Iheanacho is spot-on to seal dramatic win at Rugby Park | OneFootball

Scottish PremiershipSunday, September 14, 2025Rugby Park, Kilmarnock

KILMARNOCK…1(Watson 83)

CELTIC…2(Maeda 56, Iheanacho 90+5pen)

Celtic secured all three points against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this afternoon in dramatic fashion as Kelechi Iheanacho fired home an added time penalty to give Brendan Rodgers' side a 2-1 victory.

Early in the match, Celtic found themselves with the first opportunity of the game when a cross in to the box from a corner-kick found Liam Scales, but the Irishman didn’t get enough power on his shot to trouble the home goalkeeper.

The Celts dominated the opening 20 minutes of the game in terms of possession, with Brendan Rodgers’ men enjoying nearly 80 per cent possession, but with Kilmarnock camped deep in their own half, chances on goal were few and far between.

Making his debut in the Hoops, Sebastian Tounekti looked threatening on the left wing, and just after the half-hour mark, Callum McGregor picked him out with a ball over the top of the Kilmarnock defence.

The winger had work to do to reach the ball and, at full-stretch, he attempted a first-time lob over the goalkeeper which he wasn't able to steer on target.

The Tunisian skipped past several Kilmarnock defenders moments later as he weaved his way in to the box and slipped the ball to Benjamin Nygren, but the Swede failed to find the target with his shot and the chance was gone.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, who showed last season at Celtic Park against Kilmarnock that he is more than capable of finding the back of the net from distance, forced a good save from Max Stryjek near the end of the half as he fired a shot towards the bottom corner from 30 yards out.

Kilmarnock had a chance early in the second half to open the scoring when David Watson got his foot to the ball in the box after a good delivery from a free-kick, but he put his effort just wide of the post.

And Celtic soon took the lead in impressive fashion 10 minutes in to the second half. An excellent delivery from Marcelo Saracchi evaded the entire Killie back-line, and Daizen Maeda came flying in with a diving header to find the bottom corner of the net and give the Celts a 1-0 lead.

Benjamin Nygren almost doubled the Celtic advantage 10 minutes later when, once again, Tounekti skipped in to the box and found the Swede in a shooting position.

His shot was heading for the back of the net but a Kilmarnock defender was able to get his head in the way and divert the ball over the bar.

With 20 minutes remaining, new Bhoy, Kelechi Iheanacho was handed his Celtic debut, replacing Daizen Maeda up top for the Hoops, and Celtic continued to create chances, but were unable to make them count.

And with just under 10 minutes left to play, Kilmarnock levelled the game from a corner-kick, with David Watson powering a header beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Just when it looked like the game was heading for a draw, Celtic were awarded a penalty for handball following a VAR check. Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up to take the spot-kick and fired it high in to the net with the last kick of the game, giving the Hoops a 2-1 win and maintaining their unbeaten start to the Premiership season.