Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros secured a potentially season-saving win on Wednesday night.
However, Celtic fans will be more interested in two men who were in attendance at the Groupama stadium in Hungary.
Scott Brown and Jonny Hayes were both in attendance for the MOL Magyar Kupa semi-final, which saw Keane’s side win on penalties against ETFC Gyor.
But before you draw conclusions, there are obvious explanations for why the visit took place.
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Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros win dramatic penalty shootout with Celtic heroes in attendance
Keane’s assistant at the Budapest club, Stephen Glass, was the manager of Aberdeen when Brown and Hayes played there in the 2021-22 season.
Glass also spent four years playing with Brown at Hibs, also playing for five months with Keane at Celtic in 2010.
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Hayes appeared alongside Keane in the Republic of Ireland squad in 2016, in the twilight of the striker’s illustrious international career. He is the current manager of Celtic B, whilst Brown is unemployed after being sacked by Ayr United.
The game was a vital one for Ferencvaros, the second of a double-header with Gyor, who are in surprise contention for a first-ever league title win.
On Sunday, Keane’s side were beaten by Gyor in a league six-pointer, which left the Budapest giants three points behind in the title race with just three games to go.
Ferencvaros have won the last seven league titles in Hungary, and failure to keep the run going would put the Irishman under serious pressure.
In their rematch in the cup, Keane’s side’s season threatened to fall apart, as they fell 2-1 behind after opening the scoring through ex-Celtic target Franko Kovacevic.
Despite home advantage, they could also manage a 2-2 draw, and despite Gyor blowing two chances to take the advantage in the penalty shootout, Ferencvaros secured the victory.
Keane is one of the frontrunners for the Celtic job, which is expected to be vacated by Martin O’Neill at the end of this season.
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Robbie Keane on managing a ‘bigger club’
Speaking a fortnight ago, Keane left the door wide open to a potential switch to Celtic.
He said: “I have ambitions and everyone wants to get to the highest possible level they can.
“I’m very lucky that I’m at a top club in Ferencvaros. Of course, there are other bigger clubs, we all know that.
“Ferencvaros is a top team in Europe and that’s why I went there. I am at a high level in terms of what I am doing and what we achieved in the Europa League.
“I am already at a big club but if I don’t have ambitions to go to the highest level, I might as well stop. If I don’t believe I can get to the top, there’s no point being a manager.
“Don’t always think that, ‘You are happy to stay here’, even though you could stay for 20 years. Always think you can reach even higher, because that drives you on — that makes you a better manager.
“I always have to believe I can go to the very top and win a lot of trophies. If I don’t, I won’t do it.”
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