Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho has described his late match-winning penalty for Celtic as a thrilling intervention in the Scottish Premiership title race, after firing the Hoops to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday night.
The Nigerian, introduced from the bench, stepped up in the 98th minute to convert from the spot and spark wild celebrations among Celtic supporters, including a pitch invasion from the travelling faithful, as the title race headed into a stunning climax.
“To be fair, I don’t have words, I don’t know how, but we’ve done it,” Iheanacho told Sky Sports.
“As you can see, the fans are still shouting, and we’re happy, and we have one more to go. We need to get back now and focus on that.”
On the pressure of taking the decisive spot-kick, he added, “I just kept cool, and it’s scary, but thankfully we got the victory, so we’re happy.”
The win came in chaotic circumstances. Motherwell struck first in the 17th minute through Elliot Watt before Celtic turned the match around after the break through Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren.
However, Liam Gordon equalised for Motherwell in the 85th minute to seemingly hand league leaders Hearts control of the title race.
Deep into stoppage time, referee John Beaton was called to the VAR monitor following claims that Motherwell defender Sam Nicholson handled the ball inside the box.
After reviewing the incident, the official pointed to the spot, triggering furious protests from the home side. Iheanacho held his nerve to drive the penalty home with the final kick of the game.
Manager Martin O’Neill, who once managed both Celtic and Aston Villa, praised the Nigerian’s impact during the decisive spell of the season.
“Iheanacho has been terrific for us with the little cameo roles that he’s done. He’s had a really frustrating time this season with hamstring problems, but he has come up big for us in these weeks, absolutely big, and he was the one taking the penalty. I was delighted that he was the one who was taking it,” O’Neill told BBC Scotland.
The dramatic goal also made Iheanacho the highest-scoring Nigerian player in Celtic’s history. In 22 appearances for the Glasgow club, the former Leicester City forward has scored eight goals and provided one assist since arriving on a free transfer, surpassing the six-goal tally former defender Efe Ambrose managed in 169 appearances.
The victory moved Celtic to within one point of Hearts heading into the final day of the season. Celtic will become champions if they defeat Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.
Hearts, meanwhile, need only a draw to secure their first league title since 1960.
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