And breathe a sigh of relief, Celtic fans, but most importantly, breathe a sigh of relief, Daizen Maeda.
To say that was needed would be an understatement, but Celtic’s stoppage-time win over Motherwell on Sunday sends the team, as well as Maeda, into the October international break with a spring in their step.
Yes, there is still a long way to go, and Celtic are still nowhere near their best, but the Hoops proved why they are the champions of Scotland against Motherwell.
Even better, Maeda proved why class is permanent, because there has been a lot of negative noise around him following the conclusion of the 2025 summer transfer window, and some of it can now be put to rest.
Celtic fans react to Daizen Maeda’s winner against Motherwell
Maeda set the bar really high last season by winning Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year, but he has looked off-colour during the opening few months of this term.
With that goal and the manner in which it came about, the Celtic Park faithful are hoping it can kick-start his season.
That’s why many of the Celtic supporters were delighted on social media after Maeda’s diving header went in.
@Dogo2k thinks Maeda’s road to redemption starts now: ‘MAEDA REDEMPTION ARC STARTS NOW!’
@buchan_jak29748 used three words: ‘Maeda is back.’
@DominikDiamond called Maeda ‘brave’: ‘Phew! What a ball into the box from Balikwisha there, brave header from Maeda as well!’
@TheBhoyJM brought up the striker debate: ‘Maeda scores when playing as a striker. Imagine the surprise 😂😂.’
@Celticlaird described Celtic’s winner perfectly: ‘Creativity Engels.. precision Balikwisha.. instinct Maeda.’
@petermcvey2 hopes things now change for Maeda: ‘Hopefully that goal will give Maeda that confidence back.’
@JohnShiels explained that everyone needed that: ‘A goal that both fans and Daizen Maeda needed in a frustrating game that saw Celtic dig deep to get the team out of a hole they had dug themselves into.’
@ann_sorley summed up how every Celtic fan is feeling: ‘Delighted for Maeda. 💚💚💚’
@CELTICBOB1967 praised Rodgers for keeping Maeda on: ‘Credit where credit’s due. Keeping Maeda on when he was having a shocker. Scores the winner.’
@Opticsbhoy wants fans to get behind Maeda: ‘Maeda coming out and speaking on Celtic TV is a huge deal. Hopefully, the supporters can get behind him now.’
Another Celtic fan who is hoping Maeda kicks on from here: ‘You cannot beat a last-minute winner. We struggled big time today, but thankfully we capitalised on Motherwell’s mistakes and Maeda got that goal, which hopefully spurs him on as well as Balikwisha, who set it up.’
Maeda’s stats for Celtic against Motherwell
This was Maeda’s highest-rated game by WhoScored at 7.68, as he has been rated above seven on three occasions in the league this term – against St Mirren, Livingston and Kilmarnock.
What also needs to be noted is that Maeda has played across the front three during that time, and that doesn’t help matters at all.
Nonetheless, this is how Maeda rated against Motherwell:
- Goals: 1
- Shots on target: 4
- Passes: 25
- Key Passes: 1
- Crosses: 5
- Accurate Long Balls: 1
- Passing accuracy: 80%
- Aerials won: 2
- Total tackles: 2
- Touches: 48
- WhoScored rating: 7.68
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