JOTA LIGHTS UP
CELTIC PARK’S disco lights were given their first run out of the season, but it was Jota who showed the flashes of magic as the Hoops cruised to Hampden.
The on-loan Benfica ace shone as he bagged his first goal for Celts and teed up another to send his side through to the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals on a night when former Shamrock Rovers man Liam Scales made his Bhoys debut.
It was a welcome stress-free night for boss Ange Postecoglou on the back of a bruising few days after the Premiership defeat at Livingston.
Liel Abada netted the second before David Turnbull slotted a stunner to make it 3-0.
Decent
Raith put up a decent fight that wasn’t helped by Dario Zanatta’s red card with half an hour to go — but the game was done and dusted by that stage.
Jota lit the place up and there was also a decent turn from James McCarthy on the back of getting slaughtered by some for his display against
Livi.
The midfielder’s sensational ball teed up the opener, and it was a solid hour’s work from the former Everton man.
Raith boss John McGlynn has built one of the most exciting teams in the Championship, having gone from League One to the Premiership play-offs in the space of a year. And he wasn’t going to send his men out just to camp in their own box.
But Celtic almost got an opener when Jota wriggled free on the edge of the box and whipped an effort just wide of the post.
It wasn’t getting tense for the hosts, but the breakthrough came at a good time — and thanks to a superb pass. Jota’s finish was cool, but the opener was all about the ball from McCarthy. The Ireland midfielder uncorked the Rovers backline when he threaded a pi npoint pass right into his teammate’s path.
But most
Raith
Celtic algifted way a back into the match when Carl Starfelt’s slack pass was cut out and the ball was eventually worked to Dylan Tait, who forced Joe Hart to make a simple save low to his left.
With Jota causing chaos, it was the Portuguese winger who teed up number two as he cut in from the left flank and let fly.
Jamie MacDonald superbly threw up a glove to keep it out, but Abada pounced to nod in the rebound.
Class
Turnbull made it three just a few minutes into the second half with a touch of class. There was plenty to do when the playmaker gathered possession deep in the Raith half. He drove forwards and simply caressed the ball into the far corner when defenders were expecting him to take a winder at it.
It was a moment of real quality. Jota skinned his man again out wide to tee up Tom Rogic, but his drive was straight at keeper MacDonald.
Zanatta walked for a second yellow after tugging back Anthony Ralston, but the game was over by then anyway.
CELTIC: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers,
Starfelt, Montgomery; McCarthy (Bitton 69), Turnbull, Rogic (Soro 69); Abada (Juranovic
61), Jota, Ajeti (Scales 61).
RAITH: MacDonald, Dick, Berra, Benedictus, Tumilty, Riley-Snow (Arnott 80), Connolly (Fotheringham 71), Tait (McKay 71), Matthews (Spencer 63), Zanatta, Varian (Poplatnik 63).
REFEREE: David Munro.