Celtic star lauds work rate of 'machine' teammate as Hoops' Duracell Bunny forces error in Scottish Cup rout
The persistence of the Hoops forward got the ball rolling at Hampden in their eight-goal thriller against St Mirren
Celtic striker Kelechi Iheanacho has described teammate Daizen Maeda as a “machine” following his exploits in the 6-2 victory over St Mirren.
The Japanese forward was awarded the man of the match award as Celtic booked their place in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden. He got his side off to the best possible start in the match after just 57 seconds, when he closed down Buddies goalkeeper Ryan Mullen, whose punt was blocked by Maeda and trickled over line. It was a goal that summed up the performance of the 28-year-old, as not for the first time in his Celtic career, he covered every blade of grass at Hampden.
Iheanacho also played an instrumental role in the Celtic victory as he come off the substitute’s bench. After St Mirren came back from two goals down to send the match to extra time, a nervous energy started to build for Martin O’Neill’s side. However a well-timed header from the Nigerian got them back on track before he doubled his tally five minutes later, continuing his handy streak of producing for Celtic in the big moments.
Anthony Ralston put the Hoops two goals up on the stroke of half time before St Mirren’s Mikael Mandron grabbed a second half brace to send the match to extra time. In a manic six minutes, Luke McCowan and Benjamin Nygren added to Iheanacho’s brace to put the Celts out of sight.
The goals of Maeda and Iheanacho have helped Celtic book their place in the final against former player and manager, Neil Lennon, whose Dunfermline Athletic side defeated Falkirk on penalties to give their fans another Hampden adventure. After the match, Iheanacho expressed his gratitude for his fellow striker and his willingness to run for the team off the ball.
‘He never gets tired!’
The goal against St Mirren epitomised how influential Maeda’s ability to press is in a Celtic team who haven’t been at their best of late. Since signing from Yokohama F. Marinos in 2022 under Ange Postecoglou, his seemingly endless work rate has caused defences all sorts of problems.
While handing over the man of the match award to his teammate, Iheanacho told Premier Sports: “I'd describe him as a machine because he never gets tired. He keeps running, keeps running, keeps giving the defenders problems. He's a very important player for us this season. Hopefully, he'll be fit to finish the season with us and give us more.”
The bizarre opener at Hampden took Maeda’s tally to double figures for the season, a feat he’s now achieved four years on the spin. While there have been doubts over his future at Celtic Park due to his transfer request in the summer, for the time being, he could have a major part to play in the Premiership title race. The Hoops currently sit three points adrift of league leaders Hearts and two behind Rangers.
Iheanacho on St Mirren scare
Iheanacho was happy to get over the line in emphatic fashion after the early scare. He added: “It feels amazing. I can't even express how I feel now. Obviously, it was 2-2 at the end of the game but we went to extra time and we blew them away. So it feels really good to be in the final. I'm really happy for myself and the team.”
The 29-year old signed as a free agent in the summer by Brendan Rodgers after difficult spells with Sevilla and Middlesbrough, however he’s proved in the past during his time at Manchester City and Leicester City that he can be prolific when he wants to be. Iheanacho hasn’t won a major honour since Rodgers’ Foxes won the English FA Cup in 2021, giving him extra motivation to win a trophy with the Hoops.
He continued: “I don't know how it feels for the fans, but it would mean a whole lot for me (winning a trophy). It's been a while since I last won silverware, so I'll be so delighted to win silverware this season.Hopefully, together as a team, we can achieve that.”
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