Paulo Bernardo believes Celtic’s League Cup win can be catalyst for more success

Paulo Bernardo believes Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup triumph can be the catalyst for further success this season.

The Hoops claimed the first silverware of the campaign when they defeated Rangers 5-4 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Hampden on Sunday.

As well as being nine points clear of second-placed Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership, Celtic are still on course to qualify for the knockout phase play-offs in the Champions League and have a Scottish Cup to defend in the new year.

Midfielder Bernardo is confident the thrill of Sunday’s dramatic victory over their great rivals can have a galvanising effect on Brendan Rodgers’ side as they chase further glory.

He told Celtic TV: “It was the first of the season, we want more.

“We are focused on the next game. We won the trophy two days ago, so it gives us a lot of confidence for the next months.”

Bernardo believes Celtic’s winning mentality shone through at Hampden on Sunday as they overturned a half-time deficit and then had to contend with having their lead wiped out twice in the second half.

“I think it’s down to our mentality,” he said. “It was a very good victory because we never backed down. We fought until the end and we got the result in the penalties, so it was really important to us.

“Our mentality is we have to win every game. We go into the games to win and in the end we won.

“It was a really tough game. We had more ball and we had more shots on target (than Rangers). I think it was very good to watch. We know that we can play a little bit better football and we will try to do it in the next game.

“But it was a final. Finals are about winning. We did it and we are very happy.”