Monday, July 13, 2026

Kelechi’s late penalty keeps Celtic top with 2-1 over Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock hit back against the run of play in the closing stages when David Watson powered in a header from a Greg Kiltie corner.

• September 14, 2025
Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho [Credit; celticfc on Instagram]

Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho made an instant impact on his debut, scoring a stoppage-time penalty to give Celtic a 2–1 win over Kilmarnock in the Premiership.

Signed late in the window, a former Leicester City striker came off the bench late in the game and delivered when it mattered most.

Celtic had control from the start but failed to turn possession into goals in the first half. The biggest talking point before the break came from the stands, as travelling fans staged a delayed entrance in protest against the club’s board.

The breakthrough finally came shortly after the break, Marcelo Saracchi delivered a perfect cross for Daizen Maeda to head home.

Kilmarnock hit back against the run of play in the closing stages when David Watson powered in a header from a Greg Kiltie corner.

But Celtic had the last word in added time after a controversial handball from Kiltie in the box handed Iheanacho the chance, and the striker buried the spot-kick to seal the points and net his first goal since March.

The result keeps Celtic top of the Scottish Premiership and extends their unbeaten start to five matches as they chase a fifth straight league title, while Kilmarnock suffer their first defeat of the season.

Iheanacho joined the Scottish side late in the transfer window after parting ways with Sevilla through a mutual contract termination, aiming for a fresh challenge and consistent minutes under Brendan Rodgers.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Sport

France, Spain set to clash in epic World Cup semi-final battle

It is the first semi-final fixture and one of the most anticipated matches of the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lawyers

NationWide

Wig, gown reserved for qualified lawyers: Legal Practitioners

The lawyers said only persons called to the bar and enrolled as solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria are qualified to wear the legal regalia.

Health

Drug availability in Kano public health facilities has increased to 90%: Official

He said drug availability in public health facilities rose from 30 per cent to 90 per cent in three years.

Taraba state governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku

Anti-Corruption

N1.8 billion was paid into my company account during ex-gov Darius Ishaku’s tenure, witness says

The witness said he received a total of 69 transfers from the Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba.

suspected arms trafficker in Kaduna

States

Troops arrest suspected arms trafficker in Kaduna 

Troops of the Nigerian Army arrested a suspected arms trafficker in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Ursula von der Leyen

World

EU to restrict children’s social media access among member states

She said the planned restrictions would be lifted ⁠gradually as children get older.