Champion mentality for Iheanacho rescues Celtic in extra time
A magnificent opening match propelled Celtic to the Scottish Cup final, on a night filled with emotion where the players’ post-match comments also made their mark.
Like Benjamin Nygren, another standout player was Kelechi Iheanacho, who ultimately became the undisputed hero.
The emergence of a striker who could be the future of Celtic
The striker was decisive in extra time, scoring two goals to secure a 6-2 victory against St Mirren. With the team facing considerable uncertainty after the draw in regulation time, Iheanacho stepped up to turn the game around and guarantee their passage to the final.
“I really can’t describe how I feel right now,” said Iheanacho. “I’m so happy! Obviously, there was a bit of panic in the second half when they scored the goals. We were lucky to get to extra time, and then we squandered it. We’re very happy as a team; we worked really hard in extra time to get the goals.”
Kelechi Iheanacho
After the match, the striker didn’t hide his joy at having played a key role on such an important night. He emphasized how special it was to help the team reach the final, although he also admitted that, due to the intensity and euphoria of the moment, he was still struggling to process everything he had experienced on the pitch.
Furthermore, he made the team’s objective clear: not just to reach the final, but to fight for the title. Celtic now has a great opportunity to end the season with a trophy, and performances like Iheanacho’s boost confidence heading into that final stage.
