Iheanacho is proven striker for Celtic – Packie

Nigeria forward Kelechi Iheanacho has received praise from Celtic legend Packie Bonner, who lauded his impact for the team after he came off the bench to score and secure a vital 2-1 win for Scottish Premiership side on Sunday.

In a game packed with drama, VAR checks, a red card and long spells of Celtic pressure, the Hoops found a way to get the job done in Edinburgh, with goals from Daizen Maeda and substitute Iheanacho proving decisive.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Soar Super Eagles (@soarsupereagles)

The Super Eagle striker did the same thing at Dens Park in March, while he scored two extra-time goals at Hampden against St Mirren to help the Hoops progress to the Scottish Cup final.

‘The goal was really good’

Speaking afterwards, Packie lauded Iheanacho for his scoring instincts.

“Everybody connected with Celtic breathed a sigh of relief at the end. They made hard work of it,” Bonner told BBC Sport.

“Iheanacho came off the bench, and he’s a proven striker. The big problem for him is lasting a full game, but what an impact he made. The goal was really, really good.”

Speaking after the game, the Super Eagle told Celtic TV: “I always feel great to come in and help the team to get the win, so I’m happy today. The whole team is happy, and especially the fans.

“It’s really difficult because they sit back and wait for you to come, so you need patience to move them from side to side to create spaces, and, at the end, we got our reward.

“In the box you need to be composed but it was a difficult finish, to be fair. I wanted to head it at first but I had a second touch to chest it and then the guys started rushing out and I just had to get it on target and see what happened.

“I’m happy that the fans are loving every moment of it, and I’m enjoying it. We just need to focus on the rest of the games and do the job we need to do and at the end, we’ll get the trophy hopefully.”

His goal at Easter Road, a coolly-taken finish from eight yards out, took his tally to seven for the season.