IT is football's equivalent of poetry in motion.

The timing of the run off the shoulder of the Hibs defence, the execution of Tom Rogic's pass direct from a free-kick, Kyogo's one-touch world-class lobbed finish over Matt Macey. It was Larsson-esque.

When all was said and done Celtic were back where they belonged: competing for the big prizes and plundering silverware in Scotland.

All courtesy of their Japanese bhoy Kyogo Furuhashi.

For those who were privileged enough to witness it, the sublime winning goal felt like a season-defining moment at Hampden six days before Christmas as Celtic defeated Hibernian 2-1 in the League Cup final.

The £4.6 million signing from Vissel Kobe arrived in July a virtual unknown. Like compatriot Shunsuke Nakamura before him, Kyogo is now something of a cult hero in Glasgow's east end.

Kyogi's 16 goals and five assists in 26 appearances so far have seen him lauded from the rooftops.

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In fact, after his goalscoring feat in the cup final, there was gushing praise from two legendary football figures.

As Kyogo explained: “Just after we won the cup, I received messages from (Andres) Iniesta and Nakamura. They’d sent them first thing on Monday morning from Japan. It’s pleasing for me that they did that and are looking at my progress. "It meant a lot to me.

"I wasn’t 100 per cent going into the match after the injury but I just had to play. I had to! I could not miss it. I knew what an important match it was for us all and I wanted to be part of it and give as much as I could.

“The atmosphere was so good and it was a joy to play out there in such a big match in front of a full crowd, it really was something special and one of the great moments and memories of my career so far in football."

The matchday vendors who congregate outside Celtic Park on a weekly basis are now doing a roaring trade in Japanese hats, scarves, badges, and flags as well as headbands in homage to the phenomenon that is Kyogo. The little man has made a huge impact.

While he has some way to go before he emulates Larsson's 242 goals in 315 games for Celtic over seven years, he is on his way to cementing a place in the hearts and minds of the faithful if the cup final brace is anything to go by.

As if a hat-trick on his home debut in a 6-0 rout of Dundee wasn't enough to endear himself to the Celtic supporters, he had to go one better for the time being at least.

He stepped up to the plate at the national stadium when it mattered most - and all of this when he was supposedly unfit to play.

Celtic Way:

As Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou joked in the aftermath of the cup final celebrations: "Good luck with telling Kyogo that he wasn't going to feature in the cup final, mate.

"He had it in his head and his mind that he was going to play. He would have snuck on the bus or snuck onto the field at some point!

"He wanted to help the players and the team and to be part of this. To have that composure in such a big game is incredible - they are two world-class finishes in a big game.

"I don't know how he did it. What a fantastic player and what a fantastic person. This football club and him are a match made in heaven."

You don't say, Ange. It is small wonder the TV cameras and the photographers clicked away as they captured a wonderful moment for posterity as Kyogo and Ange shared a joyous hug in the technical area at the final whistle.

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The boss embraced Kyogo like a son. It showed strength, unity and displayed the unbreakable bond that exists between the pair.

Postecoglou has often admitted that he feels an extra burden and responsibility on his shoulders as it was he who brought Kyogo to Celtic.

Rangers supporters may well disagree with this sentiment but even the hardest of football hearts couldn't fail to be touched by their embrace.

It was a wonderful sporting moment and if it does not raise a smile or hit you in the swinging brick then you simply do not love football.

Celtic Way:

It was also vindication for Postecoglou who, like Kyogo, had flown halfway across the world to experience moments like this.

The manager possesses an unerring and unflinching belief in his own managerial ability. He was also convinced that he could be a success at a big European football club.

“From the moment I arrived, I've had my head down," Postecoglou said after the final. "I've done the things I believed would set this club back on the track it should be on.

"This isn't a club that should go years without any trophies.

“My first task when I took the role was to give the fans hope; I couldn't guarantee success, but I could give them hope. I feel privileged to be part of this football club."

In six short months, Postecoglou has given the Celtic supporters their pride back in their club.

Kyogo's winning goal against Hibs in the League Cup final had put them back on the silverware trail again after the most wretched barren campaign.

It will remain every Celtic supporters' favourite sporting moment of 2021 without a shadow of a doubt. It will linger long, long, long in the memory.

But the new adventure has only just begun.

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Kyogo gets it. His Celtic team-mates get it. Postecoglou most certainly gets it.

Cup finals can come and go especially at a club like Celtic. The 2021 League Cup win felt different though. Totally different.

As Ange remarked: “This is what football’s about. We pass through these clubs, but the support is generational, they pass it on to their kids."

Celtic Way:

Kyogo's fantastic cup final match-winning goal will be played on a loop and handed down to generations of Celtic supporters for a long time to come.

There is no denying that there is a JFK quality about Celtic capturing their first piece of silverware under Ange Postecoglou at Hampden Park on December 19 2021.

In years to come, the Celtic fans will pose a simple question: Where were you when Kyogo scored the goal that beat Hibs 2-1 in the 2021 League Cup final?

I know my answer. Alongside 48,539 others. I was there.

Arigatou Kyogo!