St Mirren shocks Celtic to win Scottish League Cup final

The new manager of Scottish champions Celtic, Wilfried Nancy, began his spell at the club in nightmare fashion after the “Hoops” lost 1–3 to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park.

Jonah Ayunga scored twice in the second half for the “Saints,” sealing a shock victory and the trophy for the modest side. This is St Mirren’s first cup triumph since 2013 for the club from the small town of Paisley, CE Report quotes BTA.

St Mirren opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the match, when Marcus Fraser found the net after an assist from Keanu Baccus. Celtic equalized in the 23rd minute through Reo Hatate, with the outcome decided after the break.

Celtic dominated large periods of the match, but in the 64th minute Cypriot footballer Alex Gogic—son of Omonia Nicosia legend Siniša Gogic—delivered a cross to Ayunga, who made it 2–1.

Thirteen minutes before the end, Ayunga finished a brilliant counterattack led by Declan John to extend St Mirren’s lead to 3–1, a deficit Celtic could not overcome.

Nancy became the first manager in Celtic’s history to lose his first two matches in charge, having already been beaten by Hearts in the league and by Roma in European competition. This defeat completed a hat-trick of losses, including a domestic cup final, immediately triggering criticism from fans on social media toward the club’s leadership over the coaching appointment.

Meanwhile, St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson added the fifth major trophy in the club’s history. Over the past three seasons, the black-and-whites from Paisley have consistently finished in the top six of the Premiership.