Watch: Shankland’s Engels Taunt Backfires

Arne Engels and Luke McCowan ensured that their presence was felt in Celtic’s 2-0 victory over Hearts on deadline day, sealing the team’s victory on Sunday.
Engels, who cost the club a record £11 million to sign from Augsburg, coolly converted a penalty to give Celtic the lead. He gave an excellent performance on Saturday; even though he was a little slack at times, you could tell he was just a step above.

The moment of contention occurred during Engels’ penalty kick, when Lawrence Shankland of Hearts and a teammate made verbal threats and questioned the cost in an effort to make Engels feel uneasy. Engels, though, showed off his mental toughness by putting the ball past the seasoned goalie Craig Gordon and sending him the wrong way, despite his taunts.

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Another deadline-day acquisition, Luke McCowan, added to Celtic’s dominant start to the season by scoring a goal off the post off the bench to seal the victory. After five league games without giving up a goal, a feat not accomplished since 1907, the victory further solidifies Celtic’s defensive record.

Another positive observation from yesterday was the strength of Celtic’s bench. In prior years, a Celtic manager hasn’t had the luxury of bringing on players like Idah, McCowan, Bernardo, Forrest, and Palma without experiencing a significant decline in quality.