Nakamura to the rescue as last gasp Celtic clinch title
In an enthralling 90 minutes, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink headed the Hoops into a first-half lead from a Shunsuke Nakamura corner. However, five minutes after the interval Colin Nish equalised when he slid home a Gary Wales cut-back from 10 yards out. A pulsating second half ensued but it looked like the title race would go another week.
However, in the first minute of added on time, Nakamura flashed in a trademark free-kick from 25 yards for Celtic to retain their crown.
It was perhaps fitting that Nakamura, who has provided most of the high points for Celtic fans this season, was the man who came up with the goods when it mattered.
After taking such a commanding lead early in the season, the Parkhead side stumbled over the line with manager Gordon Strachan coming in for some hefty recent criticism, much of it from his own fans.
However, in the final analysis, the former Coventry and Southampton boss can look at two titles in two seasons with the forthcoming Tennent’s Scottish Cup final giving him the chance to make his trophy haul four out of six.
And whatever misgivings the Celtic support have about Strachan were put to the side as they celebrated after the final whistle.
Strachan claimed his first thought on retaining their SPL title was the impressive return of stopper John Kennedy for the first time in over three years.
“My over-riding emotions are about a man who can come back and play like that after being out for three years.
“I never spoke to him before the game, I just named the team but I just couldn’t stop speaking to him afterwards.
“I said to him, ‘in all your dreams, I bet you never imagined this.’ Obviously celebrating with the fans at the end was fantastic but I just can’t get John Kennedy out of my head.
“I remember on a wet horrible day about 16 months ago when John went down on the training pitch and we thought, ‘that’s it, he’s not going to come back from this’. But he did, so excuse me if I haven’t got anything better to say.”
Nakamura’s dramatic winner was the mercurial midfielder’s 11th of the season but Strachan admits even he thought another glory strike was too much to ask when his side were awarded a free-kick with seconds remaining.
Strachan said: “I thought it was going to be another long week but I am lucky that we have a genius on board. When we got the free-kick, I thought, ‘no, he can’t do it again, you are asking too much for the same guy to keep doing this.’
“But he did it. He got knocked over a couple of times and gave the ball away but he never stopped showing.
“He’s played more minutes than anybody else and he covers more ground than any other player so for him to keep going was fantastic.”
Celtic chairman Brian Quinn hailed the achievements of the class of 2007 as up there with the best in the last four decades.
“I’m thrilled to bits — It’s arguably been the best season we have had in the last 30 to 40 years.
“Not only have we won the championship with games to spare, we have got to the Scottish Cup final and the last 16 of the Champions League.”
Strachan replaced Martin O’Neill two years ago and has now won the Scottish championship twice since taking over from the revered Derry man.
Quinn said: “Martin O’Neill had to leave for reasons we all know about and the challenge for us on the board was to find a successor who was worthy to carry forward the Celtic name and the Celtic reputation.
“We found that man — Gordon Strachan.”
Combe, Sylla (Di Giacomo 86), Greer, Ford, Grant Murray, Wales, Locke (Hamill 83), Fowler, Leven, Nish, Naismith (Gibson 90).
Boruc, Caldwell, Kennedy, Pressley, O’Dea, Nakamura, Lennon, Gravesen (McGeady 65), Hartley (Jarosik 87), Vennegoor of Hesselink, Riordan.
C Thomson (Scotland).
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