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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Joe Donnelly

Arne Engels addresses Shankland taunt that led to his first Celtic goal

Arne Engels scored his first Celtic goal in the throes of his first Celtic start last month – a 52nd minute penalty against Hearts during a 2-0 win at Parkhead.

Although not immediately picked up at the time, footage emerged after the fact of opposing player Lawrence Shankland attempting to put the 21-year-old off while steeling himself to take the spot kick.

Seemingly unphased, the Belgian stepped up and fired Celtic in front in the match, netting his first goal and provided the impetus for fellow new signing Luke McCowan to double the Parkhead side's lead later in the match.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's 2-1 win over Ross County, Engels addressed the Hearts players' attempts to distract him by brushing it off.

He said: "I saw it in a video, actually, but I didn't hear it in the stadium. You're in the zone and you don't hear anything if you're in the zone.

"Of course, it's nice to grab a goal or an assist. This helps, but it's not the most important thing – that was just that we got the victory in the end. That was the most important thing for the team and for the club.

"If you grab a goal, it's always nice for the team."


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Engels added that he reckons the Scottish game suits him as a player. He said: "The Scottish game suits me really well.

"I think the games that I've played have been everything I've expected. I still need to improve, I'm only 21 years old. I'm working on that every day and it's up to me to keep that going and improving.

"I don't really feel pressure, I just want to perform and help the team. The most important thing is that the team is winning. I just want to enjoy my football and that's what I'm doing here."

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