Naka Steps Up With Seconds Left On The Clock To Stun Kilmarnock And Win Gordon Strachan’s Men The League.
I wrote about this one last week in my article on the best visits to Rugby Park, not knowing that Tom Rogic would give us a fresh memory on that score.
Nakamura’s free kick was one of the finest of his career; indeed, he regards it as his favourite Celtic goal. In the end, it wouldn’t have made a difference to the destination of the title had he not popped up that day – we had four games left to go and needed a mere point from them to be champions – but those who travelled to Ayrshire that day expecting a party weren’t to be denied it.
The Japanese genius started, and finished, the party on Sunday 22 April 2007. In the 24th minute of the game his corner found Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who headed the ball home and put Celtic 1-0 in the lead. Everything seemed to be going to plan.
Then after half time, Colin Nish nicked an equaliser and dampened the mood. The Celtic fans sang throughout, but the lustre went out of it as the day went on. It seemed, for a long time, as if the Troops in the Hoops would be left singing in defiance, and in anticipation of a title win the following week. Then we won a free-kick in injury time.
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched the video of this goal.
The distance and the angle were wrong, just plain wrong.
Even Naka couldn’t find the net from that angle, and he had scored scorchers from distance and delicate little chips and free kicks that belonged in a Best of Brazil video. A rival boss would later complain that giving Naka a free kick was like awarding Celtic a penalty, and after leaving Celtic Park he would prove his genius with the dead ball by putting a free kick through the windows of a moving bus and hitting a target on the other side, and another where he knocked a bride and groom clean off a wedding cake without damaging the thing ….
These feats would have seemed impossible but for that day.
He was on the right hand side of the penalty area, still a ways out. A defensive wall was lined up in front of him. Somehow, he got the ball up and over the wall, and it still had enough bend on it to beat the keeper all ends up, resting in the right hand side of the net, so that he didn’t even have a chance to move.
Gordon Strachan went tearing up the touchline.
Naka ran with his top swinging above his head. The Celtic fans went mental.
It was a miracle goal. It was sheer class. It was pure Nakamura.
