Iheanacho powers Celtic into Scottish Cup final

After enduring a difficult start to life in Scotland, Kelechi Iheanacho appears to have rediscovered his form and is now on the cusp of cup glory with Celtic following a standout performance that headlined the weekend among Nigerian stars. ABIODUN ADEWALE reports

Celtic will face Dunfermline Athletic in next month’s Scottish Cup final after a thrilling eight-goal encounter with St Mirren at Hampden Park, which was eventually decided by a sensational spell in extra time.

With the match tied at 2-2, four goals in six minutes blew the Paisley side away after they had fought back from two goals down to force extra time.

In that period, quick goals from substitute Iheanacho and Luke McCowan broke St Mirren’s resistance before Iheanacho added another to seal the victory. Sweden international Benjamin Nygren then capped the performance with his 20th goal of an impressive debut season.

The final will see manager Martin O’Neill face his former midfield stalwart Neil Lennon in a repeat of the 2007 final, which Dunfermline lost 1-0 in their last appearance in the showpiece.

Two weeks ago, Iheanacho ended a six-month goal drought—largely due to injury setbacks—when he emerged as Celtic’s match-winner in a crucial victory over Dundee FC at Dens Park.

His recent consistency has now taken his tally to six goals in 16 appearances across all competitions for Celtic, despite missing a significant part of the season through injury.

ONUACHU, NWAKAEME, NWAIWU (TRABZONSPOR)

The Nigerian trio of Paul Onuachu, Anthony Nwakaeme, and Chibuike Nwaiwu all started for Trabzonspor as they aimed to maintain pressure on league leaders Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. However, they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Istanbul Basaksehir.

Onuachu, the league’s leading scorer with 22 goals, was unable to add to his tally.

OLA AINA, TAIWO AWONIYI (NOTTINGHAM FOREST)

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina played the full 90 minutes as Nottingham Forest secured a 4-1 comeback victory over Burnley on Sunday.

The win boosted Forest’s chances of Premier League survival, coming on the back of their progress to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, where Aina also impressed. They are now five points clear of the relegation zone with five matches remaining.

Morgan Gibbs-White starred with a hat-trick to overturn Burnley’s first-half lead through Zian Flemming, while Igor Jesus added a late fourth goal.

Aina, now fully fit after earlier injury setbacks, made his 17th league appearance of the season and his 14th consecutive start.

Awaziem was an unused substitute in Nantes’ 1-1 home draw against Brest. Brendan Chardonnet scored a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Nantes all three points in their fight against relegation.

The Nigerian defender has now missed two consecutive matches.

ABDULLAHI TANKO (FK PARDUBICE)

Abdullahi Tanko was the hero for FK Pardubice, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Viktoria Plzeň.

His decisive strike secured a vital victory in a tightly contested match, highlighting his growing influence in the team. It was his sixth goal of the season in 27 appearances, lifting Pardubice to ninth on the table.

David Okereke continued his struggles in front of goal, featuring for 31 minutes in Cremonese’s goalless draw at home to Torino.

The forward has scored just once this season, with his only goal coming in March during a 4-1 defeat to Fiorentina.

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Rafiu Durosinmi appear headed for relegation with Pisa after both made cameo appearances in a 2-1 home defeat to Genoa.

Pisa remain bottom of the table with 18 points, having recorded just two wins in 33 matches.

Gift Orban’s goal drought stretched to nine games as Hellas Verona fell to a 1-0 home defeat against AC Milan.

The Nigerian forward played the entire match and last scored in January against Udinese. He has recorded seven goals and two assists in 28 league appearances this season.

RAPHAEL ONYEDIKA (CLUB BRUGGE)

Raphael Onyedika featured for 69 minutes as Club Brugge suffered a 2-1 defeat to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, denting their title ambitions in the Belgian Pro League.

ZAIDU SANUSI, TEREM MOFFI (FC PORTO)

Following their Europa League exit to Nottingham Forest, Zaidu Sanusi started for FC Porto against Tondela, while Terem Moffi was named on the bench as the team shifted focus to domestic competitions.