SEAD HAKSABANOVIC netted his first two goals for Celtic in the 4-2 win over Dundee United in a weekend dominated with controversial VAR headlines.
The Montenegro international raider’s breakthrough achievement almost went under the radar with all the furore over new technology and the unfathomable decisions by referee David Dickinson on the field and assistant Nick Walsh hidden away in the anonymity of the control room.
However, the scoring feats of Haksabanovic, who cost a bargain £1.7million when he arrived from Rubin Kazan in August, was not lost on Ange Postecoglou.
SMILES BETTER…Sead Haksabanovic celebrates his first goal for Celtic.
The Hoops boss believes the Sweden-born attacker will now go from stretngth to strength and the supporters will see an improvement in the second half of the campaign.
The champions will take on Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday evening and then Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon before the World Cup Finals kick off in Qatar on November 20 and conclude a week before Christmas Day with the grand finale.
Celtic restart their league crusade on Saturday December 17 against Aberdeen at Pittodrie and then have two successive home games against Livingston (21) and St Johnstone on Christmas Eve.
They bring down the curtain on 2022 with a trip to Easter Road for a meeting with Hibs on Wednesday December 28.
Postecoglou anticipates big things from Haksabanovic and, looking at his double salvo against the Taysiders, said: “It was good for him. He has been working hard.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Matt O’Riley congratulates Sead Haksabanovic on his breakthrough strike.
“I think we will see the best of Sead in the second half of the season because he missed pre-season.
“But he has been contributing for us. We watch him in training every day and he has got goals in him for sure.
“He is really creative, a great technical player and that will give him confidence. It was good to see, but all our attacking players and substitutes came on and made a difference again and got their goals.”
Replacements Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada struck the late goals and Postecoglou, speaking to STV,added: “People probably realise by now that it doesn’t happen by chance. It is part of this team.
“It sounds a bit corny, the old ‘we don’t stop’, but we established early on that’s the team we want to be.
“It gets overlooked on a weekly basis because when we are winning games we are still going at the opposition and it has just become who we are as a team.
“In circumstances when we do need goals, nothing changes and the boys are at it. Credit to them because they found a way to win the game of football.”
