Celtic put their name into the hat for the next round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
Another Treble is on for Brendan Rodgers after Celtic beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Parkhead in a game that was made to be more difficult than it should have been.
Callum McGregor opened the scoring with a stunning finish from the edge of the box and the home side produced big chance after big chance.
But, from blazing the ball over the bar to taking too long to shoot, in the end, Celtic went into the break level and questioned how the game wasn’t out of the picture.
Days before Celtic’s Champions League clash against Young Boys, they weren’t showing that clinical nature in front of goal and that is perhaps a worry.
But, with 20 minutes left on the clock, Daizen Maeda scored what turned out to be the winner, assisted by Nicolas Kuhn, with the duo back in the XI after being sidelines in recent weeks.
Martin O’Neill, Alan Hutton and Michael Stewart laud Daizen Maeda after Celtic beat Kilmarnock
Maeda was incredible for Celtic in 2024 and now he has started 2025 with a bang, as he will be hoping to take his game to an even higher level.
Martin O’Neill loved what he saw from the 27-year-old and stated that it was a ‘very fine performance’, as he told Premier Sports (18/01/25 at 7:40 pm).
Michael Stewart handed Maeda the Man of the Match award and Alan Hutton added that Maeda was ‘too clever’ for the opposition.
“He’s a constant pest and never stops running,” said Stewart. “He is going to have do it on Wednesday night. The performance of the whole team has been good and Daizen Maeda coming up with that winning goal for my Man of the Match.”
O’Neill added: “A very fine performance. I thought, Callum McGregor summed the game up perfectly. Lots of lots of chances in the game. And Kuhn, a lovely little turn there, pressing forward and getting into the edge of the box, spots Maeda, who sticks the ball into the back of the net. It was coming really given the number of chances created throughout the whole game. It sets them up nicely for Wednesday.”
Alan Hutton added: “O’Hara tried to come out and spread himself, but Maeda is too clever. He takes his time. Takes a little touch and then puts it into the side of the net. It was a fantastic finish. They deserved it. I think they could have been out of sight in the first half.”
Maeda’s stats for Celtic this season
It’s great to have Maeda back on the park because two of Celtic’s biggest games are coming up – at home to Young Boys and then away at Aston Villa in the Champions League.
The Japan star proved with his goal against Club Brugge, and his performances in Europe overall, just how important he has been in Europe.
And, with 21 goal involvements, he could easily hit beyond 30 goal involvements this season.
| Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Premiership | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1.436′ |
 | UEFA Champions League | 6 | 3 | – | 493′ |
 | League Cup | 3 | 6 | 1 | 282′ |
 | SFA Cup | 1 | 1 | – | 90′ |
| Total 24/25: | 30 | 15 | 6 | 2.301′ | |
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