Kelechi Iheanacho was on target once again as Celtic claimed a dramatic 3–2 victory over Motherwell in an enthralling Scottish Premiership clash on Saturday.
The Nigerian forward opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 28th minute, but Motherwell hit back through Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, who equalised in the 41st minute before converting another penalty in the 55th minute to give the visitors a surprise lead.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers turned to his bench for inspiration, and substitute Benjamin Nygren made an instant impact, levelling the tie in the 69th minute.
Just when the match looked destined for a draw, Daizen Maeda struck deep into stoppage time to snatch all three points and send Celtic Park into wild celebration.
Iheanacho, who played 78 minutes, has now registered three goals and one assist in six appearances across all competitions for Celtic. Against Motherwell, he completed eight passes, including two into the final third, and created three chances in an impressive attacking display.
Despite the win, Rodgers admitted his side has yet to reach their full potential.
“We’re nowhere near our level; I can be clear on that,” he said. “But the players showed unbelievable heart, a strong mentality, and competitive grit. Even though we’re not at our level, we still had to win.”
The victory lifts Celtic to second place in the Premiership standings with 17 points from seven matches, just two behind leaders Hearts.
With the international break approaching, Iheanacho will have time to recover and regroup before Celtic returns to action against Dundee on October 19.
