On The Front Foot

Callum McGregor on opening his scoring account early, European football and following success with more success

- Joe Donnelly

STOP us if you’ve heard this one before. Callum McGregor receives the ball from the right flank, his body side-on to goal. He pivots towards the opposition penalty area, and takes a touch to steady himself.

Anticipating a shot across him, the goalkeeper shifts his weight on to this right leg, and, in an instant, the 26-year-old midfielder instead rifles the ball inside the near post and into the net.

Paradise erupts, Celtic lead on the night, and Cal Mac has a matchwinner.

McGregor has performed this routine so many times in the Hoops, and this time, FK Sarajevo were on the receiving end. In turn, the Scottish champions booked their place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.

“It was probably a typical goal for me, in terms of getting the ball on the edge of the box and taking the shot on,” said Callum McGregor in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “When the ball came in, I took a half-touch to set myself, and I think the keeper had tried to gamble on it as well, which probably made it a little easier too – he took one step to his right and then couldn’t get back down.

“As soon as the ball left my foot, I realised that the keeper was off-balance, and I knew it had a chance of going in. It’s managing those split seconds, here, where the goalkeeper has gone too early, that can make all the difference. It’s always nice to score and to get the winner is, of course, even better.”

Up to that point, Vladan Kovacevic had turned in a Man-of-the-Match performance between the sticks for FK Sarajevo, undone only by a wonderful Ryan Christie first-half opener, which speaks volumes for the quality of McGregor’s winner.