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pinalti.com – Celtic and St Mirren will meet at Hampden Park in a Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday, 19 April 2026. The match kicks off at 14:00 BST. A final against Dunfermline Athletic is at stake.
This is a rematch of a Scottish League Cup final from over four months ago. St Mirren won that final for only the second time. Celtic suffered a crushing defeat in that match.
St Mirren outplayed and outfought Celtic in the December final. Marcus Fraser scored a header in the second minute. Jonah Ayunga added a second-half double.
Those goals are forever etched in St Mirren history. Black-and-white celebrations occurred around the Celtic players at full-time. Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy consoled his players on the pitch.
It was Nancy’s third defeat in his first three matches. He never recovered from that terrible opening week. His tenure lasted just 33 days and eight matches.
Nancy was dismissed along with head of football operations Paul Tisdale. His predecessor, Martin O’Neill, took interim charge for a second time. O’Neill is now the Celtic manager for this semi-final.
Celtic looked dead and buried in a season of turmoil back then. St Mirren continued to enjoy heady heights under Stephen Robinson. The teams now meet in very different circumstances.
Performances under O’Neill have sometimes been lacking. Celtic’s squad is evidently flawed. But O’Neill has maintained a title challenge.
He has also taken his team back to Hampden. One questionable display got Celtic to this semi-final. They beat Rangers 4-2 on penalties at Ibrox.
That match was a drab goalless draw after 120 minutes. Celtic had just one shot in the entire match. Being the better side is secondary to winning.
Few Celtic fans will criticise style if they win league and cup. However, O’Neill has made a specific comment. He said his side are not good enough for him to dream of cup glory.
That statement is hardly a rousing battle cry. O’Neill first won the competition with Celtic as a player. The teams now prepare for their Hampden rematch.
Source: BBC
