Celtic didn’t quite hit the high notes against Rangers but the sing-song at the start and the Parkhead karaoke party at the end sounded sweet to Jota.
The Portuguese star pounced on John Souttar’s slack back pass to grab the crucial third goal at the weekend – which proved to be the winner. The victory sparked a Parkhead sing-song after the final whistle as Hoops fans celebrated all but wrapping up the Premiership title. But it was the scenes before kick-off that made it even more special for Jota.
Chanter Ellie Dixon became an Internet sensation when she sang the Jota on the Wing tune on national radio a few weeks ago, and she got the chance to do it again in front of 60,000 fans before the match. Celtic Park joined in but the man at the heart of the tune was deep in the gunnels of the stadium with tunnel vision on the 90 minutes. He caught up later on and admitted the afternoon was note perfect as the Hoops bagged the points that almost guarantee a second title on the spin under Ange Postecoglou.
Jota said: “I don’t sing the song myself – I leave that to the fans as I’m not such a good singer! It’s just lovely. I’m happy Ellie could be there on Saturday and it was nice to finally meet her.
“I was aware she was singing before the game but I wasn’t on the pitch at the time. I couldn’t hear it because I was in the dressing room and we have pretty thick concrete walls in there! I knew the live performance was happening and I will definitely make sure I get a chance to see the video.
“I’m so grateful for the moment. I could never imagine when I was young to have a moment like this. I was thrilled.”
He was equally delighted with the outcome, even if Celts didn’t quite hit the high notes. Rangers pushed them all the way and the Hoops had to dig deep to overcome their fierce foes.
Jota said: “Collectively, we saw all the sides to our team. In games like this you need to push hard, especially in the first stages of the game. We had to be the best versions of ourselves to get to a higher level and secure the win we wanted.
Jota sums up this Celtic side. He’s got all the tricks and flicks – coupled with a relentless work ethic and drive. His goal came from chasing a lost cause, bursting on to Souttar’s slip up and making sure he got to the ball before Allan McGregor.
Jota said: “We must believe every time we get the chance to do something. It was no different this time. I felt I could reach the ball and I tried to press the most I could. In the end I was happy to be able to score.
“Never stop? There is definitely that mantra behind the way we play. We know the standards are very high in this football team and we want to be better versions of ourselves everyday. Saturday was no different.”
Jota has added to his growing collection of greatest hits in this fixture and he admitted he’s happy to do the rough to help create the smooth. He said: “These games are always tough. They are great to play in because there is a great atmosphere and something new happening in every second.
“That’s what the fans want to see in derby games. I’m not sure I agree with anyone saying these games don’t suit ball players. They are all different but inside every game you need to be able to do your stuff and participate as best as you can.
“You might not do the things you do in other games, but you can help by doing other stuff. In the end, if it achieves the main goal of victory, then I’m really happy.”
Jota’s grin will be wider again once Celtic get over the Premiership finishing line – but the Treble is now firmly in
everyone’s thoughts too.
Rangers stand in their way in the Scottish Cup semi-final at the end of the month and the attacker believes this side are reaching a crescendo. Jota said: “Does this game mean anything for the cup clash? Absolutely not. Every game is different. What happened on Saturday is just one game and the semi-final will be totally different.
“We will have confidence going in but the confidence comes from daily work, it doesn’t come from the win this week or the next week.
“It comes from what we have been doing from day one. There is a strong foundation here due to the work we all do in the background every day. We’re secure because we know we have build something strong and we want to keep pushing until the end of the season and beyond.
“We just focus on ourselves at Celtic. We have our own ideas and philosophy, and we all then work accordingly to make everything happen. The manager, Ange, has a system we have to follow and then it’s all about the creativity and the talent of every player in our team. We focus on ourselves.
“It’s about believing in the process and enjoying the football, because that’s a big part. I think everyone who watches us can see that we have a lot of fun. I think the fans have fun watching us. It’s all based on Ange’s philosophy to go out there and be who you are.”
READ NEXT
