Today's Oh my goodness moment at Celtic Park was almost perfect

By John McGinley

April 22, 2023

As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes at Celtic Park today, you could understand why many supporters were expecting another late show from Ange Postecoglou and his team. They’ve done it so often since the Australian joined, digging out victories from draws that have propelled the Bhoys to fantastic success.

While today’s 1-1 draw against Motherwell didn’t mean as much as some of those matches in the grand scheme of things, a late winner would have had Celtic Park bouncing – and it almost came after a blistering bit of play from one of Celtic’s young prospects, Rocco Vata.

Vata looked sharp coming off the bench to try and grab a winner, trusted by the manager to add a spark and exploit an increasingly defensive Motherwell backline. Some moments of individual play didn’t come off for him, but his superb dipping cross into the box was laid on a plate for Hyeongyu Oh in the 88th minute, only for the South Korean’s header to go frustratingly wide. It was almost a perfect moment for both players – some fans were already on their feet ready to share their adulation as it flashed past the post.

He really should have scored but hopefully Oh doesn’t receive too much criticism for how it panned out. For the most part, he’s been a promising addition to Postecoglou’s squad and missed chances happen from time to time. Certainly, there have been plenty this season from Celtic’s more established stars.

If nothing else, it should serve as a motivating sequence of play for the 22-year-old, who looks as determined as anyone to make an impression at Celtic. He can use this to fuel that desire to make it in Scotland.

For Vata, it’s also onward and upwards. Although he had featured three times away from home for the Bhoys in recent months, today was actually his first bow at Celtic Park and many fans will want to see more.

If he had come on earlier in the match, he may well have found another moment of creativity for one of his teammates to take advantage of. Having just turned 18, the ceiling is high on his potential. It’s a good sign he is already involved and looked more likely to create something today than others.

While denied their blockbuster, headline-grabbing combination this afternoon, for Oh and Vata, exciting things are ahead.

In other news, the latest from Ange Postecoglou on Jota, Hatate and Abada ahead of Celtic vs Rangers.