Martin O’Neill admitted he feared his side would struggle to hold onto their 2-1 lead against St Mirren once they conceded…
Martin O’Neill during Celtic’s 6-2 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren at Hampden on Sunday 19 April 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Celtic had been in a commanding position at half-time in their Scottish Cup semi-final, holding a 2–0 lead courtesy of goals from Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston.
That control began to slip when Mikael Mandron headed in to cut the deficit, a moment O’Neill later pointed to as the point where concern set in.
His worries were ultimately justified when Mandron struck again in stoppage time, driving a low effort into the corner past Viljami Sinisalo to level the game and send the semi-final into extra time.
Neil Lennon jokes with Martin O’Neill after Celtic’s 6-2 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren at Hampden on Sunday 19 April 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Speaking via Premier Sports, O’Neill said: “That was, if there’s such a thing as enjoying it, I enjoyed the last three minutes most of the time. So, yeah, it was tough. St Mirren proved really difficult. Even at 2-0, I felt we weren’t going to see it through if they got a goal.”
“St Mirren proved really difficult. Even at 2-0, I felt we weren’t going to see it through if they got a goal.”
“They scored early in the second half, and even towards the end you felt they could get another, which they did. But we found something in extra time. James Forrest dropping his shoulder and the goal that followed turned it again for us.”
“I think we’ve all been there where you’re saying something at the end of the game and it’s as much encouragement for yourself as anything else.”
Celtic proved too much for St Mirren with a devastating spell in extra time, scoring four times in six minutes to book their place in the final next month.
“Obviously scoring early on into extra-time made a massive difference, confidence restored again,” O’Neill added. “We scored quickly after that again and we see it through.”
“I could’ve played when we were 6-2 in front, my grandchild could have played. But it’s about getting there.”
Conor Spence
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