Scottish Cup: Iheanacho comes off bench to help Celtic qualify for final

Kelechi Iheanacho scored a brace in extra-time as Celtic FC avoided a Scottish Cup upset in Sunday’s 6-2 semifinal victory over St. Mirren.

The Nigerian striker leaped up to head in the eventual match-winner in the 96th minute, kicking off a remarkable stretch of four goals in a six-minute span for the Glaswegian giants.

It was certainly a relief for the Scottish Premiership title contenders, who incredibly squandered a 2-0 halftime lead to let top flight relegation battlers St. Mirren back into the match. The visitors produced an excellent effort to fight back in the second half at Hampden Park, with the climax arriving in stoppage time after Mikael Mandron equalized.

Iheanacho squashes St. Mirren’s Scottish Cup upset bid

But everything went wrong for the underdogs in extra-time with a complete collapse. Iheanacho, who came on in the 83rd minute, put the home supporters’ worries to rest with his header. Luke McCowan made it 4-2 less than two minutes later before passing to Iheanacho for a moment of magic from the Nigerian.

The veteran striker’s calm finish from distance was insult to injury for St. Mirren but the visitors had to endure one more moment of humiliation when Benjamin Nygren added yet another goal to make it 6-2.

The final score does not do justice to a remarkable effort from St. Mirren but it is another positive moment for Iheanacho, who continues to recover his form after a season marred by injuries. He now has three goals in his last three matches, all coming as a substitute, to bring his season total to 6 goals in 18 appearances across all competitions.

 

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Celtic will face another team looking to play the role of giant-killer in the final. Second-tier club Dunfermline Athletic will complete the “David vs. Goliath” duel in the final, with three African players leading the ranks for the Championship side after they chopped down Falkirk FC in a penalty shootout on Saturday. It was the club’s third Premiership scalp in the competition.

The final will be on May 23. Until then, Iheanacho and The Bhoys will focus on their Premiership title chase where they trail surprise leaders Hearts by three points in third place, two points behind eternal Glasgow rivals Rangers.