SUPER Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho was on the scoresheet today to propel Celtic past Dunfermline Athletic 3-1 in the Scottish Cup final.
Celtic finished a haphazard season as double winners under interim manager Martin O’Neill by cruising past Dunfermline Athletic in the one-sided Scottish Cup final, after dramatically winning the Premiership last weekend.
Daizen Maeda’s clever lob and a powerful long-range shot from Arne Engels – both in the first half – put Celtic well on their way to a record 63rd Scottish Cup.
A superb solo effort from substitute Iheanacho, weaving his way through the Dunfermline defence, put the outcome beyond doubt before Josh Cooper scored with his first touch to give the Championship side a consolation.
It’s unclear what the future holds for 74-year-old O’Neill, but the clamour for him to remain beyond the summer may now grow after his stewardship extended the club’s recent dominance of the Scottish game to a 23rd trophy from the last 30 available.
It could have been different in the evenly contested opening stages but for some fine defending by Celtic’s Liam Scales.
He recovered wonderfully to clear Callumn Morrison’s early toe-poke off the line after Alastair Johnston and goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo got themselves in a bit of a mess.
Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline were left disappointed and things quickly got worse when John Tod failed to deal with a long ball. That allowed Maeda to run through and lift the ball over a stranded Aston Oxborough.
A ninth goal in seven games for the Japan international came in what could well be his last match in a Celtic shirt.
Celtic’s continued dominance was then reflected in the scoreline when Engels claimed his second goal in as many games. His shot from the edge of the area was firm and true and flew past a seemingly unsighted Oxborough.
A triple substitution by Lennon at the break gave Dunfermline hope. Zak Rudden, Chris Kane and Shea Kearney all made an immediate difference before fellow sub, Alfons Amade, whistled a shot narrowly wide.
Iheanacho thought he had put the game beyond doubt only for his effort to be ruled out for an offside decision against Hyun-jun Yang, who had provided the assist.
The Nigeria international didn’t have to wait long for his moment of glory, though, finishing off a good Celtic move with some nifty footwork inside the box to claim Celtic’s third and put the game well beyond a tiring Dunfermline.
After the nail-biting drama of the title win over Hearts last Saturday, this was a more comfortable afternoon for Celtic, but the victory will feel just as sweet. They have now won seven of the last 10 Scottish Cups.
With agency report
