Daizen at the double as he lights up Celtic Park | OneFootball

Daizen Maeda's sensational season continued at Celtic Park this evening (Wednesday, February 5) as Brendan Rodgers’ men dismantled Dundee under the lights to reestablish a 13-point lead at the top of the table.

Arne Engels and Adam Idah had the Hoops ahead in the first-half before a second-half masterclass from the champions made it an evening to remember for everyone in the green and white.

And Maeda, who worked tirelessly all night as always, got his name on the scoresheet twice in the second half and, deservedly, grabbed the Man of the Match award.

His first goal came from a Jota cross, which Maeda reached with a diving header and his second will undoubtedly go down as one of the goals of the season, with the Celts moving the ball from back to front with real class and Daizen Maeda finishing with an outrageous lob.

And, speaking to Celtic TV after the match, the Japanese forward, who is a man of few words and prefers to do his talking on the pitch, reflected on what was a great night for the Celts.

He said: “I am happy to score the goals and to win tonight. I will do my best in the next game too.”

Joining him for the Celtic TV interview was Jota, who made an emotional return to the Hoops on Sunday as he came off the bench at Fir Park and scored a last-minute goal to seal the win for the Hoops.

And speaking after tonight’s victory, the Portuguese midfielder expressed his joy at being back at Paradise again.

He also admitted that, after Daizen Maeda had passed to him for his goal against Motherwell on Sunday, he was delighted to return the favour at Celtic Park tonight.

“I wanted to do the same for him today!” he said, “and credit to him because he has been outstanding this season.

“It was fantastic tonight. It was a feeling I’ve been looking for for a long time.

“I missed it so much and there was no better way to come back than with a victory and a big amount of goals to celebrate with the fans.

“I think, having been here in the past, I know my team-mates and I know the movements that Daizen and my other team-mates are going to make.

“So it’s just a question of being in the right place at the right moment and delivering.”

Fixtures

Celtic Vs. Dundee - Wed, Feb 5th 2025, 19:45 Final score: 6 - 0