Manchester City Hero Praises Celtic Player's Moment of Magic
Celtic went into the game against Feyenoord as heavy underdogs. Brendan Rodgers' side had lost the reverse fixture in the Netherlands and were coming off of a defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock at the weekend.
Celtic did pull a rabbit out of their magic hat against the Eredivisie giants. A penalty kick from Luis Palma and a late header from Gustaf Lagerbielke were enough to seal a 2-1 win for them.
In the process, they also ended some unwanted streaks. It was their first Champions League win at Celtic Park in over a decade. The last time they won there was against Ajax in 2013.
On the other hand, their last win in the Champions League had come against Anderlecht in 2017. Rodgers was in his first stint as the club's manager and the goalscorers were Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair.
That's how long it had been since Celtic tasted victory in the Champions League. The streak would not have come to an end if not for a moment of absolute magic from Matt O'Riley.
O'Riley showed incredible composure and vision to set up Lagerbielke's winner with a cross that left the Swede to head into an open net.
Joel Lescott was full of praise for O'Riley. According to TBR Football, the former Manchester City player said on TNT Sports: “It’s a simple finish but that’s what he has to do. O’Riley here, I’m screaming at TV to get the ball back because he is free inside the box.
“But then they show great patience and look at his touch. To assess the flight so late, to take the touch and then to pick someone out of the back stick.
“Listen, he will get all the credit [Lagerbielke] for scoring, but O’Reilly here, Neil has been telling me all season that he has been outstanding.”
A lot has been made of the effect that the arrival of Rodgers has had on players like Kyogo, Greg Taylor and Reo Hatate. At the same time, one cannot ignore how much O'Riley has improved over the past several months.
O'Riley was a very good performance when Ange Postecoglou was the manager of Celtic too. He has taken his game to a new level this season though and seems to be the best player in Scotland right now.
The Denmark international has been performing at the very highest level all season and unfortunately, it seems like only a matter of time before Premier League clubs come calling.
It would be a surprise if O'Riley was at Parkhead come next season. But if clubs want to sign him, they should be ready to shatter the Scottish transfer record for him.
