NafisaThe final whistle at Hampden brought huge relief for Celtic and yet another trophy for Martin O’Neill, but one of the standout moments from the afternoon arrived after the match had already been settled, with Neil Lennon taking centre stage.
As Celtic’s players celebrated completing the domestic double in front of their supporters, Neil Lennon walked over to his former manager and raised O’Neill’s arm toward the Celtic end. BBC Sport Scotland later shared the moment online.
The image rapidly circulated across social media following full-time and perfectly captured the emotional atmosphere surrounding the final.
O’Neill had spent the build-up playfully joking about Lennon being “angry” during sponsor media commitments before the game, while Lennon himself arrived at Hampden attempting to pull off one of the biggest upsets Scottish football has witnessed in years.
Instead, the afternoon slowly turned into another reminder of how deeply connected their football journeys still are.
Dunfermline actually caused Celtic serious issues early on. Liam Scales was forced to clear off the line after uncertainty involving Viljami Sinisalo and Auston Trusty, while Lennon’s side pressed aggressively without possession during the opening exchanges.
Once Daizen Maeda found the breakthrough though, Celtic completely took control.
Arne Engels and Callum McGregor dominated midfield after that, while Hyun-jun Yang repeatedly drove Celtic forward down the left flank. Lennon’s changes at half-time briefly shifted momentum before Kelechi Iheanacho eventually finished the contest with Celtic’s third goal.
Right in the middle of the celebrations, Lennon still made time to pull O’Neill toward the supporters and lift his arm in front of the Celtic end.
The moment likely carried even more significance because of their long history together. O’Neill signed Lennon from Leicester City over two decades ago and built one of Celtic’s greatest modern teams around him.
Lennon later returned as manager himself and lifted multiple league titles with the club.
For a few moments after the final whistle, the pressure of the title race, the cup final and the uncertainty surrounding O’Neill’s own future completely faded away. It simply became two iconic figures in modern Celtic history sharing a special moment together at Hampden.
Nafisa
