Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
Celtic Cruise to Scottish Cup Final, Maeda Shines
Celtic secured their place in the Scottish Cup final with a dominant 5-0 victory over St Johnstone, spearheaded by a dynamic performance from Daizen Maeda. The Japanese forward netted twice in this semi-final clash, underlining his importance as Celtic pursue a domestic Treble. His brace ensures Celtic remain on course for further silverware this season.
Maeda’s Double and Player of the Year Contention
Maeda’s pair of expertly executed goals – one with his right foot and the other with his left – arrived in a decisive first-half spell. The striker’s contributions have now reached an impressive 34 goals across all competitions this season for club and country, strengthening his claim as a leading contender for PFA Scotland Player of the Year.
First-Half Blitz Decisive at Hampden
The two goals from Maeda formed part of a rapid attacking display in the first half, effectively deciding the outcome of the match and overwhelming St Johnstone. Despite St Johnstone’s recent 1-0 league victory over Celtic in Perth, a repeat result at Hampden Park never appeared likely.
Comfortable Victory for Cup Holders
After captain Callum McGregor’s opening goal on 34 minutes, Brendan Rodgers’ Scottish Cup holders enjoyed a comfortable afternoon in Mount Florida. Their passage to the final was relatively untroubled after the initial breakthrough.
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Adam Idah celebrates with James Forrest after extending Celtic’s lead to three goals.
Daizen Maeda celebrates one of his two goals during Celtic’s commanding first-half performance against St Johnstone.
Jota completed the scoring for Celtic at Hampden Park after coming off the bench.
Rodgers’ Unbeaten Scottish Cup Record Continues
Brendan Rodgers extended his remarkable Scottish Cup record, maintaining a perfect win record in the competition across his two tenures at Celtic. He has now won all 21 of his Scottish Cup matches as Celtic manager.
Scottish Cup Final Showdown with Aberdeen
Celtic are set to face Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final on May 24th at Hampden. They will enter the final as strong favourites to secure another domestic trophy under Rodgers’ leadership and potentially complete a Treble.
Celtic’s Ruthless Response
Following their recent league defeat to St Johnstone, Rodgers had publicly criticized his team and hinted at significant squad changes in the summer. However, this semi-final demonstrated a decisive response. Celtic delivered a merciless and comprehensive dismantling of St Johnstone, leaving no doubt about their superiority on the day.
St Johnstone Overwhelmed at Hampden
Despite St Johnstone’s past Scottish Cup successes, including a cup double in 2021, they were comprehensively outplayed and rendered ineffective in this semi-final encounter. Their focus must now shift urgently to their Premiership survival bid.
Reality Check for St Johnstone
Having progressed to Hampden with a series of 1-0 victories, including their recent win against Celtic, St Johnstone experienced a starkly different reality at the national stadium, suffering a heavy defeat.
Surface Difference a Factor
The contrast between playing on the tighter pitch at McDiarmid Park and the expansive, well-maintained surface at Hampden Park highlighted a significant shift in playing conditions and favoured Celtic’s style of play.
Celtic Focused After Off-Field Distraction
Following a week marked by off-field issues involving a Celtic player, it was St Johnstone who appeared unsettled on the pitch as Celtic asserted their dominance.
Brendan Rodgers aims to secure his third Treble as Celtic manager in the upcoming Scottish Cup Final.
Unchanged Celtic Lineup
Rodgers opted for consistency, fielding the same starting eleven that had convincingly defeated Kilmarnock 5-1 in their previous match. This meant James Forrest and Adam Idah continued in the team, ahead of Nicolas Kuhn and Jota.
St Johnstone’s Defensive Challenges
St Johnstone arrived at Hampden with defensive concerns, resulting in midfielder Sven Sprangler starting in defence. Veteran striker Nicky Clark was also included in the starting lineup.
Celtic’s “Home” Advantage
The atmosphere at Hampden Park strongly favoured Celtic, with a vast majority of fans creating a home game feel for the Glasgow side. The stadium was awash with green as the teams emerged.
