Celtic Secures Win Against Falkirk with Duran's Double
Camilo Duran struck twice to drag Celtic out of their Champions League hangover and keep their perfect start to the Scottish Premiership intact with a nervy win over Falkirk at Celtic Park.
Days after the trauma of surrendering a four-goal lead in Europe, Martin O’Neill demanded “character”. He got it in flashes, anxiety in others, but crucially, he got the points.
From “world-class embarrassment” to early relief
If anyone at Celtic Park had forgotten the midweek collapse, the reminder hung above them. A banner stretched out: “world-class embarrassment.” It was aimed squarely at the players who had let a Champions League place slip through their fingers.
Falkirk almost twisted the knife inside the first minute. A low ball flashed across the six-yard box and looked perfect for Parkinson, only for Cameron Carter-Vickers to stretch and divert it away at the last second.
That scare jolted Celtic. Then, the gift arrived.
On four minutes, former Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain produced a nightmare moment. Under no real pressure, he misjudged a routine situation, and Duran pounced, stealing in to punish the error and roll the ball home. A VAR check confirmed the opener, the mood inside the stadium flipping from tension to raw relief.
Celtic settled. Falkirk wobbled.
Duran doubles up as Nygren runs riot – but not the scoreline
The pressure told again before the break. On 29 minutes, Kieran Tierney, back in his familiar stride down the left, whipped in a precise cross. Duran had peeled away, completely unmarked, and swept a calm finish into the bottom corner for 2-0. Simple movement, ruthless execution.
From there, Benjamin Nygren took over the game – just not the scoresheet.
First he rose to meet a cross and powered a header over the bar. Then he burst into the box and lashed another effort high. Minutes later, he cut inside and forced Bain into a smart stop, the keeper tipping his drive over.
Celtic were in control, creating, probing, but wasteful. Nygren, especially, looked like a player destined to score. The only thing missing was the finish.
Chances missed, nerves invited
The pattern barely changed after the interval.
Parkinson spun in the box early in the second half and fired over. Nygren, again, carved Falkirk open with his movement. A lovely pass from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put him through, but Bain stood up and blocked at close range.
Nygren tried to curl one from the edge of the area soon after, the shot drifting inches over the bar. Celtic were two up and cruising in terms of territory and chances, yet the third goal never came. That failure to kill the game would drag unnecessary tension into the closing stages.
At 2-0, Celtic still looked comfortable. They were missing captain Callum McGregor and Kasper Høgh through injury, but the structure held, the ball moved, and Falkirk rarely strung together meaningful attacks.
Then came the twist.
Donovan own goal turns routine win into a scrap
On 72 minutes, Falkirk finally found a foothold – with Celtic’s help.
Jacob Murrell broke through and drilled a low shot at Viljami Sinisalo. The Celtic goalkeeper did his job, parrying the effort, but the rebound flew straight into Colby Donovan, who could only watch in horror as the ball ricocheted off him and into his own net.
From comfort to concern in a second.
Celtic tried to respond immediately. Liam Scales met a Yang cross but headed over when he should have hit the target. Nygren then ballooned another effort high, with Baur raging beside him, convinced the ball should have been left.
The game, which should have been buried long before, had become a scrap. Every misplaced pass drew a groan. Every Falkirk foray, no matter how scruffy, felt dangerous.
Falkirk pushed without truly carving Celtic open. Osmand’s late low effort was gathered cleanly by Bain, a reminder that the visitors still believed an unlikely point was there.
Three wins, lingering questions
The final whistle brought a mixture of applause and exhale. Celtic had done what they needed: three wins from three in the Scottish Premiership, the perfect start on paper, even if the performance left room for debate.
John McGlynn’s Falkirk, still searching for their first league win, will look back at Donovan’s own goal and wonder what might have happened with a bit more quality in the final third.
For O’Neill, the response to midweek humiliation was not spectacular, but it was solid. Duran delivered, Nygren tormented defenders, and the team showed enough resilience to ride out a late wobble.
The banner called them an embarrassment. The table says otherwise. The real question now: can Celtic turn these stuttering domestic wins into the kind of ruthless form that stops European scars from reopening when the stakes rise again?
