Celtic double down and win Scottish Cup with late Adam Idah goal | OneFootball

Scottish Cup finalMay 25, 2024Hampden Park, Glasgow

CELTIC... 1(Idah 89)

RANGERS... 0

Celtic have won the Scottish Cup for the 42nd time after defeating Rangers 1-0 in today’s final at Hampden Park.

Adam Idah’s dramatic late goal to win the game will live long in the memory of everybody connected to Celtic Football Club, and the Irishman’s strike means that Celtic have won the league and Scottish cup double for the 13th time in the club's history.

The first half didn’t present a lot of big opportunities for either side, with the first chance of the match coming with eight minutes played.

Cameron Carter-Vickers’ long ball to Daizen Maeda on the left wing was controlled by the forward before he crossed it in to the box. Kyogo got in to a good position at the front post but was unable to direct the ball goalward.

Ten minutes later, Joe Hart was called in to action when a slip from Alistair Johnston allowed Fabio Silva the opportunity to have a shot at goal. Hart, on his final professional appearance, was equal to the shot and kept the game level.

The main talking point of the first half came with just under 25 minutes played.

Greg Taylor’s ball in to the box hit the arm of Ben Davies, and it looked like a definite penalty. Referee Nick Walsh had awarded a corner, and after a VAR review, that decision stood.

Just a minute later, Cameron Carter-Vickers came up with a big challenge in the box to deny the opposition a shot at goal.

Early in the second half, James Forrest cut in from the right wing and burst in to the box, but the winger was unable to get a clean shot at goal.

Just before the hour mark, Rangers thought they had made the breakthrough after James Tavernier’s corner found its way to Abdallah Sima who headed it in to the net.

The celebrations were short-lived though, as a VAR review showed that Joe Hart had been fouled by Nicolas Raskin in the build-up and so the goal was correctly disallowed.The Ibrox side carved out other chances in the second half but their inability to make them count, combined with Celtic’s determination in defence meant that they were unable to make the breakthrough. The game looked to be heading for extra-time when, in the 89th minute, Paolo Bernardo, who had been brought on 10 minutes previously, went charging towards the Rangers penalty area with the ball at his feet.

The entire Celtic end of the stadium was willing him to shoot, which he duly did.

His shot was saved by Jack Butland but the rebounded ball fell to the feet of Adam Idah, who slammed it in to the net and sparked wild celebrations amongst the Celtic faithful. The referee added eight minutes on at the end of the game, and although Rangers pushed desperately to try and find an equaliser, the resilience of the Scottish champions shone through, and proved to be the difference. When the final whistle went, the sense of joy, relief and exhaustion amongst the Celtic support, players and management was palpable as the celebrations began.

It was also an emotional moment for Joe Hart, with today’s match being the last of his professional career, a career which now ends with him as a Scottish Double winner with Celtic.

Adam Idah’s name will now be etched into Celtic’s history as the man who won the Scottish Cup with a late goal against Rangers, but credit must go to the entire Celtic team, who dug deep and drove themselves to Scottish Cup glory in the 150th  anniversary year of the tournament.Celtic’s history contains so many dramatic late winners and moments which have inspired generations of fans to describe Celtic as a fairytale club.

Today’s result and the nature of Celtic’s victory will only add to the magic that surrounds this grand old team.

It is fitting, too, that on May 25, the most iconic date in the history of the club, Celtic not only win the Scottish Cup and clinch a sensational league and cup double, but they do it in typically dramatic Celtic fashion. It is another extraordinary tale that will be shared and celebrated for years to come, as Celtic supporters reflect on THAT Adam Idah goal and on a day that yet more silverware was added to Celtic Football Club’s glittering history.