defeat of Falkirk.
Bounce matches against Dungannon Swifts and Nairn County had gone some way to plugging the four-week void, but in truth there was little by way of preparation Caley Jags could have done to replicate the intensity of the challenge posed by the relentless league champions.
The Hoops were aiming to continue their domestic dominance by racking up a fifth trophy from six available under Ange Postecoglou. It is a level of success which has seen the Australian heavily linked with the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job, prompting speculation this would be his final game in charge of the Parkhead club.
Although Inverness’ preparation had been far from ideal, there was enough to suggest Celtic were not at their sharpest throughout much of the first half. It therefore came as a blow to the Highlanders when Kyogo broke the deadlock at a point when half-time parity was coming fast into Inverness’ sights.
As long as it remained a one-goal deficit there was always hope for Caley Thistle, and they made a bright start to the second period which served as a reminder that Celtic were still in a game.
There were no clear cut chances to show for it however, with the final ball from both open play and set-pieces failing to breach the Celtic backline.
The Hoops’ second goal came through Liel Abada on 65 minutes, which looked to have the effect of virtually killing off the game. The awarding of the goal was delayed to allow for a VAR check, but unlike Josh Meekings’ handball in the 2015 semi-final lady luck did not shine on Inverness as the replays showed Jota to have been marginally onside in the build-up play.
There was still time for a late rally from Inverness however, as they salvaged a superb goal courtesy of Daniel MacKay’s header six minutes from time. If nothing else, it gave the travelling Highlanders a moment to cheer on cup final day, as it amounted to a consolation by the time Jota restored the two-goal cushion in stoppage time.
Despite being small in numbers it was a day for the near 6,000 Inverness fans to enjoy. Had it not been for the sharp interventions of club secretary Fiona McWilliams in noticing Queen’s Park’s admin error in January, it is one which would not have come around.
The celebrations began in earnest with a ‘Renfrew ferry on the Clyde’ party for 700 supporters in the build up to the game. By the time the much-maligned 5.30pm kick-off came around, Caley Jags supporters were in full voice.
There was to be no repeat of the 2015 cup winning heroics, but it is sure to be a day which gives the club the impetus to make games on the biggest stage a more regular occurrence by achieving promotion next season.
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