Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has won the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title with Celtic after the champions secured the crown by beating Hearts 3-1 at the Paradise on Saturday afternoon.
Celtic seal the Premiership in Edinburgh after a tense contest
Celtic lifted the trophy for the 56th time in their history, overturning a half-time challenge to claim the league title. With the outcome hanging in the balance, the match swung on key moments as both sides battled for control.
- Hearts took the lead in the 38th minute through Michael Steinwender.
- Arne Engels levelled the scores just before the end of the first half by converting a penalty.
- Iheanacho did not start the game, but he came on at the beginning of the second half.
Iheanacho’s impact role mirrors what Celtic need in crunch moments
The Nigerian forward has often been used as an impact substitute under manager Martin O’Neill, and Celtic leaned on that model again as they pressed for the decisive breakthrough. While Celtic controlled much of the second half, chances were not immediately converted, and the home crowd at Celtic Park felt the pressure of knowing a single goal could decide whether the trophy remained in Glasgow or moved to Edinburgh.
Celtic’s breakthrough arrived in the 87th minute. Daizen Maeda, the talisman in the decisive moment, met a cross from Callum Osmand and drove a close-range effort into the net to ignite the home end and send Celtic fans into raptures.
Season form: late goals and decisive substitute appearances
Iheanacho’s title-winning campaign has been shaped by game-changing contributions, particularly in the closing stages. He previously scored late to help Celtic to a 2-1 win over Hibernian at Easter Road, and he produced a similar influence at Dens Park last month. In addition, he scored twice in extra time at Hampden against St Mirren to help Celtic progress to the Scottish Cup final.
- His Easter Road strike, a composed finish from eight yards out, brought his season total to seven.
- He has established himself as a leading “super-sub,” with six of his Celtic goals arriving after coming off the bench.
- This season, he built a reputation for crucial late strikes, including four goals in a five-match stretch as a substitute.
His record includes a winner just minutes after entering the field versus Hibernian, as well as two extra-time goals as a substitute in a Scottish Cup semi-final. He also scored on his Celtic debut against Kilmarnock on September 14, 2025, after coming on as a substitute.
- Across his time with Celtic, he has scored six goals in seven substitute appearances since joining on a one-year deal in September 2025 following a spell with Sevilla.
What Iheanacho said after the title win
After the match, Iheanacho spoke to Celtic TV and described the satisfaction of coming on to help the team secure victory. He also stressed the importance of staying calm against opponents who set up to defend.
“I always feel great to come in and help the team to get the win, so I’m happy today. The whole team is happy, and especially the fans.
‘It’s really important to stay patient, especially when you’re playing against 10 men.’
“It’s really difficult because they sit back and wait for you to come, so you need patience to move them from side to side to create spaces, and, at the end, we got our reward.
“In the box you need to be composed but it was a difficult finish, to be fair. I wanted to head it at first but I had a second touch to chest it and then the guys started rushing out and I just had to get it on target and see what happened.
