Montrose 0-6 Celtic FC Women – The draw for Women’s Scottish Cup semi-finals takes place this evening and holders Celtic will face either theRangers, Hearts or Spartans after another big scoring day at Montrose in the quarter-finals…
Celtic FC Women are off to Hampden! The Ghirls have secured their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Scottish Cup after a 6-0 victory over Montrose at Links Park yesterday afternoon. One of theRangers, Hearts or Spartans awaits holders Celtic FC Women in the semi-finals, with the draw for the next round taking place this evening.
Your 2023-24 @scottishgas Women’s Scottish Cup Semi-Finalists 🏆#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/AX1yv3QQ9c
— Scottish Gas Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) March 10, 2024
Kit Loferski opened the scoring early with five minutes on the clock. Lucy Ashworth-Clifford, who was named in the starting line-up once again, sent a brilliant delivery into the box for Loferski to convert from close range.
Kit got a brace for herself a few minutes later with a beautiful finish. The American forward made a run across the front post and put the ball in the back of the net. She then had the chance to secure her hat trick as she cut in from the left just past the half-hour mark, but she couldn’t find the back of the net.
That didn’t mean we were without another goal before the break though, as with 42 minutes on the clock, a ball from Amy Gallacher found Jenni Smith, who put the ball in the bottom corner with a well-composed shot.
With the second half underway, the Celts were desperately searching for a fourth. It eventually came with 56 minutes gone as Shen Mengyu pounced on a loose ball and smashed it home.
Celtic weren’t done yet, with Caitlin Hayes getting in on the act. Maria McAneny sent a cross into the box and Hayes was there to meet it. She jumped up and headed beyond the goalkeeper to make it five.
Rounding off a decisive Scottish Cup performance, Murphy Agnew got on the end of a Menglu pass. The American rounded the goalkeeper and tapped it home, adding a sixth goal to Celtic’s tally for the afternoon.
And with that, our place in the last four was secured!
Speaking after the game, two-time goalscorer Loferski said: “Coming up here is a bit of a trek, but straight off the bus and onto the pitch, we couldn’t ask for a better performance! We put some goals in the back of the net and kept it out of our own. What more could you ask for.
🗣️ “We’re feeling good as a whole. We scored goals, and kept a clean sheet. So what more could we ask for?”
🎥 Kit Loferski speaks to @CelticTV after scoring a brace and helping the Celts book their place in the semi-final⤵️
🔵0-6🍀#MONCEL | #ScottishCup | #COYGIG pic.twitter.com/WXAPCfvwdB
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) March 10, 2024
“We came out flying. For myself, I wish I could’ve kept that composure more consistent throughout the game but I’m happy with my performance, just not entirely satisfied.
“We’re really looking forward to that [going to Hampden]. It’s always a great experience for girls that have done it already but also for girls that haven’t. The atmosphere is amazing, and our fans make it that much better, so we’re looking forward to it.”
🗣️ “Obviously we are very happy to be through to the semi-final. We didn’t concede and keep scoring, so it’s a positive day!”
🎥 Elena Sadiku reflects on her side’s display in Montrose this afternoon ⤵️
🔵0-6🍀#MONCEL | #ScottishCup | #COYGIG pic.twitter.com/8iLEBX1tsL
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) March 10, 2024
Elena Sadiku also reflected on the performance, saying: “We’re happy about going through to the semi-final. We didn’t concede any goals and we kept scoring. Standing here now, I wanted more goals, but the most important thing is that we’re through to the semi-finals, so mission accomplished.
“We were ready from the start and that’s something that we always talk about. We had fans travelling to Montrose, so we had to show how much we wanted it, not just for us but for the fans.
“Every day, we’re working every single day to get better, so it makes us happy that we’re doing what we’re training on. Hopefully, we can keep going like this.
“I’ve never been there [Hampden]. I know we have some good history there. We’re moving towards the end of the season but we’re happy that things are going our way. We hope we can keep building on this.”
We certainly got the job done yesterday as we continued our defence of the Scottish Cup. It’s good to see goals being scored by numerous players and to see some names returning to the starting line-up, most notably, LAC.
As we enter the final stages of the season, let’s hope that we can continue our good form with a win in the Glasgow Derby next weekend.
Before our next match though, we will find out who we will be facing in the semi-finals of the Women’s Scottish Cup. The draw will be made at half-time in the Greenock Morton vs Hearts tie, which is set to kick off at 19:45. Our opponent will either be Hearts, Spartans or theRangers.
Jessica Elliott
No doubt it will be Hearts V Celtic and Huns V Spartans , just like the graphic you’ve shown suggests , i think we are looking pretty strong at the moment thanks to nearly all the players being available, lets hope it stays that way and Sadiku continues with the sensible team selections ie ones i approve of 🙂 COYGIG .