Celtic come from behind to beat Beşiktaş: substitutes revive faltering European campaign

Celtic have finally got off the mark in the Europa League. On Thursday 5 November in Glasgow, Martin O’Neill’s side came from behind to beat Beşiktaş (3-2) after conceding the opening goal of the second half. The change in momentum came from the bench: Callum Osmand equalised, then Camilo Durán scored twice, the second coming two minutes after the Turkish side’s equaliser. The victory, confirmed by UEFA and detailed by Sky Sports, ends a run of three consecutive European defeats for the Scots. It gives them a chance of qualifying, but no breathing space.

A game that stayed cagey for a long time, then swung twice in quick succession

The first half offered Celtic little. The club reports just one shot on target before the break; Beşiktaş saw more of the ball but failed to turn that possession into clear chances. The contrast between the opening 45 minutes and the closing stages explains the scale of the turnaround: after a cautious first half, the two sides scored five goals after the restart, according to Celtic’s match report.

Junior Olaïtan opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Sam Johnstone saved his penalty, awarded after Jordan Lotomba fouled Ernest Poku, but the forward followed up to score. Celtic responded with a decisive spell: on the hour, O’Neill brought on Osmand, Durán and Colby Donovan. Osmand scored with his first touch in the 62nd minute, then set up Durán for the 2-1 in the 78th.

The bench shifted the balance of power

The substitutes’ contribution was about more than their statistics. Their introduction brought greater pace and depth to an attack that had struggled to threaten the Turkish defence. Sky Sports notes that Osmand’s equaliser came with his first touch and that Durán used his young team-mate’s pass to get in behind the defence.

The game could have turned out differently, though. Orkun Kökçü, brought on for the Turkish side, equalised in the 85th minute with a long-range strike. Celtic had no time to dwell on it: two minutes later, Durán met a ball in the box and put his side back in front. The sequence of those two goals sums up both the fragility and the strength of the evening: the Scots conceded an avoidable equaliser, but responded immediately instead of retreating.

That late efficiency should not obscure the earlier problems. The club’s report describes a first half short on chances; the match figures published by the club give Celtic 38% possession against Beşiktaş’s 62%. The win was therefore less a product of sustained dominance than of a side making better use of its substitutions and chances in an open second half.

Three important points, but no immediate recovery

Before this fourth matchday, Celtic had lost their first three league-phase matches, against Ferencváros, Benfica and Celta Vigo. Beşiktaş, meanwhile, had taken seven points from their first three games and were yet to lose in the competition. UEFA confirms the previous results and the Glasgow result in its league-phase fixtures.

The win gets Celtic off the mark and hands Beşiktaş their first European defeat of the campaign. However, it is not enough on its own to conclude that the Scots are now in a favourable position: the league phase consists of eight matches, and the club still need to make up the points lost after their poor start. Sky Sports still had them in the lower part of the table after the match, with four matchdays to play. In the league format, consistency across the full schedule matters more than one spectacular evening.

O’Neill gets a response, but also a question

O’Neill’s use of the bench stands out as the key tactical feature. The triple substitution around the hour changed the nature of Celtic’s attack, adding runs in behind and a player capable of carrying the ball towards the box. Osmand provided the equaliser and the assist for the second goal; Durán finished twice. Beşiktaş’s match report, from a direct opponent and therefore a primary source on the game, also confirms this sequence and Durán’s decisive goal.

But an excellent in-game intervention can raise questions about the starting XI. Celtic needed changes to find the intensity and threat they had been missing. That does not prove the initial selections were wrong: the substitutes may also have benefited from a game that had opened up and an opponent looking to regain the lead. What comes next will show whether O’Neill has found a formula to repeat or simply the right answers for this particular evening.

The next challenge is to turn momentum into consistency

Celtic return to the competition on 26 November against Torreense, according to the schedule published by UEFA. The next fixture will carry a different significance: having shown they can respond under pressure, the club will need to pick up points without relying on a late comeback. The Glasgow win does not fix the shortcomings of the campaign’s opening stages, but it provides a solid foundation to build on: decisive substitutes, an immediate response after conceding and a first European reward.

For Beşiktaş, the defeat ends their unbeaten start to the league phase, but the club remain ahead of their Scottish opponents on the record from the opening matchdays. For Celtic, the urgency is greater: they must make this 3-2 a turning point on the pitch, not just a memory of a comeback. The result reignites the race; the coming games will show whether the team have also rediscovered a structure reliable enough to last.