Brendan Rodgers could have kicked back with his feet up and a cigar after Celtic’s first-half masterclass against Aberdeen. The Hoops tore through the Dons, charging ahead with a dominant 3-0 lead courtesy of goals from Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo, and Daizen Maeda.

The opener came from a towering header by the returning Cameron Carter-Vickers, who powered the ball home from a corner to give Celtic the lead. Kyogo doubled it with a brilliant strike off the crossbar, after Daizen Maeda did the heavy lifting, faking out goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov before setting up his countryman to make it 2-0.

The third goal was the highlight of the half, a masterpiece crafted by the Scottish Premiership leaders’ sensational build-up play. Maeda found himself charging toward goal and fired a brilliant strike into the top corner, leaving the traveling Aberdeen supporters stunned and putting Celtic well on the path to victory.

But while Rodgers could have been enjoying his team’s stellar first-half performance, he was unexpectedly shown a yellow card after a moment of visible frustration on the touchline.

Rodgers received the yellow card after a moment of frustration, kicking the ball back onto the pitch in irritation. Following a sloppy Celtic play, the ball rolled toward the Northern Irishman in his technical area, prompting his impulsive reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by the referee.

Rather than handling it in his usual composed style, Rodgers opted to lash the ball back onto the pitch—and promptly took a tumble for his troubles. The manager received a round of sarcastic applause from the crowd for his spill, but the drama didn’t end there. Referee Kevin Clancy added insult to injury by showing the blushing boss a yellow card, which Rodgers accepted with no protest.

The Celtic TV commentary team, featuring Gerry McCulloch and Peter Grant, voiced their frustration at referee Kevin Clancy’s decision to book Brendan Rodgers. The commentators felt the call was harsh, but the decision falls under the IFAB laws of the game. According to Section 12.3, Rodgers displayed dissent by “throwing/kicking drinks bottles or other objects or action(s) which show(s) a clear lack of respect for the match official(s).”

Rodgers’ frustration was clearly directed at no one in particular—and he’d already paid for it with his tumble. Still, Clancy chose to follow the letter of the law, showing the Celtic boss a yellow card. This incident came after kickoff to the semi-final was delayed due to “visibility issues.”