Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to score Celtic’s third goal in a 3-1 Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline at Hampden Park on Saturday, capping one of the most remarkable second half of a season any Celtic player has produced in recent memory, Footynaija.com reports.
It was Celtic’s ninth consecutive win, a run they have timed to perfection after being galvanised by returning manager Martin O’Neill, who guided them to both the Premiership title and the Cup in the space of seven days
The final itself was largely one-sided in the first half. Daizen Maeda opened the scoring in the 19th minute, and Arne Engels added a second before the break, leaving Dunfermline, managed by Neil Lennon, with a mountain to climb despite rallying with genuine effort after the interval.
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The Pars pushed hard for a way back into the match, and for a spell the game had a nervy edge. Then Iheanacho arrived.
‘Leaves three in red and one in blue on the floor’
Iheanacho had already been denied by the offside flag in the 66th minute when he thought he had scored, but he was not to be denied a second time.
Seven minutes later, Benjamin Nygren burst forward with a surging run and slipped a pinpoint pass into his path. Iheanacho took on Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Robbie Fraser and Oxborough in quick succession, evading all three before rolling the ball into the net.
Dunfermline substitute Josh Cooper pulled one back with ten minutes remaining to give the Pars fans something to celebrate, but Celtic held on.
Iheanacho’s numbers across the second half of the season is something else. Six goals in nine matches off the bench, including a late winner at Dundee in March that many credit as the moment Celtic’s title charge truly began.
