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Martin O’Neill will look his erstwhile skipper Neil Lennon successful nan Scottish Gas Scottish Cup last aft Celtic booked their spot successful nan showpiece against Dunfermline pinch an eventful 6-2 extra-time triumph complete St Mirren.
A scary correction by Saints stand-in goalkeeper Ryan Mullen saw Daizen Maeda springiness nan Hoops a first-minute lead astatine Hampden and to adhd to nan Buddies’ woes nan errant number 2 picked up an wounded and had to beryllium replaced aft conscionable 14 minutes by 17-year-old debutant Grant Tamosevicius.
Right-back Anthony Ralston added a 2nd connected nan changeable of half-time, but St Mirren striker Mikael Mandron reduced nan shortage successful nan 53rd infinitesimal pinch a header and past took nan crippled to other clip pinch a deserved 90th-minute leveller.
However, 2 goals from Kelechi Iheanacho, 1 either broadside of a onslaught from chap substitute Luke Cowan, and a decorativeness from Benjamin Nygren successful a ruthless seven-minute spell successful nan first further play pulverised nan Paisley side.
Lennon’s Dunfermline broadside from nan Championship hit Falkirk 4-2 successful a punishment shootout connected Saturday and he will relish taking connected his erstwhile manager, nether whom he enjoyed occurrence astatine Leicester and Celtic, successful adjacent month’s final.
Fans were still taking their seats erstwhile Celtic took nan lead. Mullen was successful for nan injured Shamal George and endured nan worst imaginable start.
The 24-year-old had nan shot astatine his feet from a backmost walk but was caught retired by nan onrushing Maeda’s velocity and succeeded only successful striking an attempted clearance disconnected nan Japan striker’s leg, pinch nan shot rolling complete nan line.
St Mirren’s nightmare commencement boosted nan Parkhead broadside and successful nan eighth infinitesimal midfielder Arne Engels coiled a changeable from 25 yards against nan extracurricular of a post.
Mullen past had to spell off, pinch teen Tamosevicius taking his spot and nan youngster had a mates of speedy saves to easiness nan nerves, nan 2nd from a decent Maeda drive.
In St Mirren’s first effort connected extremity from a 29th-minute corner, Hoops keeper Viljami Sinisalo made a superb prevention from Liam Donnelly’s powerful header.
Lennon affectional aft Dunfermline descend Falkirk successful shootout
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Neil Lennon dedicated Dunfermline’s melodramatic Scottish Cup semi-final triumph complete Falkirk to his precocious father, Gerry, aft nan 4-2 punishment shootout triumph astatine Hampden.
The lucifer did not really travel to life until nan 2nd half of other clip erstwhile Lucas Fyfe, Pars’ 17-year-old substitute, deed nan barroom earlier nan Falkirk substitute Henry Cartwright was sent disconnected aft picking up a 2nd yellowish card, for diving successful nan punishment area.
After 120 goalless minutes, The Dunfermline substitute Tashan Oakley-Boothe (pictured pinch Lennon) scored nan decisive punishment to return nan Championship side, who are trying to get up to nan Premiership done nan playoffs, to their first Scottish Cup last successful 19 years.
Asked astir his contiguous thoughts aft nan match, nan erstwhile Celtic skipper and head Lennon said: “I was reasoning astir my father. I mislaid him successful December. He would had loved this. So that was for him.
“He was nan biggest power successful my life, professionally and personally truthful he would person loved this. He would person been extracurricular pinch cigarette, Fedora, his stepping stick, telling everyone: ‘I told you.’
“He would person loved it. So I’m hoping nan family will return a spot of solace successful this today. It’s been difficult but he’s ever been pinch me. I consciousness calm erstwhile I deliberation astir him so. Again, it’s been a immense nonaccomplishment to me, but I consciousness him sometimes, you cognize what I mean?”
In nan shootout, Falkirk’s Brad Spencer deed a station and Liam Henderson had his punishment saved by Aston Oxborough, pinch Ben Parkinson and Filip Lissah scoring. Josh Cooper, Charlie Gilmour and Chris Hamilton each scored for Lennon’s broadside leaving Oakley-Boothe to occurrence successful nan winner. PA Media
Photograph: Mark Runnacles/Shutterstock Editorial
Sinisalo, almost successful nan aforesaid manner arsenic Mullen, past hammered a clearance disconnected Killian Phillips and had to agelong backmost to claw nan rebound distant from nan line, though nan referee, Matthew MacDermid, signalled nan shot had struck nan limb of nan Buddies midfielder.
Celtic attacker nan Hyun-jun headed a Kieran Tierney transverse against nan St Mirren bar, but past Sinisalo was charged down and, erstwhile nan shot fell to Phillips, his anemic changeable from 16 yards evaded a post.
However, successful nan past action of nan first half, Ralston gave Celtic a cushion erstwhile he took a walk from nan and coiled a changeable from nan separator of nan container successful disconnected nan bar.
St Mirren were handed a lifeline erstwhile Mandron climbed highest astatine nan backmost station to nonstop a Declan John transportation crossed extremity and into nan net.
The lucifer began to get stretched. St Mirren’s nonstop style and accrued assurance paid disconnected successful nan past infinitesimal erstwhile Mandron raced connected to a Jake Young flick and fired debased past Sinisalo.
But it each went spectacularly incorrect for Craig McLeish’s broadside successful other time.
Iheanacho nodded successful a transverse from chap substitute James Forrest and Cowan stretched nan lead further 2 minutes later arsenic nan Buddies defence evaporated.
Iheanacho grabbed his 2nd pinch a clever decorativeness earlier Nygren drove location arsenic Celtic kept their convention and cup double bid alive.
