Celtic's Camilo Duran Shines in 2-1 Victory Over Falkirk
Camilo Duran’s double eased some of the pain. Not all of it. But enough for Celtic to steady themselves after a bruising week.
At a restless Celtic Park, Martin O’Neill’s side beat Falkirk 2-1 to make it three wins from three in the Scottish Premiership, the Colombian forward striking twice before the break to drag the champions back on track after their draining extra-time defeat in Linz.
For O’Neill, after 120 minutes spent mostly chasing shadows in midweek, this was about one thing.
“The win was the most important thing, it always is,” he told the club’s in-house channel. No dressing it up. Celtic had to respond, and they did.
Duran delivers through the middle
With Kasper Hogh missing, Duran was asked to lead the line centrally. He didn’t just cope with the responsibility, he embraced it. Two first-half goals, sharp and decisive, gave Celtic the cushion they desperately needed and underlined why his manager rates him so highly.
“He’s a terrific footballer,” O’Neill said. “I think he’s a natural forward.”
Normally Duran drifts off a central striker, feeding off the space Hogh’s physical presence creates. This time, he was the focal point.
O’Neill made no attempt to hide his admiration. “Kasper gives you probably that physical strength as well too. Also, Kasper is a goalscorer in and around the penalty area, but Camilo’s just a dream to work with. His English is getting better, but all we just keep saying to him, ‘son, you’re brilliant’.”
On an afternoon when Celtic needed someone to shoulder the burden, Duran did exactly that.
Celtic sparkle, then suffer
For long spells before half-time, Celtic looked like a side intent on exorcising their European frustration. They moved the ball crisply, created chances at will and, in O’Neill’s words, “played some really, really lovely stuff at times.”
They should have been out of sight.
“We could have been out of sight by half-time, and we missed some really glorious chances to put the game beyond them,” the manager admitted.
Those misses kept Falkirk interested, and O’Neill knew it. “I felt at 2-0, Falkirk were never out of the game, as it proved.”
The warning arrived after the interval. Falkirk pulled one back and suddenly the mood inside Celtic Park shifted. The home side, so fluent earlier, tightened up. Passes went astray. Nerves crept in.
“When they scored the goal, it was a tough 15 minutes for us,” O’Neill said.
In truth, it felt longer for those inside the ground who had lived through Tuesday night.
Celtic held on. Just. The points stayed in Glasgow, but the closing stages were a reminder that this team is still feeling the after-effects of that draining night in Austria.
A hard week, a vital response
O’Neill did not pretend the last few days had been anything other than draining.
“It was a tough week for everyone connected to the football club, not just us, but the people who pay their money to come and support us, and we let them down on Tuesday,” he said. “So we’re absolutely delighted to have won the game.”
“It’s been a tough old week, so it’s good to win the game. It’s the most important thing for us, and we’ll get better.”
That last line matters. Celtic have their perfect league record intact, a centre-forward in Duran who looks increasingly at home through the middle, and a manager who knows exactly how fragile momentum can be after European blows.
The scars from Linz will not vanish overnight. But with three wins from three and a two-goal hero finding his voice and his role, the real question now is whether this grind-it-out afternoon becomes the moment Celtic’s season quietly turns back in their favour.
