Iheanacho scores as Celtic win Scottish Cup to complete double

Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to score a superb solo goal as Celtic defeated Dunfermline 3-1 at Hampden Park on Saturday to complete the domestic double and claim a record 63rd Scottish Cup, PidomNigeria Sports Extra reports.

The Nigerian forward, who has been instrumental in Celtic’s remarkable end-of-season run, weaved past three defenders after latching onto Benjamin Nygren’s through ball before slotting home in the 72nd minute to put the result beyond doubt.

It was his third goal in seven appearances since returning to form in April, adding to the brace he scored against St Mirren in the previous round to fire Celtic into the final.

Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels had already done the early damage, with Maeda lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Aston Oxborough in the 19th minute before Engels struck a powerful effort from 25 yards in the 36th minute.

Josh Cooper pulled one back late for the Championship side, but Celtic were never threatened.

The victory, Celtic’s ninth consecutive win across all competitions, sealed a third successive domestic double under a manager who arrived in circumstances nobody could have scripted.

Interim boss Martin O’Neill, 74, who took over during a season of managerial flux, now has nine major honours across two spells as Celtic manager, stretching over 26 years.

For Iheanacho, the winner’s medal adds to a remarkable personal trophy cabinet that already includes an English FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Championship title and Scottish Premiership — six senior career honours in total.

His cup pedigree is well documented. He finished his time in England as the highest scorer in the FA Cup since his debut in the competition in 2016, netting 18 goals in total — more than any other player in that period — earning him the nickname Mr FA Cup.

His future at Celtic beyond this summer remains uncertain. The 29-year-old signed a one-year deal last summer and is set to become a free agent again, but his brilliant second-half-of-season form will give the club’s hierarchy reason to reconsider their options.