Stand-in centre-forward Daizen Maeda netted a hat-trick as a much-changed Celtic eased past Raith Rovers in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup.
Yang Hyun-jun produced a goal and two assists and Luke McCowan was also on target as Brendan Rodgers’ clinical side eased into the quarter-finals with a 5-0 home win.
Maeda was the star of the show to take his tally to six goals inside a week as he again showed he could help Celtic cope with the exit of Kyogo Furuhashi and their failure to bring in a replacement striker ahead of the transfer deadline.
However, an injury to Paulo Bernardo meant the tie was not a complete success for the holders as they warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League knockout phase…