Celtic Crush Raith Rovers with Maeda's Hat-Trick in Scottish Cup

2025-03-01

Celtic secured a dominant 5-0 victory over Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup fifth round at Celtic Park on Saturday, 8 February 2025. The win, highlighted by a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda, ensured Celtic’s progression to the quarter-finals and extended their unbeaten home run to 32 matches, just one short of the club record set in 2007.

Maeda opened the scoring early in the first half and added a second just before the break, effectively ending Raith Rovers’ hopes of an upset. Luke McCowan and Yang Hyun-Jun added further goals in the second half, with Maeda completing his hat-trick late in the game. The Japanese forward now has 21 goals for the season, stepping up in the absence of Kyogo Furuhashi.

Brendan Rodgers made nine changes to the starting lineup, resting key players ahead of Celtic’s upcoming Champions League play-off first leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Despite the changes, Celtic’s performance remained sharp, with debutant goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo untroubled throughout the match.

Raith Rovers, managed by Barry Robson, struggled to cope with Celtic’s quality and intensity. The Championship side, missing several key players, were unable to mount a significant challenge. Robson praised his team’s effort but acknowledged the gulf in class, stating, “The boys gave me absolutely everything… they will have learned what it’s like to come up against real top-quality players.”

Celtic’s victory sets up a tantalising clash with Bayern Munich, though Maeda will miss the first leg due to suspension. The Scottish Cup quarter-final draw will take place on Monday, with Celtic joining Dundee, Livingston, and St Johnstone in the next round.

Your Matchday Guide: Celtic v Raith Rovers

Everything you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s fixture (Sat, Feb 8, KO: 5:30pm)

www.celticfc.com

Celtic v Raith Rovers TV channel and live stream: How to watch Scottish Cup fifth round tie

How to watch Celtic v Raith Rovers

www.scotsman.com

Celtic vs Raith Rovers: Scottish Cup LIVE report, reaction & stats - BBC Sport

Daizen Maeda takes his Celtic tally to 50 goals as his hat trick helps the much-changed holders into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with a 5-0 win ov

www.bbc.co.uk