Celtic stormed to their biggest-ever Champions League victory last night in a historic evening at Paradise.
The Hoops put Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava to the sword in an electric 5-1 triumph.
Liam Scales, Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels, and Adam Idah got the goals, along with Japanese winger Daizen Maeda.
The electric wide-man bagged the Bhoys’ fourth of the night, sublimely controlling a lovely through pass from his fellow countryman Reo Hatate before firing into the bottom corner.
The number 38 has scored some big goals throughout his Celtic career to date, but he reacted to this special landmark late last night on X.
Indeed, Maeda’s strike against Bratislava was his first in Europe’s premier club competition. He was delighted to ‘finally’ bag in the Champions League:
やっとチャンピオンズリーグでゴール取れました🙇⚽️ https://t.co/8eljap3xeZ
— 前田 大然 Daizen Maeda (@M_daizen_1020) September 18, 2024
The work Maeda does off the ball for Celtic sometimes goes drastically unnoticed.
The forward is a key player in Brendan Rodgers’ team. Whether in the press or when the Hoops have the ball, the 26-year-old is central to how the Hoops work.
As well as being critical for his side, Maeda is relentless. The Scottish Premiership champions were 5-1 up in the closing stages of last night’s game, but he will still racing around, trying to win the ball back.
Maeda has gone from being somewhat of a cult hero at Celtic to a crucial player who puts in elite performances at the top level both domestically and in Europe.
