SBOTOP: Maeda’s Dramatic 92nd-Minute Strike Seals Celtic’s Thrilling 3-2 Comeback Win Over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership

On a night that encapsulated the drama and emotion of Scottish football, Celtic produced an astonishing late comeback to defeat Motherwell 3-2 at Celtic Park. Daizen Maeda emerged as the hero, striking in the 92nd minute to complete a remarkable turnaround that had fans on their feet and the stadium roaring with unbridled joy.

For much of the game, it looked as if Celtic would be staring at a costly defeat — one that could have dented their title charge and reignited the Scottish Premiership race. But as champions often do, they found a way. Through grit, resilience, and the sheer will to win, Brendan Rodgers’ men clawed their way back from 2-1 down to snatch all three points in stoppage time, leaving Motherwell heartbroken and Celtic Park euphoric.

The result not only strengthened Celtic’s position at the top of the table but also served as a timely reminder of their champion mentality — the unyielding belief that has defined their dominance in Scottish football for years.

A Nervy Start for Celtic

Celtic entered the fixture as clear favourites, having won six of their previous seven league matches. Yet, from the opening whistle, there was an uneasy tension in their play. Motherwell, disciplined and well-drilled under manager Stuart Kettlewell, set up with a compact 5-3-2 formation designed to frustrate the hosts and hit them on the counter.

The plan worked brilliantly in the early stages. Celtic dominated possession but struggled to penetrate the defensive wall in front of them. Passes went sideways, attacks broke down in the final third, and frustration began to creep in among the fans.

Motherwell, meanwhile, sensed vulnerability. In the 14th minute, they created the first real scare of the evening. A quick break saw Blair Spittal thread a perfectly timed pass into the path of Theo Bair, whose low drive forced a fine save from Joe Hart. It was a warning sign Celtic failed to heed.

Only six minutes later, the visitors silenced Celtic Park. After a corner wasn’t cleared properly, the ball fell kindly to Liam Kelly, who floated a teasing cross back into the box. Bair rose highest, nodding the ball down to Callum Slattery, who struck a crisp half-volley that deflected off Cameron Carter-Vickers and nestled into the bottom corner.

Motherwell 1, Celtic 0.

A stunned silence swept across the stadium. It wasn’t the start anyone in green and white had expected.

Celtic’s Response Pressure Without Precision

Falling behind seemed to spark Celtic into life. Rodgers urged his side to quicken the tempo, and the response was immediate. The midfield trio of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, and Callum McGregor began to take control, dictating possession and pushing Motherwell deeper into their own half.

Celtic’s first big chance came in the 27th minute when Luis Palma, always lively on the left wing, whipped in a curling cross that Maeda narrowly missed with a diving header. Moments later, O’Riley unleashed a fierce shot from distance, only for Kelly to parry it away.

Motherwell defended valiantly, throwing bodies in front of every shot, while their keeper produced a string of crucial saves. Celtic had 75% possession and nine attempts on goal in the first half, yet they entered the interval still trailing.

As the whistle blew for halftime, murmurs filled the stands. Celtic were in control statistically, but goals — the only currency that mattered — were elusive.

Second Half Chaos Motherwell Strike Again

Whatever Rodgers said during the break appeared to have an immediate effect. Celtic came out flying in the second half, pressing aggressively and moving the ball with greater urgency. Within minutes, Maeda nearly equalized after a slick one-two with O’Riley, but his effort flashed just wide of the far post.

However, against the run of play, disaster struck.

In the 55th minute, a long clearance from the Motherwell backline found Bair, who muscled past Carter-Vickers before slipping the ball to Jonathan Obika. The striker, calm under pressure, took a touch and fired low past Joe Hart to make it 2-0.

A stunned Rodgers stood motionless on the touchline. His side, dominant in every department, were now two goals down. Around Celtic Park, disbelief rippled through the stands. Could this really be happening?

Yet, as champions so often do, Celtic refused to surrender.

The Fightback Begins

With nothing to lose, Rodgers made an inspired double substitution — bringing on Kyogo Furuhashi and James Forrest in place of Palma and Hatate. The change immediately injected new energy and urgency into Celtic’s attack.

Within ten minutes, they halved the deficit.

In the 65th minute, Forrest’s introduction paid dividends. The veteran winger picked up the ball on the right, drove at his defender, and sent in a teasing low cross. It ricocheted off a Motherwell defender and fell perfectly for Kyogo, who pounced from close range to make it 2-1.

Celtic Park erupted. Suddenly, belief flooded back into the stands, and the team sensed momentum shifting.

The home side pressed relentlessly, wave after wave of attack crashing against the Motherwell defense. Maeda’s tireless running stretched the backline, while O’Riley and McGregor orchestrated play with precision and poise.

In the 74th minute, Celtic thought they had equalized when O’Riley’s curling shot clipped the crossbar and bounced on the line before being cleared. VAR checked for several tense moments but ruled that the ball had not fully crossed.

Motherwell clung on desperately, defending deep and time-wasting whenever possible. But Celtic’s persistence would not be denied.

The Equalizer McGregor’s Moment

The breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute, and fittingly, it was captain Callum McGregor who delivered it.

After sustained pressure, O’Riley slipped a clever pass into the box for McGregor, who had ghosted in unmarked. The skipper took one touch and calmly side-footed the ball into the far corner, sending the Celtic faithful into a frenzy.

The roar was deafening — the kind that shakes stadium foundations. McGregor sprinted toward the corner flag, fists pumping, as his teammates swarmed him in celebration.

It was 2-2, and with nine minutes plus stoppage time remaining, the game was now anyone’s to win.

Rodgers urged his players forward, sensing that Motherwell were beginning to tire. Celtic threw everything forward, while the visitors retreated further into their shell, hoping to cling to a valuable away point.

The Dramatic Climax Maeda’s Last-Minute Winner

As the clock ticked past 90 minutes, frustration mixed with tension. Celtic continued to push, but Motherwell’s defense — heroic for so long — refused to crack. Every clearance, every block, every tackle was met with groans from the home crowd and cheers from the away section.

Then, in the 92nd minute, came the moment of magic that will live long in Celtic folklore.

It started innocuously enough — a routine attack down the left. Forrest received the ball and played a short pass to McGregor, who floated a looping cross toward the back post. There, completely unmarked, was Daizen Maeda.

Time seemed to stand still. Maeda, the tireless Japanese forward who had run himself into the ground all evening, rose above his marker and met the ball with a powerful header. Kelly got a fingertip to it, but the ball ricocheted off the crossbar and into the net.

Celtic 3, Motherwell 2.

Pandemonium.

The stadium erupted in an explosion of noise and emotion. Players leapt into each other’s arms, Rodgers punched the air in elation, and fans hugged complete strangers in the stands. It was football in its purest form — agony turned to ecstasy in a heartbeat.

Maeda, exhausted but ecstatic, slid to his knees in celebration before being mobbed by his teammates. It was a moment of redemption, passion, and perseverance — a goal that symbolized everything Celtic stand for.

Moments later, the referee blew the final whistle, and the stadium erupted again. Celtic had done it. Against all odds, they had turned defeat into victory in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.