Celtic Survive St Mirren Scare To Book Scottish Cup Final Date With Dunfermline

Celtic Survive St Mirren Scare To Book Scottish Cup Final Date With Dunfermline By Callum McFadden at Hampden Park. Celtic are through to next month’s Scottish Cup final after eventually overpowering St Mirren in one of the most dramatic Hampden encounters in recent memory. Martin O’Neill’s side looked in complete control early on, raced into a two-goal lead, then found themselves dragged into extra time before producing a ruthless burst of finishing to seal an eight-goal thriller and set up a final against Dunfermline Athletic on 23 May.

It will also mark O’Neill’s 11th domestic cup final as a manager, another milestone in a career filled with silverware and showpiece occasions. For long spells, this looked like it would be a routine afternoon for the holders. Daizen Maeda needed less than a minute to make his mark, pressing aggressively to capitalise on hesitation from stand-in goalkeeper Ryan Mullen and roll Celtic ahead after only 57 seconds.

It was the sort of goal that sums Maeda up entirely, relentless, opportunistic, and utterly disruptive. Celtic then dominated territory and possession, with Arne Engels and Hyun-Jun Yang both striking the woodwork as St Mirren struggled to stem the tide. When Anthony Ralston rifled in an excellent second on the stroke of half-time, the contest appeared finished.

But St Mirren had other ideas. Stephen Robinson’s side emerged after the interval with renewed purpose and were rewarded when Mikael Mandron powered home a header to reduce the deficit. Suddenly, Celtic’s earlier wastefulness carried consequences.