Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is set to meet his former captain Neil Lennon in the Scottish Cup final after the Hoops finally dispatched League Cup champions St Mirren 6-2 in a dramatic extra‑time semi‑final. The match began brightly for the visitors, who surged into a 2-0 advantage thanks to early strikes from Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston. However, Celtic’s resilience shone through in the second half when Mikael Mandron sparked a remarkable comeback, netting twice – including a heart‑stopping equaliser in the 91st minute that forced the game into extra time.
Once the additional period commenced, the Glasgow side asserted their dominance with a flurry of goals. Kelechi Iheanacho struck twice, while Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren each added one, turning a tightly contested encounter into a comprehensive victory and ensuring there would be no repeat of the December League Cup final drama. The final will be played at Hampden Park on May 23, pitting two Celtic legends against each other. Lennon's Dunfermline Athletic earned their place after a nerve‑wracking shoot‑out win over bitter rivals Falkirk in the other semi‑final on Saturday.
St Mirren’s night began disastrously when backup keeper Ryan Mullen was caught out by Maeda within seconds of kickoff. The Japanese forward took a heavy touch, slid the ball past the ex‑Celtic youth keeper and bundled it home, giving the visitors an early lead. Mullen’s misfortune deepened fourteen minutes later when he suffered an injury, forcing the 17‑year‑old Grant Tamosevicius onto the field for his senior debut. Celtic’s own defense faced a close call when Viljami Sinisalo almost mirrored Mullen’s error.
Mandron dispossessed the Finnish defender inside his own six‑yard box, but Killian Phillips failed to finish the resulting close‑range chance, sparing Sinisalo from embarrassment. Earlier, Sinisalo had produced a superb save to deny Liam Donnelly’s powerful header from a corner, highlighting his importance at the back.
Tamosevicius, despite his youth, appeared composed. He made a smart save from Maeda and displayed confident footwork before being out‑maneuvered by Ralston just before the halftime whistle. Ralston then unleashed a thunderous shot that struck the bar on the final kick of the half after a clever back‑heel from Yang.
The second half opened with St Mirren equalising eight minutes after the restart. Mandron, who had previously scored seven times on his team's route to League Cup glory earlier in the season, headed home a chipped cross from Declan John, marking his first goal since December.
Celtic responded by regaining some control, though clear‑cut chances were scarce. The Buddies, however, pressed hard in the final fifteen minutes, testing Celtic’s resolve. In the 87th minute, Sinisalo produced an outstanding double save, but he could not prevent Mandron’s second goal in stoppage time. The French striker latched onto a through ball, unleashed a powerful strike into the far corner, and sent the tie into extra time.
Extra time belonged to Celtic. Six minutes in, Iheanacho headed James Forrest’s cross into the net. Two minutes later, Luke McCowan calmly rolled the ball home.
Iheanacho then fired a shot into the top corner in the 100th minute for his second goal, and Benjamin Nygren capped the scoring spree shortly thereafter, sealing a 6-2 triumph. Celtic’s victory sets up a repeat of the 2007 Scottish Cup final, which coincidentally was Neil Lennon's last match as a Celtic player. Dunfermline’s manager, Neil Lennon, described the upcoming showdown as "an honour and a privilege" to face his former boss Martin O'Neill. Lennon, who played under O'Neill at both Leicester and Celtic, told Premier Sports, "It is quite a daunting prospect.
It is going to be a privilege for me. It's brilliant to be there in the first place. It is a real honour to be there with Dunfermline but to play Celtic, it is the stuff that you would never envisage and it has become a reality.
I played under him for ten years. I went to see him in February and said it's 30 years since we first met, in 1996 when he signed me for Leicester. We have a brilliant relationship personally and professionally all the way through, it is going to be an honour for me." O'Neill echoed the sentiment, saying, "I've just done an interview with him. He was doing some punditry work – he gets everywhere.
But he has done remarkably well. Did brilliantly for me at Leicester and at Celtic and he's done brilliantly at Dunfermline – what an effort yesterday. So I look forward to it." The semi‑final showcased Celtic's ability to recover from adversity, their depth of talent, and the narrative richness of a final that will feature two of Scottish football's most storied figures.
As the fans anticipate the May 23 showdown at Hampden, both clubs will reflect on the journey that brought them here – a journey marked by early setbacks, heroic comebacks, and the ever‑present hope of lifting the Scottish Cup once more.