Celtic marched into the next round of the Scottish Cup with a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock, yet the afternoon will be remembered just as much for a comical blunder as for the win itself.
Midway through the second half, with the tie still hanging in the balance, the Hoops carved out what looked like an unmissable opportunity.
Adam Idah surged forward on the counter, flanked on both sides by Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn. Three attackers against one defender—Celtic Park was ready to celebrate. But hesitation proved costly.
Idah delayed, rolled the ball awkwardly to Kuhn, and the chance evaporated to gasps and laughter in equal measure.
It was the kind of moment that summed up Celtic’s afternoon in front of goal. Idah, short on confidence and searching for a spark, seemed torn between taking responsibility himself or trusting a teammate.
In the end, he did neither, and the hesitancy told its own story. Goals have been hard to come by for the striker, and the weight of expectation was visible in that fleeting second of doubt.
The irony won’t have been lost on Celtic supporters. Back in December, they mocked Rangers relentlessly after their rivals wasted a four-on-one in the League Cup final against Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Now it was their turn to suffer the same embarrassment—proof that even the simplest openings can unravel under pressure.
Still, Brendan Rodgers’ side had created enough chances to win by a far greater margin.
Kilmarnock’s equalizer in the first half could easily have made the contest trickier, but Celtic’s quality eventually showed.