Former Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has showered praise on Kelechi Iheanacho after the Nigerian striker delivered another huge moment in Celtic’s dramatic Scottish Premiership title chase, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles forward scored a controversial 99th-minute penalty as Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 in a chaotic night at Fir Park on Wednesday.
The match had looked to be slipping away from Celtic several times. Motherwell struck first in the 17th minute when Elliot Watt punished slack defending to put the hosts ahead. Celtic responded strongly after the break as Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren turned the game around to hand the visitors a 2-1 lead.
But the title race twisted again five minutes from time when Liam Gordon equalised for Motherwell in the 85th minute. At that stage, rivals Heart of Midlothian appeared set to take complete control of the championship race.
Deep into stoppage time, however, referee John Beaton was called to the VAR monitor after 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.
With tension rising around Fir Park, Iheanacho, introduced from the bench, stepped forward and smashed the penalty into the net with virtually the final kick of the game. The goal sparked wild celebrations and a pitch invasion from travelling Celtic fans.
O’Neill, who once managed both Celtic and Aston Villa, praised the Nigerian’s impact after the match.
“Iheanacho has been terrific for us with the little cameo roles that he’s done,” O’Neill told BBC Scotland.
“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.”
Iheanacho breaks Nigerian record at Celtic
The dramatic winner also pushed Iheanacho into the history books as the highest-scoring Nigerian player ever to feature for Celtic.
In just 22 appearances for the Glasgow giants, the former Sevilla FC forward has now scored eight goals and registered one assist since arriving in Scotland on a free transfer.
Before Iheanacho’s arrival, only former Nigeria internationals Rabiu Ibrahim and Efe Ambrose had represented Celtic. Rabiu made only two appearances, while Ambrose enjoyed a far more successful spell in Glasgow.
Despite playing mainly as a defender, Ambrose scored six goals and provided 10 assists in 169 matches for Celtic, helping the club win six trophies, including four Scottish Premiership titles.
Iheanacho now has the chance to add his own piece of silverware this weekend when Celtic host Hearts at Parkhead in a winner-takes-all title decider.
Following Hearts’ 3-0 victory over Falkirk FC, the standings remain incredibly tight, with Hearts on 80 points and Celtic just one point behind on 79.
Had Iheanacho missed the late penalty or had Celtic settled for a draw, the Hoops would have entered the final day three points behind and needing a massive victory swing to stand any chance of lifting the title.
Instead, the equation is now simple. Celtic will become champions if they defeat Hearts at home on Saturday. Hearts, meanwhile, need only a draw to secure what would be their first league title since 1960.
O’Neill also defended the controversial decision that handed Celtic the winning penalty.
“Well, I have seen it back very, very briefly, it’s a handball, it looks as if it’s also an elbow to the side of the head as well,” he said.
“VAR have asked the referee to come over and have a look at it, and he’s [had] no hesitation in giving the penalty.”
The decision has already caused major fallout across Scottish football, with Hearts manager Derek McInnes branding the penalty ‘disgusting’ as the title race heads into a dramatic final weekend.