Kelechi Iheanacho: We worked hard and blew St Mirren away in extra-time

Kelechi Iheanacho: We worked hard and blew St Mirren away in extra-time

Kelechi Iheanacho came on with seven minutes of the 90 remaining in the Scottish Cup semi-final, but it was in extra-time that the Nigerian internationalist made a massive impact on the match.

He netted twice to help the Hoops beat St Mirren 6-2 and book their place in next month’s final against Dunfermline Athletic.

The first was a near post header from a James Forrest cross and then he produced a stunning left-foot finish from inside the area.

The 29-year-old was delighted with his goals and the end result, as he explained to Celtic TV after the game.

“I can’t really describe how I feel at the moment,” Iheanacho said. “I’m really happy!

“Obviously, there was a little bit of panic in the second half when they got the goals.

‘We were lucky enough to get to extra-time and we blew them away after that.’

“We’re really happy as a team, we really worked hard in extra-time to get the goals.

“In extra-time, we just had to get after them, press them and get the goals, that was the plan.”

Today’s result means that the Hoops can look forward to the Scottish Cup Final on May 23 where they will face Dunfermline.

There is, of course, the small matter of the fight for the league title before then, but Kelechi Iheanacho says that when the Scottish Cup Final rolls around, the Celts will be ready for it.

He added: “Cup finals are never easy, and I haven’t watched much of Dunfermline.

“But obviously we’ll give it our best to make sure we win the silverware.