Matt O’Riley turned Celtic’s latest signing euphoria into a jubilant victory, leaving the fans in a frenzy and Motherwell grasping at the straws of disappointment.
O’Riley, fresh from inking his commitment to Celtic, became the hero at Fir Park with a striking 97th-minute winner, immersing the stadium in chaotic celebrations and elevating the atmosphere to monumental proportions.
The match had initially appeared to be headed towards a draw, but the scales tipped when a precise cross from substitute Luis Palma stealthily located the far corner just three minutes before the ninety. The subsequent eruption of joy from the Hoops fans was tempered momentarily when Blair Spittal levelled the match five minutes into stoppage time.
However, the equilibrium was shattered 120 seconds later as O’Riley meticulously directed Greg Taylor’s cross into the goal, igniting another round of unbridled celebrations. The sight of Celtic’s hero acknowledging the fans’ fervour post his significant goal was a tableau of triumphant camaraderie between a player and the supporters.
Matt O’Riley admitted it was his favourite to date while opening up on the kisses he received as he celebrated!
He said: [RecordSport]
“I don’t know about fate but it was a cool way to wrap up a new contract.
“My time’s been really good so far and I hope to continue that now and keep pushing on. I always wanted to sign, if I’m being completely honest, even before today.
“Being able to do it in front of fans that crazy is really special. The amount of kisses I got from them was a bit absurd, I somewhat enjoyed it – which was strange!
“But it was cool. It was my favourite Celtic goal. A really cool moment, very special to be a part of it with the fans at that end as well. Quite surreal.”
