IRELAND INTERNATIONAL CLAIRE O’Riordan was on target as Celtic retained the Scottish Women’s Cup with an historic and well-deserved 2-0 win over Rangers in the final at Hampden Park yesterday.
The first time the two teams had met in the final of the competition was also the first time the showpiece game was hosted at the national stadium and Fran Alonso’s side emerged triumphant.
Second-half goals from Natasha Flint and O’Riordan, for a Celtic side who were much more of a threat throughout, ensured the trophy again would be adorned in green and white ribbons.
It was Malky Thomson’s last game in charge of Rangers before he returns to the club’s academy but his side, who secured the Sky Sports Cup earlier this season, came up short.
Both clubs narrowly missed out on the league title last week, which was won by Glasgow City’s dramatic late goal against the Light Blues at Ibrox.
O’Riordan’s goal was a 78th-minute glancing header from a corner, while Irish-eligible Caitlin Hayes captains the Hoops.
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Hear from goal scorers Claire O'Riordan and Natasha Flint as Celtic win the Women's Scottish Cup 🏆⚽️#BBCFootball #ScottishCupFinal pic.twitter.com/CzYWTRJsi0
On the showpiece being played at Hampden, with a crowd of 10,446 watching on, O’Riordan said:
“Obviously, that shows a stepping stone in the right direction in the women’s game to be able to put it on such a stage, the progression that the SFA have been able to put into the women’s game and the support and exposure that has come with that.
“It can only mean that the game can utilise that and continue to grow and again, it is really important for women’s football here in Scotland and around the world.”
“It was difficult finishing off the season the way we did last week but in some ways, we took the positives, another record crowd at Celtic Park (15,822) and another three points to finish off the league season,” the Limerick defender added.
“And we just got back into work as we do every day, every week and we reaped the rewards today.
“It was a tough task but the most important thing was we stuck together and grinded out the result.”