Former Celtic defender Yuki Kobayashi netted a brilliant goal in Poland on Thursday night, but it was Luis Palma who ended up on the winning side.
The match finished 2-1 to Lech, but the most impressive moment came from Kobayashi just before half-time.
Jagiellonia had fallen behind, but the Japanese centre-back brought them level in style. He picked up the ball just inside the Lech half, drove forward into space and, with nobody closing him down quickly enough, fired a superb left-footed strike into the top corner from around 30 yards.
It was not the sort of goal many Celtic supporters would have expected from Kobayashi during his time in Glasgow.
🇵🇱🚀 OH MY WORD, what a strike from Yuki Kobayashi!
The Jagiellonia Białystok defender lets fly from distance to equalise just before half-time. Only his second goal since moving to Europe in 22/23. pic.twitter.com/rF8boVfDQK
— Japanese Football (@JapaneseFbl) September 3, 2026
The 26-year-old was signed by Celtic from Vissel Kobe but struggled to make a real impact at the club. He found minutes hard to come by and eventually moved on, with his career now continuing in Poland.
The goal was a rare one for Kobayashi. It was only his second since moving to Europe and just the fifth senior goal of his career, having previously scored twice for Yokohama FC and once for Vissel Kobe.
Kobayashi had the standout moment, but Palma had the result. For two players whose Celtic careers never fully got going, it was still a decent reminder that both are now getting regular football elsewhere.
Keep Reading
