Celtic Crush Saints in Semi-Final Showdown to March Into Final

Celtic unleashed a breathtaking blitz of first-half brilliance to dismantle St Johnstone 5-0 at Hampden Park, booking their place in next month’s Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen and staying firmly on course for an unprecedented ninth domestic treble. Brendan Rodgers extended his perfect personal record at the national stadium to 14 wins, as his side lit up the semi-final with a ruthless display of attacking football, scoring four times in just 12 minutes before the break. The tone was set early. From the opening whistle, Celtic pinned St Johnstone deep into their own half, probing and pressing with increasing menace. The breakthrough arrived courtesy of Callum McGregor, who guided in a pinpoint finish to cap a dominant opening spell. That goal opened the floodgates. McGregor turned provider moments later, slipping in a sublime pass toward Daizen Maeda. Sam Curtis’s attempted interception only redirected the ball kindly into the Japanese forward’s path, and Maeda made no mistake. From there, the goals kept coming. Adam Idah tapped home the third after slick build-up play, and Maeda struck again almost immediately to make it 4-0—his 33rd goal of a remarkable season. St Johnstone, who had upset Celtic in the league just a fortnight earlier, were left shell-shocked. The team that once dared to dream of another Hampden upset now looked desperate for half-time refuge. But Celtic weren’t done. Rodgers brought on fresh firepower in the second half, with Jota and Nicolas Kuhn joining the action. Jota added a fifth from a tight angle, just minutes after James Forrest saw a penalty award overturned by VAR. Mackenzie Kirk had a stunning finish chalked off for offside, rubbing further salt into the Saints’ wounds. For Celtic, this was a statement—a warning shot fired not only at Aberdeen but at anyone questioning their domestic dominance. Alistair Johnston had said the recent league defeat in Perth had been a needed jolt. If that was a wake-up call, this was Celtic wide awake and in full flight. Maeda and Forrest tore down the wings, the midfield controlled the tempo with authority, and the relentless press never let up. With five players coming off the bench who would walk into most starting XIs, Rodgers has an enviable depth. His side looked every inch the champions-in-waiting, with only 90 minutes now standing between them and another historic clean sweep. As for St Johnstone, they’ll need to shake off this bruising loss quickly. Simo Valakari’s men were simply outclassed, and though they managed a league victory over Celtic earlier in the month, they were nowhere near the same level here. There were glimpses of effort, but mistakes proved fatal. Misplaced passes, failed clearances, and a struggle to break Celtic’s press led to an afternoon of damage limitation. With five Premiership matches left to secure survival, the Saints must regroup fast. Post-match reactions Brendan Rodgers, Celtic manager:“I’m delighted with the performance. After the first goal, we really took control. Five goals and it could’ve been more – a great display to reach another final.” Simo Valakari, St Johnstone manager:“Celtic can do that to any team. They’re ruthless. We didn’t do enough to get a result and gave away soft goals. But I’m still proud of the team’s effort throughout this cup run.”