Parkhead witnessed absolute bedlam as Celtic snatched the Scottish Premiership title from the jaws of heartbreak, defeating Hearts 3-1 in a winner-takes-all final day showdown.
Entering the match trailing Hearts by a single point, Celtic faced a monumental task.
Kelechi Iheanacho Sparks Celtic’s Scottish Premiership Comeback
The visitors were chasing a historic 66-year-old dream, while the Hoops needed a flawless victory to secure their 56th league crown.
The stakes grew even higher when Hearts took a shocking lead just before the interval through Lawrence Shankland.
Though Celtic quickly responded via an Arne Engels penalty, the attack looked flat and Kelechi Iheanacho was call upon right at the halftime restart to ignite the offense.
The tactical move paid off. The Nigerian forward’s presence completely re-energised the frontline, keeping Hearts under relentless pressure.
Reflecting on the overwhelming atmosphere after the final whistle, Iheanacho opened up about the emotional rollercoaster of the match.
“It feels so good I can’t let go of this trophy. It was a big tension and it’s a massive pressure but we know what to do today and we did it. They were a very strong side but God of Soccer was on our side today.”
The crushing anxiety of the afternoon persisted until the 87th minute when Daizen Maeda finally shattered the deadlock to put Celtic in front.
Callum Osmand then put the icing on the cake with a stoppage-time strike to seal the dramatic 3-1 comeback, triggering wild celebrations across the stadium.
Celtic Title Glory Ends Iheanacho’s Trophy Drought
For Iheanacho, the triumph is a deeply personal redemption arc, ending a frustrating drought of winner’s medals in recent seasons.
Clutching the silverware tightly during the post-match euphoria, he made no secret of how much the moment meant to him.
“It’s another silverware for me, I haven’t won a silverware for a while now, so I’m happy I won a silverware with this massive club.”
It caps off an impressive debut season in Scotland for the Super Eagles forward, who wrapped up the campaign with 8 goals in 22 appearances—with his crucial match-winners directly accounting for 8 invaluable points on Celtic’s road to glory.