It didn’t officially count as an assist but Paulo Bernardo is claiming it anyway.
As he relishes a return to Hampden on Sunday to cross swords with Rangers again, the Portuguese midfielder still savours his key role in Celtic’s victory in the last Old Firm cup final. When Bernardo picked the ball up in the 90th minute of a tense Scottish Cup showpiece in May, he swept forward and unleashed a shot which Jack Butland found too hot to handle.
When the Rangers keeper could only spill it into the path of Adam Idah, the striker had the simplest of tasks to score the only goal of the afternoon and clinch a domestic double for the Hoops. “Yeah, I think it was as good as an assist,” said Bernardo with a smile. “When I hit the shot, I felt it had a chance of doing something. That’s why I took the shot!
“It was a good run and Adam was there to finish the play, so it is a good memory. After that, we could lift the trophy, so it was really good. I think that memory helps going into Sunday’s game but it’s in the past. We need to focus on the present and do our best in this game.”
Bernardo has already stockpiled a decent store of Old Firm memories from his relatively short time at Celtic. He scored a stunning goal in his debut in the fixture, a 2-1 win at Celtic Park in December 2023, and is unbeaten in his four appearances against Rangers so far.
“Every game against Rangers is really intense,” said the 22-year-old. “So we need to be prepared for that and to play as well as we can and show our football.
“Apart from it being against Rangers, it’s a final so I’m very excited to play in this game. I think it will be a very good game and we will do our best. We can learn from those games against them before but it’s a fresh start because every final is a final. We can only look forward to that and we can learn from these games to improve our game but it’s just a record.”
Bernardo and Idah both stepped off the subs bench in May to deliver the moment which claimed the silverware for Celtic. Since making his loan move from Benfica permanent in the summer, Bernardo has again had to battle hard for a regular starting place with fresh competition from club record £11 million signing Arne Engels.
As he waits to see whether he gets the nod this weekend from boss Brendan Rodgers, he insists he is comfortable with his situation. “I think it’s good for the team to have different players for the positions,” said Bernardo. “It only gets better for ourselves because our place is not guaranteed.
“We need to work harder and I think that’s only better for the team. I think we have a lot of quality in the squad. In every position we are very strong and I think everyone counts now, whether you start the game or come on later from the bench. I think the manager will count on everyone to be on their game and to count on them in the final.”
Celtic eased to a 3-0 home win over Rangers when the teams met for the first time at the start of September and are favourites to triumph again on Sunday.
While Bernardo is wary of the Ibrox side’s improved form in recent weeks, most recently in the 1-1 draw against Spurs in the Europa League on Thursday night, he is also bullish about the momentum Celtic carry in a campaign which has seen them lose just one game so far.
“I think Rangers are in a good moment right now,” he added. “They are confident so I expect the best of them too. We are having a very good season so we are confident too. We want to play our game and to play good football and win the game.
“There was never any complacency from us, whether Rangers were playing better or not. We enter every game to win but we always respect our opponents. If we are not on our best level we will not win so easily or win the game at all.
“We need to be at our best from the start until the referee blows the final whistle. We have to do our best and to be at our best too.”
When Bernardo joined Celtic last season, they had already been knocked out of the League Cup at the first hurdle in a 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock. With Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup winners’ medals already in his possession, he is keen to complete the full set of domestic honours.
“We are at Celtic so we want to win every single competition that we are in,” he said. “We have this opportunity this year that last year we couldn’t, so we are looking forward to that. I think every player wants to win titles and celebrate after the final. I’m really excited to be part of that final and excited to play too.
“It’s the first trophy of the season and, for sure, it gives a lot of confidence if you win it. But it will be a final so we will do our best. It’s in the middle of the season and we are just now only looking for this game. The future is not right now so we have to focus on this game.”