Thursday, July 16, 2026

Iheanacho’s stoppage-time goal sends Scottish Premiership title race to final day

Iheanacho scored a dramatic 99th-minute penalty as Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 in a Scottish Premiership clash last night, forcing the title race to the final day of the season.

• May 14, 2026
Nigerian International Kelechi Iheanacho
Nigerian International Kelechi Iheanacho

Nigerian International Kelechi Iheanacho scored a dramatic 99th-minute penalty as Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2 in a Scottish Premiership clash on Wednesday night, sending the title race down to the final day of the season.

The late victory ensured Celtic stayed firmly in the hunt for the league crown after title rivals Hearts hammered Falkirk 3-0 earlier in the day.

Motherwell shocked the hosts early with an opening goal from Elliot Watt putting his side ahead in the 17th minute before Celtic responded strongly through Daizen Maeda and Benjamin Nygren to turn the game around.

The visitors fought back late on with an effort from Liam Gordon finding the equaliser in the 85th minute, a goal that looked to have dealt a huge blow to Celtic’s title hopes.

But deep into stoppage time, a controversial VAR decision followed an incident involving Sam Nicholson and Austin Trusty inside the 18 yard area.

The referee eventually pointed to the spot and substitute Iheanacho converted calmly with the final kick of the game to seal the dramatic victory for Martin O’Neill’s side.

The result means if Celtic beats Hearts on the final day, they will win the Scottish Premiership title. Hearts, on the other hand, only need to avoid losing to win their first league title since 1960.

Elsewhere, Rangers suffered a fourth consecutive defeat after Dane Scarlett scored late to hand Hibernian a 2-1 victory at Ibrox.

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