Celtic Fall to Falkirk 2-0 as Scott Bain Returns in Dominant Performance
The champions lost their sixth match in ten days at Bannerman Park, extending their slump with a defeat against a former player who made ten saves.
By Aiko Soto ·
Celtic lost their Scottish Premiership match at Falkirk 2-0 on Sunday, marking their sixth defeat in the last ten games. The result came as former goalkeeper Scott Bain returned to face his old club, delivering a performance that frustrated Martin O'Neill's side throughout the afternoon. The champions remain four points ahead at the top of the table, though they have played one more match than second-placed Rangers.
Falkirk struck early after a long ball found the space behind Celtic's defense. Ethan Ross finished the move in the third minute after a mistake by Cameron Carter-Vickers allowed the ball to fall in his path. Ryan Strain was injured while crossing for the goal and was replaced by Jack McMillan. Scott Tanser extended the lead in the 38th minute, slotting past Sam Johnstone after receiving a pass from Owen Eames.
Bain, who had not played for Celtic in a long time, made ten saves to keep his team in the game. He denied Camilo Duran three times in the first half and stopped Haissem Hassan with a diving save. The former Bodo/Glimt striker Kasper Hogh was dropped for the start, with Duran leading the line. Hogh entered for the final 25 minutes but remained largely inactive, extending his goal drought to 14 matches.
Celtic created chances in the second half but could not break through. VAR disallowed a goal from Jacob Murrell after the ball struck the American's hand before crossing the line. James Forrest forced a save from Bain before missing opportunities alongside Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney. O'Neill later substituted Hogh and Benjamin Nygren for Duran and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Bain secured the victory with a double save against Forrest and Nygren, drawing chants from the home crowd. He later stopped another effort from Forrest and blocked a shot from Nygren. The final moments saw Liam Scales head over the bar and Bain save long-range efforts from Nygren and Mika Baur. Falkirk moved to fourth place in the table after winning their fourth consecutive game, their first victory over Celtic since 2007.
