Maeda hat-trick steers Celtic to another cup final
Celtic blew Aberdeen away 6-0 in their Scottish League Cup semi-final, Daizen Maeda bagging a hat-trick at Hampden Park to stamp his side's ticket to the final.
Aberdeen has been Celtic's closest rival domestically this season, with both sides unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership, but there was barely a contest here at all as Brendan Rodgers's side ran riot.
After a 15-minute delay because of smoke from flares in the stands reducing visibility, things eventualy got underway and Celtic's dominance didn't take long to emerge.
But it wasn't until the 29th minute that Cameron Carter-Vickers put the Hoops ahead with a header from a corner, the first shot on target for either side at that point.
Three minutes later, Aberdeen coughed up possession on a foray forward and had far too many players up the field.
Maeda stole the ball and raced clear before gifting Japanese countryman Kyogo Furuhashi the ball inside the box, and he duly smashed it in off the crossbar.
Maeda got his first soon after, slotting home a superb assist from Nicolas Kuhn to make it 3-0 before the break.
The action was not over, though, as Rodgers was booked after he inexplicably blasted the ball back into the field of play from the touchline, taking a comical tumble for his troubles to the delight of the watching crowd.
Maeda took just four minutes to bag his second after the restart, Kuhn again doing most of the work as his shot after a mazy run was saved but fell into the path of the Japanese, who couldn't miss from close range.
Kuhn got the goal he richly deserved 10 minutes later with a delightful curling finish before Maeda hit Aberdeen for six, finishing a sensational team move again from inside the six-yard box as Aberdeen's defence was ripped to shreds.
Celtic will play either Motherwell or fierce rival Rangers in the final on 15 Decembr (AEDT).