Celtic ease past Raith as Hibernian avoid upset at Arbroath - Scottish Cup round-up
Celtic cruise past Championship side Raith Rovers to book their spot in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals; Hibernian navigate a tricky tie at second tier leaders Arbroath with late goals in a 3-1 win
Sunday 13 February 2022 20:29, UK
Celtic secured their place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over Championship side Raith Rovers at Parkhead.
The Hoops led at the end of a rather low-key first half through a fine strike from Liam Scales, but second-half goals from Giorgos Giakoumakis, substitute Daizen Maeda and stand-in skipper Nir Bitton put gloss on the scoreline.
Ange Postecoglou's side have thrilled in recent months with a 20-game unbeaten run in the cinch Premiership to take them top, but this performance took time to warm up - albeit credit should go to John McGlynn's side who were, for the most part, determined and well-organised.
A further bonus was the return of defender Christopher Jullien as a second-half substitute following a long spell out with a knee injury.
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- Scottish Premiership fixtures | Results | Table
- Live on Sky Sports | Get Sky Sports
The backdrop to the game saw Raith embroiled in the controversial signing of David Goodwillie, who was found by a judge in a civil case in 2017 to have raped a woman.
The Kirkcaldy club's decision to hand the 32-year-old striker a two-and-a-half-year contract sparked a ferocious backlash.
McGlynn apologised for the "enormous" mistake in signing the player while Raith later stated that Goodwillie will not play for them, and the Rovers boss would have been glad the focus was back on the football.
Midway through the first half Celtic got the breakthrough when Tom Rogic rolled the ball to Scales just outside the box, and the former Shamrock Rovers player took a touch before steering a left-footed shot into the back of the net.
The tie was effectively over in the 68th minute when Jota raced down the left and squared for Giakoumakis to convert, the striker's last action before he was replaced by Maeda.
In the 71st minute the Japan striker grabbed a third when Anthony Ralston helped on a corner with Maeda heading over the line at the second attempt.
And the scoring finished when Bitton bundled the ball over the line after his penalty was saved.
Kevin Nisbet and Chris Mueller struck in the second half as Hibernian came from behind to defeat cinch Championship leaders Arbroath 3-1 at a drizzly Gayfield.
Shaun Maloney's side, without a win in their last six Premiership matches, looked in trouble when ex-Hearts striker Craig Wighton gave the home side an early lead.
But they held their nerve and levelled through Demetri Mitchell before seizing control of a potentially hazardous tie in the closing 20 minutes.
Nisbet fired home from 10 yards out after being picked out by Ewan Henderson's cross before substitute Mueller sealed the win with three minutes left when he poked in his first goal for the club.
