Edinburgh: A classy double from Gary Hooper helped Celtic beat Hibernian 3-0 to lift the Scottish Cup for the 36th time at Hampden Park yesterday.
Hooper broke the deadlock after just eight minutes with his 30th goal of the season and he doubled his side’s advantage just after the half hour with another smart finish from close range.
Joe Ledley rounded off the scoring towards the end of the second half.
The loss means Hibs’ wait for a first Scottish Cup triumph since 1902 continues. It was their 11th final defeat.
Unlike last year’s 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Edinburgh rivals Hearts, however, they started with intent, with Eoin Doyle forcing Celtic keeper Fraser Forster into a sharp save early on.
They failed to capitalise on that bright opening, however, allowing Hooper to volley the ball home at the far post after the Hibs defence failed to clear and allowed Anthony Stokes to provide a perfectly weighed cross.
Hooper repeated the dose after 31 minutes, evading two defenders to nod home another fine ball from Stokes.
Hibs, missing injured captain James McPake, came from 3-0 down at halftime to beat Falkirk 4-3 in their semi-final but were unable to muster another great comeback on this occasion.
They had the odd bright spell in the second half but never seriously threatened Forster’s goal and Celtic added a third through Ledley on 80 minutes.
REUTERS
