Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho has expressed delight after coming off the bench to help Celtic to a hard-earned 2-1 win over Hibernian on Sunday.
The 29-year-old was brought into the game in the second half and he took only two minutes to make his presence felt with the winning goal that lifted his side level on points with Hearts at the top of the standings.
Celtic had won their last four games heading into this clash and they made it five wins on the bounce across all competitions, keeping their hopes of retaining their title alive.
Daizen Maeda had put them ahead against Hibernian, who had been reduced to 10 mean earlier in the first half. However, the hosts got themselves back into the clash on the stroke of halftime through Joe Newell’s controversial strike.
Then came Iheanacho, who stepped up to score the winner and his fourth goal in five games after recent winners against Dundee and also St Mirren in the Scottish Cup semifinal.
Celtic are up against Rangers in their next league match, as they look to continue their impressive form and edge closer to the title.
Iheanacho hails goalscoring display against Hibernian
Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed another goal for Celtic as he continues to show his importance to Martin O’Neill’s side heading into the final stages of the campaign.
Reacting to his super-sub performance, the former Manchester City forward was delighted to help his team once again and is relishing a bigger role heading into the final weeks of the season.
“I always feel great to come in and help the team to get the win, so I’m happy today. The whole team is happy, and especially the fans”, Iheanacho said.
‘It’s really important to stay patient, especially when you’re playing against 10 men.’
“It’s really difficult because they sit back and wait for you to come, so you need patience to move them from side to side to create spaces, and, at the end, we got our reward”, he added.
“In the box you need to be composed but it was a difficult finish, to be fair. I wanted to head it at first but I had a second touch to chest it and then the guys started rushing out and I just had to get it on target and see what happened.
“I’m happy that the fans are loving every moment of it, and I’m enjoying it. We just need to focus on the rest of the games and do the job we need to do and at the end, we’ll get the trophy hopefully”, Iheanacho concluded.
Celtic will also play Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final and could end the season with a double silverware in their cabinet.
