Just In: Hearts star’s ‘petty’ mind games towards Celtic £11m man addressed as penalty taunt leaves Hoops hero in stitches
Just In: Hearts star’s ‘petty’ mind games towards Celtic £11m man addressed as penalty taunt leaves Hoops hero in stitches
For the first time, Arne Engels has described what Lawrence Shankland told him before he took the spot-kick.
In a 2-0 Premiership victory at Parkhead last month,
Arne Engels celebrated his first Celtic start with a penalty kick in the second half against Hearts
Since then, he has disclosed what opponents said to him before he took his spot-kick.
Footage from the game surfaced showing Jambos captain Lawrence Shankland getting ready to take the penalty and trying to cap off the Hoops’ historic summer signing.
He appeared to yell “big pressure” at the 21-year-old, and as Engels prepared to take the kick,
a second person—possibly Craig Halkett—reacted with a doubtful “£10? yeah, right.”
The Belgian, unfazed by the jeers in the background,
calmly sent Hearts keeper Craig Gordon the wrong way to start playing for his new team.
This gave fellow new signing Luke McCowan the motivation he needed to double the Hoops lead late in the game to keep the Parkhead team’s unbeaten domestic record intact.
In an interview with Sky Sports prior to Sunday’s thrilling 2-1 victory against Ross County in Dingwall,
Engels dismissed Shankland’s attempt to divert his attention while addressing the Hearts star’s attempt to make him mispronounce his lines for the first time.
He acknowledged, “Actually, I saw it on a video, but I didn’t hear it in the stadium.” When you are in the zone, you are not aware of external stimuli.
Naturally, it’s satisfying to score or provide an assist. This is helpful, but it’s not the most crucial factor; what matters most is that we ultimately prevailed. For the team and the club, that was the most crucial factor.
It is usually good for the squad when you score a goal.
Some fans of Shankland criticized him for his antics on social media, but Chris Sutton, a former player for the Houston Rockets, found humor in his silly mental tricks.
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