Kelechi Iheanacho’s moment at Fir Park said plenty about where he now stands in this Celtic squad. Arne Engels was still on the pitch when Celtic won the stoppage-time penalty against Motherwell.
The Belgian has been the club’s main taker for most of the season. He has handled pressure before and has scored from the spot more than once this campaign. Yet when the ball was placed down in the 98th minute, it was Iheanacho who stepped forward.
That was not an accident.
The striker had only been on the park around 20 minutes after replacing Sebastian Tounekti. Celtic needed calm in a frantic finish. Motherwell had just dragged themselves back into the match at 2-2 and Fir Park was bouncing again. Iheanacho still wanted the ball.
He had already shown that nerve earlier in the season. Back in September, he scored a stoppage-time penalty against Kilmarnock after coming off the bench. Wednesday night carried even more pressure. Celtic’s title hopes were hanging there with it.
The reaction from the players after the goal told its own story as well. They trusted him in that moment. So did the bench.
Iheanacho spoke about that pressure after the match and admitted the scale of it was impossible to ignore.
He said: (TCW), “I think my teammates too fancied me.
“But to be fair, anybody in my position would be scared of that moment. It’s now gone, and we need to just focus on the next one.
“Yes, I had a thing before I came up. I just said I’m going to go there. I didn’t change my mind. The keeper was teasing me a bit, but I didn’t change my mind. I just kept my cool and went there.”
What stands out is how quickly Iheanacho made the decision. No hesitation. No changing his mind halfway through the run-up. He picked his corner early and stayed with it even while Calum Ward tried to distract him.
That matters in those moments. Especially with nearly 60,000 people waiting on one kick to keep the title race alive.
The finish itself was clean. Low into the bottom corner with enough pace to take the goalkeeper out of it.
Now Celtic head into Saturday against Hearts knowing the league is back in their own hands. Iheanacho’s penalty changed the mood completely. A draw at Fir Park would have left Celtic needing help elsewhere. Instead, one strike from the spot turned Celtic Park into the stage for a title decider.
And the man trusted ahead of the club’s regular taker was the striker who had already done it once before this season.
