GLASGOW City captain Hayley Lauder admitted her side had got what they deserved after losing 3-2 to ten-player Celtic and ending the season without a trophy for the first time since 2003.
Celtic were the better team in front of a domestic cup final record crowd of 4345 at Tynecastle, despite losining defender Jodie Bartle to a red card near the end of the first half. Substitute Izzy Atkinson scored the winner in the second period of extra time to give Celtic a first-ever Scottish Women's Cup.
“We didn't deserve anything more than what we have got this season,” Scotland midfielder Lauder said. “It is a long six weeks now but it is a chance for us to reflect and think about where we need to be better.”
Celtic manager Fran Alonso was delighted after skipper Kelly Clark had collected the cup. “Even with ten men we kept going for it and creating chances,” the Spaniard said. “We did not settle for a draw or want the game to go to penalties.”
All the big incidents in the game were packed into the opening 45 minutes. Charlie Wellings nearly put Celtic ahead after 13 minutes when, with City claiming a free kick for a foul on Priscila Chinchilla, the striker was put clear but Lee Alexander made a fine block and Megyu Shen fired the rebound over the bar.
The opener didn't take much longer to arrive, and this time Shen found the net. Clarissa Larisey sent a cross from the left into the City box and the Chinese lashed the ball home.
Midway through the half City found an equaliser. Hayley Lauder sent a free kick into the Celtic box and central defender Jenna Clark bundled the ball home from close range.
Celtic restored the advantage from the penalty spot after 34 minutes. Referee David Graves played advantage after Clark brought Larisey down in the box but then pointed to the spot after Celtic missed the chance.
Charlie Wellings, who scored for Birmingham City in the 2017 FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, made it a cross-border double when she sent Alexander the wrong way to make it goal No 40 for the season.
Again, City quickly equalised and Celtic were also reduced to ten in the incident. Abi Grant swept a low ball into the box and Jodie Barlte was adjudged to have fouled Chinchilla in front of goal as the City forward was about to make contact with the ball.
Bartle was shown a red card and Lauren Davidson scored from the spot, but far from proving costly for Celtic it gave them fresh impetus when the second half started. They were by far the more dangerous side, with Wellings finding space behind the City defence on numerous occasions.
One of these led to the prolific striker getting round Alexander, but instead of proving to be the goal which won the game the prolific striker somehow lofted the ball above the open goal.
The pattern in extra time was much the same, but when substitute Izzy Atkinson found herself one-on-one with Alexander in the second period she clinically dispatched the ball between Alexander's legs and Celtic had their first Scottish Cup.
