Top News

Martin O’Neill signed off his managerial stint at Celtic in perfect fashion as the Scottish Premiership champions comfortably defeated Dunfermline to lift the Scottish Cup and complete a remarkable league and cup double.

Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels both found the net in a dominant first half that saw Celtic completely outplay their opponents, before Neil Lennon’s side managed to make things a bit more competitive after the break.

Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho seemed to have sealed the victory for the Premiership giants with a goal in the 73rd minute, but Dunfermline’s Josh Cooper pulled one back six minutes later to give the Championship side brief hope.

This win marked Celtic’s ninth consecutive victory, a streak that came at the perfect time after O’Neill inspired his team for the second time this season. The 74-year-old now boasts nine major trophies as Celtic manager over a span of 26 years. If this indeed proves to be his last match in management, it was a fittingly glorious finale to a storied career, especially as it came against his former Leicester and Celtic midfielder, Neil Lennon.

Maeda and Iheanacho’s prolific scoring form proved vital in the title run-in, helping Celtic edge out Hearts to claim the Premiership crown and secure their 43rd Scottish Cup triumph.

Maeda’s recent form has been outstanding, netting nine goals in his last seven appearances—more than he managed in the first eight months of the campaign. Iheanacho, meanwhile, has scored six goals in nine matches coming off the bench, including the late winner at Dundee that sparked Celtic’s current winning streak.

O’Neill included James Forrest in his starting eleven, and the experienced winger registered the first shot on target en route to collecting a club-record 28th major winners’ medal.

Lennon’s tactical plan relied heavily on long balls for Callum Morrison to chase, and the forward nearly took advantage of a mix-up in the Celtic defence when Alistair Johnston attempted to shield a long pass back to goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo. Morrison managed to get a touch and direct the ball towards goal, but Liam Scales raced back to clear off the line just in time.

Celtic eventually took the lead in the 19th minute through a long pass from Johnston that Andrew Tod failed to intercept, allowing Maeda to loft the ball over the onrushing Aston Oxborough to make it 1-0.

The champions maintained full control throughout the remainder of the half, moving the ball with pace and precision. Maeda’s penetrating runs, the dynamic wing play of Yang Hyun-jun and Forrest, and Kieran Tierney’s overlapping runs kept Dunfermline constantly under pressure.

The second goal arrived in the 36th minute when Engels unleashed a powerful drive from 25 yards that left Oxborough rooted to the spot.

Lennon responded at half-time with a triple substitution, introducing Chris Kane, Zak Rudden, and Shea Kearney, which immediately injected more energy and structure into the Pars’ performance. Kane and Nurudeen Abdulai both threatened with headers, while Sinisalo had to react smartly to claw away Andrew Tod’s lofted attempt. Substitute Alfons Amade also came close from distance with a 25-yard strike.

Iheanacho had a goal disallowed for offside after finishing from Yang’s cutback, but the Nigerian forward eventually made his mark. Latching on to Benjamin Nygren’s through ball, Iheanacho displayed superb footwork to evade three defenders and Oxborough before calmly slotting home from close range to make it 3-0.

Dunfermline’s fans finally had something to celebrate when substitute Josh Cooper reacted quickest to convert after Charlie Gilmour’s shot was blocked, narrowing the deficit to 3-1. The Championship side kept pushing, with Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen heading over and Rudden forcing another save late on.

There was a brief injury scare for Scotland boss Steve Clarke when Kieran Tierney went down following Dunfermline’s goal, but the defender managed a few more minutes on the field before being substituted.

As the final whistle blew, Celtic celebrated a fitting conclusion to a dominant season—lifting both the Premiership and the Scottish Cup under Martin O’Neill, who leaves the club having reaffirmed his legendary status in Glasgow.