Celtic will face off against Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final, with manager Martin O'Neill set to go head-to-head with his former captain, Neil Lennon. The Hoops overcame a spirited St Mirren side 6-2 in extra time, having initially taken a 2-0 lead through goals from Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston.
However, Mikael Mandron's double, including a dramatic equalizer in the 91st minute, sent the match into extra time. Celtic regained their composure, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring a brace, and further goals from Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren sealed a resounding victory. The win sets up an emotional finale between O'Neill and Lennon, two Celtic greats, at Hampden Park on May 23. St Mirren had begun the match poorly, with backup goalkeeper Ryan Mullen gifting Maeda the opening goal inside the first minute.
Mullen's mistake was compounded by an injury, which led to 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius making his senior debut. Despite this, Tamosevicius performed admirably, making a smart save from Maeda and showing composure with his feet. However, he was eventually beaten by Ralston on the stroke of half-time. In the second half, Mandron headed in Declan John's cross to reduce the deficit, and although Celtic regained control, they faced a barrage of attacks in the final 15 minutes.
Sinisalo made an excellent double save, but was unable to prevent Mandron's second goal in stoppage time, which sent the tie to extra time. Celtic dominated the extra period, with Iheanacho, McCowan, and Nygren all finding the net to seal a convincing win.
The match will be a repeat of the 2007 Scottish Cup final, which was Lennon's last match as a Celtic player. Lennon has expressed his honor and privilege at facing his former manager, O'Neill, in the final, while O'Neill has praised Lennon's achievements at Dunfermline.