Sparse St Johnstone Support
For a Scottish Cup semi-final at the national stadium with a 3 pm kickoff, the St Johnstone section of the ground was sparsely populated, with an estimated 3,000 fans present.
Early St Johnstone Pyrotechnics
Small pockets of St Johnstone supporters were visible, with one group setting off flares early in the match in a display of pyrotechnics.
Valakari’s Early Game Plan
Hoping to replicate their recent victory, St Johnstone manager Valakari would have been reasonably satisfied with his team’s resilience in the initial stages of the match.
St Johnstone Defend Deeply
Although St Johnstone were positioned defensively and absorbed significant pressure, they initially restricted Celtic to long-range attempts on goal.
Fisher Tested Early
A low shot from McGregor tested St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher, while Arne Engels also forced Fisher into a save after a skillful turn near the penalty area.
Makenzie Kirk’s impressive strike was disallowed by VAR, denying St Johnstone a potential comeback goal.
Contrast to Previous Encounter
In their previous 1-0 victory, St Johnstone scored early and managed to resist Celtic’s pressure. This result defied expectations based on league positions.
Celtic’s Decisive Burst
However, in this semi-final, St Johnstone’s resistance crumbled dramatically. They conceded four goals in a rapid ten-minute spell before halftime as Celtic effectively secured their place in the final.
McGregor Opens the Floodgates
McGregor initiated the scoring spree on 34 minutes, capitalizing on space afforded to him by the St Johnstone defence to curl an accurate shot past Fisher.
Maeda Extends Lead
Just four minutes later, Maeda doubled Celtic’s advantage. He collected a through ball from McGregor, which Sam Curtis failed to intercept, and calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Idah Joins the Score sheet
Celtic’s third goal quickly followed, with Idah scoring from close range after a cutback from Reo Hatate, who was set up by a through ball from Liam Scales.
Maeda’s Second Completes First-Half Rout
Maeda then added his second goal, once again finding space within the St Johnstone penalty area to strike a left-footed shot past Fisher. The first half ended 4-0 to Celtic.
VAR Denies St Johnstone Consolation
With the match effectively decided, some St Johnstone supporters left the stadium before halftime. They missed a stunning strike from substitute Makenzie Kirk in the second half, which was disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up.
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari must now quickly refocus his team on their fight against Premiership relegation.
Idah Under Scrutiny
Adam Idah has faced scrutiny recently, despite Celtic’s 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock. Questions were raised about his performance levels even in that high-scoring game.
Taxi Incident Involving Idah
During the week, footage circulated online showing Celtic’s £9 million striker in a taxi in an intoxicated state, although Rodgers clarified that Idah had not been sick in the vehicle.
Celtic Substitutes Add to St Johnstone’s Woes
As the game progressed, St Johnstone manager Valakari’s concern likely increased when Celtic introduced attacking substitutes, with Kuhn, Jota, and Luke McCowan entering the fray around the hour mark.
Jota Completes the Five-Goal Victory
Shortly after their introduction, Kuhn played a pass to Alistair Johnston, whose cross found Jota at the far post to convert and make the score 5-0, completing the rout.
St Johnstone’s Relegation Battle
By this stage, the match was effectively over. St Johnstone, comprehensively defeated, now face a challenge to recover their morale and focus on their crucial battle to avoid relegation from the Premiership.
Ikpeazu Debut in Lost Cause
Uche Ikpeazu made his belated debut for St Johnstone after overcoming a long-term injury, but his introduction came in a match already beyond rescue.
Hatate’s Assist Masterclass
While Maeda’s goals were decisive, Reo Hatate’s creative contribution was equally impressive, providing three assists before being substituted.
Celtic Fans Celebrate Easter Victory
As Celtic fans departed Hampden in the Easter Sunday sunshine, they could celebrate their team’s dominant semi-final victory and look forward to the final.
St Johnstone Face Rebuilding Task
For St Johnstone, the afternoon was a setback, and they now face the task of regrouping and focusing on their upcoming league fixtures to secure their Premiership status.