Celtic Overpower St Mirren in Extra Time to Advance to Scottish Cup Final

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is set to face his former captain, Neil Lennon, in the Scottish Cup final after Celtic defeated St Mirren 6-2 in a thrilling semi-final match that went into extra time. Celtic had initially taken a 2-0 lead with goals from Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston, but St Mirren staged a remarkable comeback in the second half, with Mikael Mandron scoring twice, including a dramatic equalizer in the 91st minute to force the game into extra time. However, Celtic dominated the extra period, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring a brace and Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren adding to the tally, ensuring a convincing win. The victory sets up an emotional final between two Celtic greats, O'Neill and Lennon, on May 23 at Hampden Park, after Lennon's Dunfermline Athletic pulled off a surprise shoot-out win over Falkirk in the other semi-final. The match got off to a disastrous start for St Mirren, with backup goalkeeper Ryan Mullen gifting Celtic the opening goal inside the first minute. Mullen's error was compounded when he suffered an injury, forcing 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius to make his senior debut. At the other end, Celtic's Viljami Sinisalo almost made a similar mistake but was bailed out when Killian Phillips failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Tamosevicius performed admirably despite the occasion, making a smart save from Maeda and showing composure with his feet before eventually being beaten by Ralston's strike on the stroke of half-time. St Mirren reduced the deficit eight minutes into the second half through Mandron, who headed in Declan John's chipped cross. Celtic regained control but faced a barrage of attacks in the final 15 minutes, with Sinisalo making an excellent double save in the 87th minute. However, he couldn't keep out Mandron's second goal in stoppage time, sending the tie to extra time. Parity was short-lived, as substitute Iheanacho headed in James Forrest's cross six minutes into extra time, followed by Luke McCowan's calm finish two minutes later. Iheanacho then found the top corner in the 100th minute for his second, and Benjamin Nygren completed the scoring shortly after. The final will be a repeat of the 2007 Scottish Cup final, which was Lennon's last match as a Celtic player. Lennon expressed his honor and privilege at facing his former manager O'Neill, with whom he shares a brilliant personal and professional relationship. O'Neill also praised Lennon's achievements, saying he has done remarkably well and is looking forward to their reunion in the final.