Celtic came from a goal down to beat Besiktas 3-2 at Parkhead in the Europa League on Thursday, with substitutes Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran turning the match. Duran scored twice, Osmand scored once and set up another, and the win ended a run of defeats in this season’s competition.
Osmand Scores 43 Seconds After Coming On
Besiktas led after Junior Olaitan scored following a penalty, which Jordan Lotomba conceded with a challenge on Ernest Poku. Sam Johnstone saved the spot-kick, but Olaitan tapped in the rebound.
Manager Martin O’Neill then turned to his bench, bringing on Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran to replace Sebastian Tounekti and James Forrest out wide.
The effect was immediate. Osmand scored 43 seconds after coming on, a shot into the bottom corner of Alexander Nubel’s goal from the edge of the area.
Duran Scores Twice as Hogh Is Withdrawn
On 77 minutes, O’Neill took off striker Kasper Hogh, described as the club’s record signing, and moved Duran into the central role. Osmand’s pass sent the Colombian through, and Duran rounded Nubel to put Celtic ahead.
Orkun Kokcu levelled with a long-range strike from 25 yards, with five minutes left. Celtic answered within two minutes. Colby Donovan found Kieran Tierney, whose scuffed effort fell to Duran, who bundled it in at the second attempt for the winner in the 87th minute.
Win Spares O’Neill a Fifth Straight European Loss
Celtic had been heading for a fourth straight defeat in this season’s Europa League. The result spared O’Neill from becoming the first manager in the club’s history to suffer five straight losses in European competition, and could ease the feud between the directors and the fanbase for a few days at least.
Celtic remain in the bottom 12 of the Europa League table, but, with four games left, still have a chance of reaching the knockout stages. The task of accruing sufficient points is still enormous, though not yet beyond them.
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O’Neill, speaking to Sky Sports, said: We’ve given ourselves a chance because of the result.
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Celtic 3 Besiktas 2 – Duran and Osmand Hoops heroes off bench as Europa League campaign gets up and running in thriller 🍀🏆 https://t.co/RcPfEcdVqB
61' – Subs for Celtic: 🔛 Osmand, Durán & Donovan ↩ Tounekti, Forrest & Lotomba 🟩0️⃣-1️⃣⬜️ #CelticBeşiktaş | #UEL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/7ZeglVyczz