Dunfermline 0-0 Falkirk [aet; 4-2 on pens]: Dunfermline book Scottish Cup final place after shootout victory over rivals Falkirk | OneFootball

Scottish Championship Dunfermline reached the Scottish Cup final after a penalty shootout at Hampden, where they defeated bitter rivals Falkirk 4-2 on penalties.

It was an edgy opening 45 in the first Scottish Cup semi-final, with neither team really being able to test the opposition goalkeeper, with Calumn Morrison missing the only clear sight of goal.

Falkirk passed up the best chance of the second half after Ben Broggio curled one just wide with 20 minutes to go.

The chances started to flow in extra-time with Dunfermline missing the pick of the bunch, but ultimately the game was decided by a penalty shootout which ended 4-2 to The Pars

As it happened

Dunfermline nearly got off to the dream start at Hampden as former Falkirk winger Calumn Morrison latched onto a lovely flick-on from Chris Kane, but he rushed his finish and fired it wide when he really should have done better.

After a rocky opening period for Falkirk, the Premiership side grew into the game and started to take control, but failed to generate any clear-cut chances.

The first half came to a close with Falkirk enjoying nearly 70% of the possession, but managing just three shots, and only one on target. Dunfermline’s only effort on goal remained Morrison’s early chance, which remained the best chance from a quiet first half at Hampden.

The second half started with both teams pushing and getting into good areas, but again neither team was able to create anything of note, nor test either goalkeeper.

The best chance of the second half fell to Falkirk after 72 minutes. Substitute Kyrell Wilson found Ben Broggio in space on the left-hand side of the box, he tried to curl one low into the far corner but it whistled just past the post.

With a real lack of quality in the final third for either team, the game went to extra-time after a goalless 90 minutes as the two fierce rivals could not be separated.

Falkirk started extra-time well and created a few opportunities, but again their decision making let them down and they were unable to make the chances count.

The Pars came so close to taking the lead as Tashan Oakley-Boothe fired a wonderful low ball in which flashed right across the face of goal, but no Dunfermline players were quite able to get a touch which would have surely booked their place in the Scottish Cup Final.

Three minutes in the second period of extra-time, Dunfermline and Lucas Fyfe passed up two huge opportunities. The first coming after he did well to fend off his man in the box, but he just couldn’t get a clean enough connection on his shot and it was a comfortable save for Scott Bain. The second came after more brilliant work on the wing from Oakley-Boothe who picked out the 17-year-old in the six-yard box as he looked set to be the hero at Hampden, but his effort came back off the crossbar as it somehow remained goalless.

It looked as though Falkirk were going to be given a penalty with less than a minute left on the clock, but referee Jon Beaton pointed the other way, and gave Henry Cartwright a second yellow card for diving, as the Bairns went down to ten men.

After a goalless 120 minutes, the Scottish Cup semi-final was to be decided by a penalty shootout. Falkirk missed their first two penalties while Dunfermline were clinical, scoring all four of theirs as they booked their place in the Scottish Cup final. They will take on Celtic or St. Mirren next month.