Typical, Celtic, eh?!
Another weekend, another game, and more drama from Celtic as they booked their Scottish Cup final ticket against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic in a nervy and chaotic style.
Celtic’s 6-2 win over St Mirren, which went to extra time, summed up the season Martin O’Neill has had to deal with over his two spells in charge.
67 Hail Hail looked at what we learned from this monumental victory, with Viljami Sinisalo and Benjamin Nygren featuring.
- READ MORE: Martin O’Neill reveals why he picked Arne Engels over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Celtic vs St Mirren
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Testing day for Viljami Sinisalo
With Kasper Schmeichel out injured, Sinisalo has been aware that he will be the number one for the rest of the season.
For large parts, Sinisalo has done well for Celtic, but in the Hampden sunshine and under that intense pressure, there were many nervy moments from the Finland star.
On two occasions, St Mirren could have scored from the Hoops and their keeper between the sticks nearly gifting the ball to the opposition when playing out from the back. That happened in the first half.
Added to that, just before the break, Sinisalo was taking his time when looking to launch the ball forward, only for the crowd to scream that he was being pressed from over his shoulder, and he proceeded to boot the ball out in pure panic.
This was testing for Celtic’s shot-stopper, but he came through it.
Benjamin Nygren showcases both sides (again)
Nygren has divided opinion all season long, even though he is Celtic’s top scorer this season.
This game probably summed it up because on several occasions, he was driving at St Mirren’s backline with space in front of him.
But Nygren wasn’t clean in his play. His execution was off. It probably summed up why critics think, aside from scoring goals, he doesn’t offer much and needs to do a lot more.
Well, he did it again. Scored when probably not playing at his best. That’s 20 for the season, and it needs to be applauded.
Celtic’s hilarious season could have an unbelievable ending
Throwing away a 2-0 lead under immense second-half pressure from St Mirren, only to run riot and go 6-2 up in extra time, is a sequence of events that flawlessly sums up this wildly unpredictable season for those in green and white.
And as of this moment, Celtic are still on course to win the domestic double.
Make no bones about it, this would be one of O’Neill’s greatest ever achievements if Celtic are to lift the Scottish Cup and the Premiership title.
And given how Celtic can go from being abject to remarkable, don’t be surprised if there is an unbelievable ending.
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