Scottish Cup: African trio leads second tier Dunfermline to surprise final appearance

Dunfermline Athletic will have an opportunity at a legendary accomplishment after the second-tier club advanced to the final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday with a penalty kick shootout victory over Premiership club Falkirk.

 

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Currently in fourth place in the Scottish Championship, the club based on the east coast of Scotland maintained their defensive solidity to hold Falkirk to a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes. The Pars then converted all four of their penalty kicks while the opposition faltered by failing to convert their first two attempts for a 4-2 shootout victory.

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Leading the defensive effort was Malawi international Kieran Ngwenya, former Medeama SC defender Nurudeen Abdulai and Mozambican central midfielder Alfons Amade. The trio continues to be a regular sight for the club, who have now claimed their third Premiership scalp after taking out Aberdeen and Hibernian in previous rounds.

Now a potential clash against local giants Celtic FC is on the cards, where a victory would give the 140-year-old club qualification for UEFA club competition for the first time in eighteen years. Celtic will face St. Mirren on Sunday to determine the other finalist.

Ngwenya, born in Glasgow, represented Malawi in a friendly against Tanzania back in 2021 for his only appearance to date for the Flames.

21-year-old Abdulai joined ahead of the current campaign after winning a Ghana Premier League title with Medeama and impressing during their CAF Champions League campaign against some of Africa’s top clubs.

Welcome Nurudeen 🏁 pic.twitter.com/6npwzUXFoa

— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) September 1, 2025

Amade is a similar case to Ngwenya. Born in Germany, the 26-year-old came up in the youth system of TSG Hoffenheim before playing in Belgium and Bulgaria prior to his time in Scotland. A former youth international with Germany, he debuted for Mozambique at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and is firmly established as a top midfielder option for the Mambas.