'Big mistake' - Celtic icon singles out Obileye for criticism after own goal against the Hoops

Former Nigeria U23 invitee Ayo Obileye scored an unfortunate own goal in Livingston's 2-1 loss to Glasgow Celtic in a Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.  

Making his sixteenth consecutive start in the division, the usually reliable central defender turned in a cross from Liel Abada to give the champions the lead midway through the first half. 

The Nigerian attempted to clear the ball from the danger zone but it flew into the top corner off his thigh.

Kyogo Furuhashi smashed the ball home after he was teed up by Abada to double the advantage in the first minute of first half stoppage time but Nicky Devlin pulled one back immediately with a composed finish past Joe Hart. 

Legendary Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Pat Bonner singled out Obileye for criticism shortly after his error led to The Hoops taking the lead. 

"It's a big mistake. It was a good ball but you'd expect the central defender to be on the front foot and clear that ball," Bonner said on BBC Sportsound.

"He was back on his heels. If you're the centre-half you can't just stand there and let the ball hit you."

Obileye joined Livingston on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 and has established himself as one of the top central defenders in the Scottish Premiership. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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