IT was a goal fit to grace any stage, and a move that seemed preconceived, surely honed on the training pitch before it was executed to perfection in the Champions League.
But Matt O’Riley’s pass into Kyogo Furuhashi to score Celtic’s opener against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, perhaps fittingly, came from somewhere altogether more ethereal.
Call it instinct, call it telepathy, whatever intangible force you will. All that O’Riley knows is that in the moment, he was so tuned into what his teammate was going to do, and the run he was going to make, that splitting one of the best defences in European football to find his striker was the most natural thing in the world.
Kyogo did the rest, producing a calm, improvised finish past Jan Oblak to lift the roof off Celtic Park, but O’Riley’s first-time pass into him was another outstanding addition to his burgeoning personal highlight reel in these early months of the season.
According to the modest 22-year-old though, the brilliance of Kyogo and the relationship they enjoy makes his job of laying on chances for the striker an ‘easy’ one.
“It comes very naturally at this point,” O’Riley said.
“Most of my assists last season came through him just because his movement is so good, and it is so easy to play with him.
“So, as soon as he passed me the ball I knew where he was going to be, and it was just a case of executing the pass.
“I think there is a natural chemistry there between us. Good players kind of understand each other quite naturally, and the more you play with someone, then naturally, the better the understanding. But he makes it really, really easy for me because his movement is so good.
“I probably see the game in a certain way, and he sees it in a similar way in terms of his movement, so it just clicks really well.
“Some things just happen. You’ve got to be as brave and as open on the pitch as possible, especially against a team that that is so good defensively.
“You need to somehow spark a little bit of something with a little bit of creativity that comes from somewhere like the back of your mind, I’m not really sure.
“If you come from that place of openness where you’re not scared of making a mistake, then naturally you feel more comfortable just trying stuff like that.
“I’ve watched it back, and I think the space was actually quite big to play it into, but when it’s coming at that speed in the game it might not look as if it is that easy.
“But when you are playing with Kyogo, it’s pretty easy, trust me!”
The second goal that Celtic scored on the night, through Luis Palma, wasn’t half bad either.
O’Riley agrees that for all of the talk there has been about the quality of the teams they are coming up against at Champions League level, and how ruthlessly they can exploit errors, Celtic showed against Atletico they also possess the weapons to hurt any opposition.
“Yeah, they are a top defensive team, aren’t they?” he said.
“And we have scored two goals against them. We maybe could have got one more.
“I don’t think we created loads considering the control we had at times, but I think that’s the next step, when we get in that final third just staying calm and waiting for the moments to penetrate.”
Palma certainly maintained his composure when the big chance fell his way. Picking up the scraps from a Daizen Maeda cross from the left, the Honduran took a touch while 60,000 punters took a sharp intake of breath, and then he produced a rocket of a finish that kissed the far post on its way into the net.
O’Riley was pleased for his teammate, who had been robbed of a similar moment against Lazio in Celtic’s last Champions League outing by VAR, which picked up a touch – ironically from Maeda – that inadvertently rendered him offside as he slammed the ball into net, puncturing wild scenes of celebration.
He got to enjoy it this time though, and O’Riley is encouraged by the big moments the winger is producing so early in his Celtic career.
“It’s great for him, he’s doing really well,” he said.
“I think he’s come in and really showed his quality early on.
“There’s still a lot more to come from him I’m sure, but I’m happy he got his goal.
“He’s got that persona about him which kind of oozes confidence, which is good.
“That is what you need to be a winger at Celtic, obviously, so we’ll see how he progresses.”
There has long been a narrative around Celtic that their creditable showings at Champions League level - despite the lack of points they have ultimately accumulated – are fuelling a growth in confidence among the squad that results won’t be too far away.
While they didn’t get the win they craved and probably deserved over the piece against Atletico, the point they did earn is something tangible for them to carry with them to Spain in a little under a fortnight, and will surely encourage belief that they can carry the fight to Atletico at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Even if O’Riley is, for now at least, toeing the party line about the focus being on clashes with Hibs, St Mirren and Ross County before then.
“That’s a long way away, there’s a lot more football to play before then,” he said.
“But when it comes, I’m sure we will be ready to give everything.”
