Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice as Celtic cruised to a 6-2 victory over St. Mirren to secure a place in the Scottish Cup final, reports Completesports.com.
The Nigerian forward came off the bench in the 83rd minute, replacing Yang Hyun-jun, and made an immediate impact during extra time.
Celtic had taken a 2-0 lead in regulation time thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston.
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However, Mikaël Mandron struck twice in the second half to draw St. Mirren level and force the game into extra time.
Iheanacho then restored Celtic’s advantage in the 96th minute before adding his second goal five minutes later to seal the emphatic win.
The 29-year-old has now scored six goals in all competitions for Celtic this season.
By Adeboye Amosu
14 Comments
Senior man. To be candid I see iheanacho has the missing link in chele’s diamond. A player with a sweet left foot and an eye for a pass..I hope chele can invite him for up coming friendlies ,let’s see what he can offer..
Original 442, we ask you to rest your matter over kelechi.
Original 442, I wike said you are wicked joooo.
Iheanacho Thegenacho. Iheanacho Ziggy Zaga. Iheanacho Zaga Zigi . You are far better than others. Heaven bless Iheanacho and all deserved Super Eagles strikers.
Tarara the parara.
Parara piroro. The multiple identity juggernaut.
Climbing for Nigeria. Olympic climbing gold medalist.
Tarara the great. Parara, parara!
Ah ah! What kind of nonsense talk is this ke? Honestly some of you people are absloteuly unbelevable!
Chaii! God forbid, Iheanacho playing in the SE??? And the hope and dream of over 200 million treated as hopelessly as that?? Wish kain crase talk be dat??
In fact a pesin like yuh shud be locked up and never allowed to voice any opinion concerning our footbal,
Kai! what a useless opinion, if yuh had noting that made sense to said den said noting abeg jare!
Robbish!
Lol. 442 (aka Yaishman, Yaboah, and other fake IDs that pretend to be illiterate and deliberately use bad English and spelling), giving a sarcastic comment and then replying to himself as Yaishman. You’re pretending to be criticising the same comment you made as 442 you made as first comment above.
Why can’t you wear a single mask? Rather than being two-faced and using 442 to try to appear sane. Then, using the fake Yaishman, Yaboah, etc IDs. to troll forumites whose views on certain players (like Alex Iwobi, whom you hate) you disagree with.
At least, Larry is a known tribalist and doesn’t hide it. Own your good or bad (tribalistic) reputation with your full chest. Don’t be an undercover coward, while acting and deceiving yourself that you’re otherwise.
Kel abi na kelvin, how far ?
Yuh sir har wat dey called a mugu – I Yaishman ees Yaboah and Original 4-4-2 ba? lool!
Yuh har a confuse shildren – why not ask de original 4-4-2 or yaboah whether hin ees de same as I Yaishman ke?
Check well and shine yur mumu eye b4 yuh cross road without looking oo, hmm na so dem dey do wey be sey molue go run dem ova, nna ehn, in fact yuh are just too stoopid! lmaoo!
if yuh ar hafing noting dat mek sense to said den y not just sharap?
Anyone who has been sad enough to follow me on this platform over the years will know I am a sucker for Iheanacho’s methods as a striker. I actually am of the view that we can still get one, just one good year out of Kelechi Iheanacho (if he is fit).
Victor Osihmen, Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanach inhabit the same ballpark agewise. So, so long as Victor Osihmen remains relevant to the national team, so long as Taiwo Awoniyi remains relevant to call-up consideration, Iheanacho will remain firmly wedged in the conversation – if he stays fit.
Kelechi Iheanacho is his own worst enemy. He reminds me of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho Gaúcho: supremely gifted, yet abjectly lazy players who believe that talent alone will take them to the height of greatness – fools. Messi, Ronaldo, Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic proved that talent with hard work and relentless devotion will not only bring greatness and success, it will also extend your career well beyond your sell-by date. If possible, some of these legends would play into their 50s.
It is not too late for my Kelechi Iheanacho to turn things around. If he works hard, stays focused, and keeps concentration, I think he could be a star player for Nigeria at next year’s Afcon.
I tend to agree that a fit-and-firing Iheanacho is a better option to Osihmen up-front in-lieu of Akor Adams. Adams is a great guy, a team player, a reliable player who goes about his job with the highest level of professionalism seen in the Super Eagles in modern times.
But a boiling hot Iheanacho is a beast of no nation! No nation playing against the Super would be able to contain his trickery, his directness, his unpredictability on the ball. He is able to hoodwink opposition defenders with silky leg movements to go into opposition 18-yard boxes, whence he wreaks havoc.
A lot of people will laugh at my adulation of Iheanacho above, calling me a deluded old man living in the past glory of a player that has lost his way, a player that has lost his mojo, a player that has lost his magic.
And to be honest, I won’t blame them for, indeed, the Iheanacho we see today is a pitiful shadow of his once great self, a relic of a bygone era where he played high echelon football.
But I fail to give up on Iheanacho; I am a sucker for the image and potentials I hold in my head for him, potentials I firmly believe he can still actualise if he changes his mentality, changes his ways, changes his attitude. After all, in the words of Dr Alban: “it’s my life!” or should I say: “it’s his life!”
He will pick form,only when he stop associating with Apama,the Owerri nollywood actor famous for his food skit!Hahaha…!!
The key words are fit and firing and one final afcon.
Scoring a blazing against 17 years old goalkeeper yesterday reminded me of the time he first shone (under 17 world cup in 2013).
Being deemed “surplus to requirements” by a floundering Sevilla this season was an unexpected new low.
I will not cringe if Chelle doesn’t want to have him back sha.
All those players shy of 30 in Eagles are not the “future” of a team that needs revival badly
@sly God will bless you, I just tire for doe and 442, I wonder what awoniyi, kelechi, and co want to achieve again these are players in late 30 now parading themselves as 28,29 yrs.
If you remove a kidney of an 80yrs old man and put it inside a boy of 15yrs old, Just know the boy will manage to clock 20yrs with serous fasting and prayer ni.
Those guys have past their glorius age and time from eagles. They may show up in one match and fissle out in the remaining matches of a tournament.
We don’t want Chelle to build new eagles around players like this again.
We have news guys capable of playing well and fresh. Get them high grade friendly matches and see how they fare.
Please no more kelechi, the other day csn went to go and carry news of samuel kalu resurgence. Resurgence gini? Small time everybody will start saying samuel kalu is the missing link between lookman and onyedika.
I wike say some fans here are wicked joo!
Dem don start!
Overhyping a failure!
Scored a brace against an unrated St. Mirren in a cup match is now a yardstick.
If he is that good his club won’t decide against renewing his contract
I hope chelle won’t fall for this .
There are better and younger option playing and scoring against better oppositions .
The only way he can get in is to displace any of Simon, Chukwueze, Lookman, Akor, Osi9..
Old underachievers should give way for upcoming stars.
All he needs to do is take brown envelope to awon Onigbese oshi.
NFF Onigbese will invite him when he goes to “see them”.
E go shock una.
Not only him, anybody that wants to play for SE, just get your brown envelope ready, and you will smoothly transition into the team!
The only way forward is the immediate sacking of the NFF president and the entire board, including the yeye technical department. Iheanacho then has to work to get his invite on merit. He has always had the talent, but age is catching up with him. With hard work, anything is possible. But with this NFF still on seat, we go hear weeen!
One sensational blog said he’s already on Chelle’s Unity cup invitational squad list.
Thankfully, Gusau and his squad will be wiped out forever by September.