Celtic star delivers X-rated half-time verdict vs Kilmarnock as he laps up 'craziest moment of my life'
The Mexico international netted a 97th-minute clincher to beat Kilmarnock 3-2 at Rugby Park on Sunday
Celtic loan star Julian Araujo admits he lost the plot when he charged into the away stand at Rugby Park to soak up the celebrations after slamming home a last-gasp winner over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
The Mexico international, who has quickly developed into a fan favourite among the Hoops support, struck in the 97th minute to complete an epic comeback win in Ayrshire on Sunday, having trailed by two goals at half-time.
With their title hopes hanging in the balance, the champions turned the game on it’s head through goals from Sebastian Tounekti and Benjamin Nygren before Araujo’s late strike sparked ecstasy as well as a huge outpouring of relief.
The defender - who is on loan from AFC Bournemouth - was unable to contain his delight as he jumped in to lap up his heroics with jubilant fans before eventually emerging from a huge pile up and earning a booking for his troubles.
“It was crazy,” Araujo said when asked for his reflections on the moment. “My heart was still going and it was like I couldn’t breathe for so long after the end of the game.
“Played for Celtic is nuts. You can see why. You can see the pitch was filled with fans and I’ve never seen that in my life. It was a beautiful feeling. I’ve never felt anything like that. I lost myself (in the celebrations). I just went with whatever. I just kept it going, kept the flow going.
Follow our GlasgowWorld - Celtic Facebook page to get all the latest news stories on the Hoops
“The goal is probably number one for me because the fans are crazy. I didn’t even know what I was doing when I went to celebrate with them. I just lost myself and I saw so many people. Everybody was giving me kisses. I don’t even know what the hell happened. It was one of the craziest moments of my life.
“I was told become coming here I wouldn’t realise what Celtic was and how big Celtic was until I was here. Now I know what it means to them and what it is so I’m excited to be a part of their journey and I’ll keep doing my best to give them what they deserve.
“They were the extra man (against Kilmarnock). Without them we wouldn’t have got the three points. How do they compare to the fans in Mexico? I think they’re just different crazy there.
“I’ve never had a moment like that and it’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. It’s something I’ll carry with me and I’ll be grateful for.”
Julian Araujo knew Celtic squad were in for half-time rollocking at Kilmarnock
Araujo may have got caught up in the euphoria of his stoppage-time strike, but the right-back knew they were in for a half-time rollocking after a below-par first-half performance that left them trailing 2-0 at the break.
“Oh, we were s***,” he laughed. “We knew we were s***. We knew we played bad and we knew this wasn’t us. We knew that the second half we had to turn it around and we were going to. It was do or die, we had to keep going.
“We knew coming into the second half we had to get a goal early on. We knew that as soon as we got that first goal that things could change. We had to just maintain what Martin, Shaun (Maloney) and Fozzy (Mark Fotheringham) asked from us. We had to win the ball back and not give them many options.
“I think we did that very well in the second half. They didn’t have many opportunities and just played long while we maintained playing the ball from one side to the other and got the goals out of that.
Araujo continued: ““Playing for Celtic is a big responsibility. I wouldn’t say it’s pressure but it’s very stressful on us. It’s a good stress but it can end badly so you can’t always rely on that stress.
“I’ve been involved in games in the past where in the last minute we got the win. You’ve got to believe in yourselves. Whether it’s 90 minutes or 95, we’ve got to give it our all and that’s what we did here.
“We maintained our principles, we stayed humble, we believed in ourselves and ultimately we got the three points.”