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A story about Kyogo’s Celtic Park celebration was told, and Brendan Rodgers shared his current state of mind.
Kyogo Furuhashi had only scored one goal in his previous 12 games coming into Saturday’s Celtic matchup against Livingston.
He hadn’t scored in his previous seven games either. It was nothing like him at all compared to his play the previous season and even to his goal scoring early on in the campaign.
Fantastic then, who found himself in space in the opposition area to deflect Luis Palma’s cross-shot hybrid into the net during the 2-0 Scottish Premiership victory.
The Japanese international lacked his customary exuberant celebrations as he wheeled away towards the Celtic faithful.
Rather, he appeared relieved, receiving congrats from his teammates and yelling angrily while raising his fists.
It was a clue that he was desperate for that goal and that his inability to routinely find the back of the net had been getting to him. It was a goal that was vital to his confidence going further into the season, especially after he had missed chances once more in the first half.
On Kyogo ending Celtic’s goal drought, Brendan Rodgers
In his post-match media obligations, his manager Brendan Rodgers also mentioned that the 28-year-old is still playing despite a persistent shoulder issue.
“You could see relief on his face,” the Celtic manager remarked to The Scotsman, expressing his happiness for his scorer. It was wonderful for him to understand the aim, and he read it well. I believe it’s one where he’s probably been frustrated when he hasn’t been able to get the ball through or hasn’t run behind to showcase his deft movement. However, he has persisted and continued. Despite his shoulder problem, he has continued to work, which is crucial.
In terms of goals, he’s barely below his previous season’s total. A striker’s desire to score goals is shared by all, but it goes beyond them. Even if a striker scores forty goals, it won’t matter if the other players don’t chip in. Getting a goal for him, especially from a set-piece, was fantastic. We needed to improve in that area and had more opportunities to work on it, but we still appeared dangerous.
Ian MacNicol took the picture/Getty Images
Everyone is eager to witness Kyogo at his peak at Celtic. He’s the most deadly attacker in the nation when he’s playing at his best, so the club needs to capitalize on that.
Even though he missed a few good chances in the first half of the game, he was noticeably more involved in the Bhoys’ midfield and attack throughout.
He will score goals if imaginative football is often given to him. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of a winning streak for the green and white team.