Daizen Maeda Scores Twice In Landmark Appearance For Celtic Against Hearts

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Daizen Maeda's outstanding performance for Celtic continued as he scored twice, leading his team to a 3-0 win over Hearts. This victory helped Celtic maintain their 13-point lead in the Scottish Premiership standings. Maeda has now netted 30 goals across all competitions this season. His goals came before and after Jota's fourth goal since rejoining the team in January.

Maeda opened the scoring in the 17th minute at Celtic Park. He latched onto Callum McGregor's pass, slipping past the Hearts defence, and calmly slotted the ball beyond Craig Gordon. Seven minutes later, Maeda was involved again when his header hit the post, allowing Jota to score from close range. Just before halftime, Maeda secured his brace with a goal from Nicolas Kuhn's cross.

Celtic's manager Brendan Rodgers praised his team's performance, saying, "The way we played through their press for all three goals was really impressive." He also highlighted Maeda's relentless energy and ability to score when given a chance. Meanwhile, Rangers needed a last-minute winner from Cyriel Dessers to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory over Dundee FC at Dens Park.

Dundee took an early lead with Simon Murray's volley from Finlay Robertson's corner. Joe Shaughnessy doubled their advantage after Jack Butland spilled his header. However, Shaughnessy accidentally scored an own goal just before halftime while attempting to clear James Tavernier's cross.

Scott Tiffoney restored Dundee's two-goal lead with a powerful shot past Butland. Rangers responded with Tavernier scoring from distance and Tom Lawrence equalising with another long-range effort. In stoppage time, Dessers capitalised on Aaron Donnelly's error to clinch the win for Rangers.

The focus on Maeda’s future at Celtic is growing as he marked his 150th appearance with his 59th goal for the club. His expected goals (xG) tally of 1.46 was a standout in Celtic’s total of 2.55 during the match. The club is eager to extend his contract given his significant contributions.

Cyriel Dessers also had a memorable game despite initial frustrations during what was nearly his 100th appearance for Rangers. He took an impressive 12 shots, nine on target, before finally scoring one of his more challenging attempts late in the game to secure victory.