Celtic finally got their Europa League campaign off the mark on Thursday night, coming from behind to beat Besiktas 3-2 in a wild, late-night turnaround at Celtic Park.
For more than an hour, Martin O’Neill’s side looked short of ideas and confidence. Besiktas took the lead after Sam Johnstone saved Junior Olaitan’s penalty, only for the striker to bury the rebound, and with Celtic having managed just two touches in the visitors’ box before the break, a fifth straight European defeat appeared to be looming.
Then came the substitutions.
O’Neill sent on Callum Osmand, Camilo Duran and Colby Donovan just after the hour, and the impact was immediate. Barely 43 seconds after entering the pitch, Osmand latched onto Callum McGregor’s interception, drove to the edge of the area and drilled Celtic level past Alexander Nubel.
Celtic Park, flat and uneasy until that point, suddenly roared back to life. Liam Scales had a header pushed over from a corner, while Osmand slipped in Benjamin Nygren, whose effort flashed just over.
Osmand then turned provider, releasing Duran, who kept his composure to round Nubel and slide Celtic in front. Besiktas hit back through Orkun Kokcu’s powerful strike from the edge of the box, but Celtic’s response was immediate. Kieran Tierney’s scuffed effort fell kindly for Duran, who side-footed home from close range. After an offside check, Celtic Park erupted.
Johnstone’s excellent stop from a late Besiktas cross secured the points and Celtic’s first Europa League win of the season.
It was a night shaped by the energy and directness of Osmand and Duran. The 20-year-old Osmand scored with his first touch and added an assist, while Duran’s double took him to 13 goals for the season. Their willingness to run at Besiktas transformed a hesitant Celtic side and reignited a crowd that had plenty of empty seats amid ongoing supporter unrest.
O’Neill has admitted he is still searching for his strongest XI, but after this performance, Osmand and Duran will be difficult to leave out. The win will not erase Celtic’s recent problems, but it may provide the confidence boost they badly need.
After the match, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, said: “It’s a relief we’ve got off the mark and got some points on the board. The game was pretty difficult but we came through it with flying colours.
“I just said to the team they were a credit to the football club, you can’t get a bigger accolade than that. We could’ve caved in after the penalty goes in but we came roaring back and the subs made a big difference. We’ve got a lot of pace up front but I was just delighted with the whole team.
“I think this will boost our confidence now, we have a tough game on Sunday then the international break, but to win the European game tonight is great. The European games are tough but we came through that test and that’s a big boost.”
Celtic: Johnstone, Lotomba (Donovan 61’), Carter-Vickers (Murray 78’), Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Baur, Forrest (Durán 61’), Nygren, Tounekti (Osmand 61’), Høgh (Haissem Hassan 77’)
Subs: Sinisalo, Durán, McCowan, Sørensen, Osmand, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Haissem Hassan, Doohan, McArdle, Murray, Donovan, Ralston
Beşiktaş: Nübel, Murillo, Agbadou (Tiago Djaló 70’), Topçu, Ouattara (Ridvan Yilmaz 83’), Olaïtan, Salih Özcan (Kökçü 76’), Cerny (Fakili 83’), Trossard, Poku, Hyeongyu Oh (Vlahovic 70’)
Subs: Ndidi, Kartal Yilmaz, Kökçü, Bulut, Vlahovic, Fakili, Ridvan Yilmaz, Tiago Djaló, Yasin Özcan, Bircan, Alemdar, Kiliçsoy