Kasper Hogh announced himself in Scottish football with a sensational hat-trick as Celtic tore Kilmarnock apart 5-1 at Rugby Park.
The £11million hitman smashed three first-half goals to get his Hoops career up and running, just days after a frustrating debut against Dundee where he passed up a host of chances.
Quick start on artificial turf
Hogh, who played most of his football in Norway on astroturf, needed just 63 seconds to get on the scoresheet on Killie's new state-of-the-art turf. He joked afterwards that he needed to adapt to playing on grass, but the quick start helped.
“I heard it was artificial before, so maybe that helped!” he beamed. “First of all, all glory to God. I’m a happy, happy boy, as you see. Of course it was nice to get it early, that helps.”
Fan chant and celebration
The 4,000 Celtic fans packed into the away end were treated to Hogh's trademark ‘peacock’ celebration and a new chant, which at first sounded like a bizarre 'boo' but was actually fans screaming 'Hogh' - pronounced 'who'.
Hogh lapped it up after every goal and was given a standing ovation as he made way for Callum Osmand. He then led the full-time celebrations, dancing in front of the crowd as a new hero was born.
On his new song, Hogh said: “I try to recognise it, but I’m not the best at Scottish. But I hear they shouted some of my name, so I smiled on the pitch when I heard it. It’s great. Yeah, massive support. As I said, on the pitch when I heard they were screaming and also when we scored the other goals, I was just so happy.”
Bromance with Nygren
Hogh has also formed a bromance with fellow Scandinavian Benjamin Nygren, both on and off the park. The attacking Swedish playmaker laid a bundle of chances on a plate for Hogh and grabbed an assist in Ayrshire.
“Yeah, of course, he’s Swedish also, so it’s easier for me. I can speak my Danish to him, so it’s natural, you know, and he’s just such a good guy and the same with Sebastian [Tounekti] also,” Hogh said.
Lethal in the box
The new No.9 was lethal in the penalty box, notching two headers and a clinical first-time finish. He was left unmarked at the back post to nod in Arne Engels’ sublime cross, then flew a shot past Killie keeper Max Stryjek after a neat flick from Nygren, before heading a third from a brilliant Camilo Duran delivery.
Hogh was quick to share the credit: “Yeah and some great assists for the boys. The first one was almost in the goal, you know, so I just had to be there. So all respect to the team also.”
He could have scored six, hitting the post and seeing a close-range header clawed out by Stryjek. But three will do for starters. “Of course, as I said, you can always be better. There were more chances for me, so I have to go home and work harder, of course,” he said.
Dedication to O'Neill
Hogh’s ruthless treble was the perfect tonic for Parkhead boss Martin O’Neill, who is recovering from a small hospital procedure. O’Neill visited the team at their hotel before kick-off but left stand-in boss Shaun Maloney to take charge.
Hogh was delighted to put a smile on the 74-year-old’s face: “Yeah, it was so nice to see him. First of all, the most important thing is that he’s doing good. The football is second. And when we saw him there was also an extra team spirit. I hope he was happy with the performance and the result.”
