Kelechi Iheanacho ended the 2025–26 season in memorable fashion as Celtic staged a thrilling second-half comeback to defeat Heart of Midlothian 3-1 at Celtic Park and secure the Scottish Premiership title on the final day of the campaign.
In a tense title-deciding encounter, the visitors stunned the home crowd just before the interval when captain Lawrence Shankland rose highest to head Hearts into the lead.
However, Celtic responded almost immediately, with Arne Engels calmly converting from the penalty spot to restore parity before half-time.
With the title race hanging in the balance, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill made a decisive change at the break, introducing Iheanacho in place of winger Sebastian Tounekti in search of greater attacking urgency.
The Nigerian forward quickly made his presence felt and nearly produced the breakthrough moment of the season.
After a brilliant turn inside the box, Iheanacho unleashed a powerful effort that beat the goalkeeper but crashed agonisingly against the base of the post, leaving the Celtic faithful momentarily stunned.
Celtic’s persistence finally paid off in the closing stages.
In the 87th minute, Daizen Maeda fired the Hoops into the lead, sending Celtic Park into celebration mode, before Callum Osmand added a stoppage-time goal to complete a dramatic victory and confirm the club’s 14th league title in the last 15 seasons.
Although he started on the bench, Iheanacho once again proved his value during Celtic’s title run-in.
The former Manchester City and Leicester City striker played an influential role in the champions’ seven-match winning streak, scoring crucial goals against Dundee, Hibernian and Motherwell.
Despite limited game time, Iheanacho delivered an impressive return of eight goals in 23 appearances across all competitions, scoring every 107 minutes after accumulating just 858 minutes on the pitch.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, attention will now turn to Iheanacho’s future.
However, Celtic retain an option to extend the striker’s stay for the 2026–27 campaign after a strong finish that could yet earn him another season in Glasgow.
