Osmand and Duran spark Celtic comeback to beat Besiktas at Parkhead
Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran turned the match as Celtic came from 1-0 down to beat Besiktas at Parkhead in their Europa League fixture on Thursday. The two substitutes combined to change the game and deliver Celtic their first Europa League win of the campaign.
Celtic had been trailing 1-0 with about an hour played and appeared set for a fourth straight defeat in this season's Europa League when manager Martin O'Neill introduced Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran, replacing Sebastian Tounekti and James Forrest out wide. Osmand, a 20-year-old attacker, scored with his first touch, the ball nestling in the bottom corner of Alexander Nubel's goal just 43 seconds after he came on.
On 77 minutes O'Neill withdrew Kasper Hogh and moved Duran into a central role; Osmand then fed Duran with a pass that allowed the Colombian to round Nubel and put Celtic into the lead. Orkun Kokcu responded with a fine strike to level for Besiktas, but two minutes later Duran controlled Kieran Tierney's scuffed shot and beat Nubel again to restore Celtic's advantage.
Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov assessed the substitutions on TNT Sports, saying: "Everything changed with the subs; Osmand coming on and Duran going through the middle. They freed up space for Nygren and Baur. It was a really positive 30 minutes." Not since Johannes Edvaldsson against Jeunesse d'Esch in the European Cup in September 1977 had a Celtic substitute scored twice in Europe (excluding qualifiers).
O'Neill praised the two scorers, saying: "Osmand came on, first touch put the ball in the net and that's really difficult, he can definitely score a goal. Duran has been fabulous for us all season no matter where he plays." He added: "I'm not standing up for myself, not at all. It was in design to do exactly what it did. We've played nine games in 25 days, some players needed a breather and you can get re-energised from coming on the field. I'm going to say that that was our plan and those players were going to come on the pitch at some point in the game."
Kasper Hogh, the club-record signing for a reported £11m who arrived from Bodo/Glimt in the summer, struggled to make an impact; he has now failed to score in 16 of his 17 Celtic appearances and, in 77 minutes against Besiktas, had no shots and registered just one touch in the opposition box. Duran, by contrast, played roughly half an hour, scored twice, had two shots and registered four touches in the Besiktas box. Hearts defender Craig Halkett reflected on Hogh's situation on TNT Sports: "It'll be tough for Hogh. He was the big-money singing but it's not coming off for him. As a player you need to keep your head down, keep working hard and hope it turns."
Osmand's contribution also strengthened his case to start on the left; the report describes the former Fulham man as direct with an eye for goal. He told TNT Sports: "This is a great team we're playing against. Camilo [Duran] did amazing, he's such a poacher. Credit to him. It's a lot harder starting games. The team dug in, stayed strong and we got our rewards. [The goal] caught me off guard, but I'm just glad I caught it nice. I just want to come on and make something happen. So happy with tonight."
The comeback produced Celtic's first Europa League victory of the season and has intensified debate over selection up front, particularly the role of Kasper Hogh following Duran's impact from the bench.
