JULIAN ARAUJO had the last laugh on Kilmarnock when he thundered in the winner in the five-goal thriller at Rugby Park.
The game was heading for a 2-2 stalemate in the seventh minute of stoppage-time when the Mexico international right-back popped up in the box to sweep a low left-wing cross from Tomas Cvancara high past the helpless Kelle Roos for the crucial points-clincher.
The strike sparked wild joyous scenes among the Celtic fans as the on-loan Bournemouth right-back headed straight for the travelling support to join in the celebrations.
JUMPING FOR JOY…Julian Araujo acknowledges the Celtic supporters after his goal gave the champions a 3-2 win over Kilmarnock. Liam Scales and Callum McGregor look on.
However, the joke was on Araujo as he was interviewed by Celtic TV after the dramatic climax that leaves the champions just three points behind leaders Hearts with a game in hand.
As host Gerry McCulloch was winding up the postmatch chat with the unlikely goal hero, Martin O’Neill came on screen to gatecrash the exchange.
“Ask him about his first-half performance!” interrupted the Hoops’ interim gaffer.
The defender responded: “We’ll talk about that later.”
And the California-born ace burst into laughter as O’Neill walked out of the shot.
IRISH JOKER…Martin O’Neill appears during Julian Araujo’s Celtic TV interview.
THE FAST SHOW…O’Neill moves off after dropping in his quick quip.
SMILES BETTER…Julian Araujo sees the finny side. Images courtesy Celtic TV.
Before his manager’s quip, Araujo, in a more serious note, admitted: “I don’t think I’ve ever scored a goal like that.
“This is why everybody has told me what Celtic is – and now I know why.
“This is a feeling that I’ll never forget, a feeling that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
The 24-year-old attack-minded back-four operator continued: “It was probably one of the craziest atmospheres to have everybody run on like that and I’m excited and proud that we were able to get the three points.
“I don’t remember anything, I think I just lost myself in there.
“I had to enjoy it a little bit for the fans as they stuck through the 90 minutes with us and obviously without them we wouldn’t have got it done.”
JOY BHOY…Julian Araujo heads for the Celtic fans after his dramatic 97th-minute winner.
Araujo added: “Coming in a half-time we knew we played badly. It was as simple as that, we didn’t show up for the first-half.
“In the second-half, definitely from the first ball, we maintained a lot of possession.
“We knew that once we got one in, we were going to win.
“We just had to believe in ourselves and stick to our principles. We did that for the full 90 minutes and we were able to get the three points.”
Let’s hope Araujo and O’Neill are still smiling after Sunday’s Premiership meeting with Hibs at Parkhead.
Before that, though, there is the little matter of the Europa League encounter with Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart at the same venue on Thursday night.
LOOKING FOR A GIFT FOR ST.PATRICK’S DAY? Celtic Confidential is the stunning new book that brings the exclusive inside stories behind the headlines. Alex Gordon’s sixteenth Celtic book is available NOW. Order a copy and get £5 OFF the cover price of £25. All is revealed in a sensational new publication. Just click SHOP HERE and your book will be on its way. Happy St Patrick’s Day!
