{"id":897446,"date":"2026-04-07T10:14:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/07\/he-can-find-the-net-ex-man-city-midfielder-sends-chelle-message-after-iheanacho-display\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T10:14:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:14:46","slug":"he-can-find-the-net-ex-man-city-midfielder-sends-chelle-message-after-iheanacho-display","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/07\/he-can-find-the-net-ex-man-city-midfielder-sends-chelle-message-after-iheanacho-display\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe can find the net\u201d \u2013 Ex-Man City midfielder sends Chelle message after Iheanacho display"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Kelechi Iheanacho arrives at the stadium during the William Hill Premiership match at Easter Road, Edinburgh. Copyright: ImagoxFredxPalmer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho<\/a> was the unlikely hero for Celtic yesterday evening as they sealed a 2-1 win over Dundee United at Dens Park, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 29-year-old scored an 82nd-minute winner to move the Hoops to within three points of Hearts on the SPFL table, and the club’s coach, Martin O’Neill, was delighted with the Nigerian’s performance.<\/p>\n

The ex-Manchester City midfielder has chosen to manage Iheanacho’s minutes meticulously after the Super Eagles forward suffered recurring hamstring injuries in the first half of the season.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Kelechi Iheanacho goes down under the challenge of Evan Ndicka. Copyright: ImagoxColinxPoultney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soccer Celtic boss lauds Kelechi Iheanacho<\/h2>\n

The former Manchester City striker was delighted to have gotten on the scoresheet for the first time since the start of October.<\/p>\n

Having played just 55 minutes since the start of March, Coach Martin O’Neill was pleased Iheanacho had the composure to put the ball in the back of the net.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIheanacho came on and scored the goal which wins the game for us. Naturally, we\u2019re delighted and we\u2019re still in the picture,\u201d the 74-year-old said in quotes from Celtic’s official website<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019s had a frustrating time, but he\u2019s been a really fine player in his career and he can find the net.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played last and that is difficult. You\u2019re trying not to think about what has happened either the previous day or a few hours earlier, but for us today we just had to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no room for error at all, and if we had dropped points today that would have been very difficult to fight back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Kelechi Iheanacho breaks free and scores. Copyright: ImagoxColinxPoultney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cI thought we should have been out of sight by half-time but we weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe missed some glorious chances \u2013 really clear-cut chances \u2013 to go and get a second goal but it didn\u2019t happen and you always fear the worst.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt half-time I said to the team that this was far from over. Dundee would come into the game and were playing with the wind in the second-half.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey got the penalty and that obviously gave them great confidence to continue on but we kept battling at it and battling it was at the end of it all,\u201d O’Neill concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Eric Chelle looks on during the Africa Cup Of Nations match between Mozambique and Nigeria. Copyright: ImagoxThor Wegner\/DeFodi Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Message for Eric Chelle<\/h3>\n

Victor Osimhen is Nigeria’s undisputed starter when fit, but a forearm fracture saw him miss the March International break friendlies against Iran and Jordan.<\/p>\n

Akor Adams and Paul Onuachu were the strikers who featured in place of the Galatasaray man, but O’Neill’s words could catapult Iheanacho back into the fold, with friendlies against Portugal and Poland on the cards just before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off.<\/p>\n

While he came on to play as a striker last season, Iheanacho’s role whenever he plays for the Super Eagles has been less inclined. The former Leicester City man has either been forced wide, or played in a supporting role behind a number nine.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho celebrate after the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London. Copyright: ImagoxNickxPotts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimately, the one-time FA Cup winner needs to accrue more minutes and score more goals if he’ll be returning to the Super Eagles squad for the first time since the 2025 Unity Cup tournament.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Adefolahan Guerreiro” src=”https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f64d35abfd960f4a5a400c4bb517f7f0be6c48b655560fbdd37e59d9fc9ca58?s=80&d=mm&r=g” height=”80″ width=”80″ loading=”lazy” decoding=”async”>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAdefolahan Guerreiro\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAdefolahan is a multilingual sports journalist and football writer whose work spans outlets like Soccernet Nigeria, Pure Football UK, and Royalsportz. <\/p>\n

With a sharp eye for detail and a background in college sports, he tells the African football story with depth, flair, and global perspective.<\/p>\n

Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, he brings a cross-cultural voice to his coverage, blending insight with accessibility for readers around the world.
\nHis portfolio includes interviews with top Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.<\/p>\n

A devoted Borussia Dortmund fan, Adefolahan thrives on the emotion and rhythm of the beautiful game. Away from work, he\u2019s a sci-fi enthusiast and series lover who enjoys exploring how sport, storytelling, and culture collide.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Adefolahan Guerreiro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Kelechi Iheanacho arrives at the stadium during the William Hill Premiership match at Easter Road, Edinburgh. Copyright: ImagoxFredxPalmer Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho was the unlikely hero for Celtic yesterday evening as they sealed a 2-1 win over Dundee United at Dens Park, Soccernet.ng reports. The 29-year-old scored an 82nd-minute winner to move the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":897447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44010,86259,2005],"tags":[44009,148695],"class_list":{"0":"post-897446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-he","8":"category-net","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-he","11":"tag-net"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}