Daizen Maeda has his first goal for Ipswich Town, and he saved it for the Etihad.

The former Celtic forward levelled things against Manchester City on 21 minutes on Saturday afternoon. City had gone ahead only two minutes earlier through Phil Foden.

It’s a goal Daizen has been waiting for. He left Celtic for Ipswich in a £10 million deal in the summer, and he went close on his Premier League debut against Sunderland in August. He had one big chance at Portman Road that day but couldn’t hit the target.

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Now he’s off the mark, and against Man City, not bad at all.

Celtic supporters won’t be surprised. Daizen gave everything in the green and white for four and a half years. He scored 79 goals in 212 appearances, set up 38 more and won 10 major honours along the way.

His last league game for Celtic ended with a goal in the final-day title win over Hearts, in front of 60,000 fans. Few players have left Celtic Park with as much goodwill.

His pressing and relentless energy made him a fan favourite in Glasgow. Those same qualities convinced Gary O’Neil to make him one of Ipswich’s key summer signings.

Ipswich came into today’s game on the back of a 2-1 win over Fulham. Taking anything from the Etihad would be a huge result for O’Neil’s side as they settle back into the Premier League.

There’s plenty of football still to play. Man City retook the lead through Erling Haaland on the 34th minute. Can the Japanese star pull off another equaliser in the second half?

Daizen Maeda 🤯! The Japan star stuns Etihad and Ipswich are level with Manchester City 👏👏 https://t.co/tEBcO0zyAt

— The Final Whistle (@Rufus_45) October 17, 2026