It was a mixed night for Scottish football in Europe on Thursday. Celtic finally got their Europa League campaign up and running with a dramatic victory over Beşiktaş, while Hearts suffered another disappointing defeat in the Conference League.
Celtic welcomed Turkish giants Beşiktaş to Celtic Park, with Martin O’Neill’s side desperate to get their first points on the board after losing their opening three fixtures – a position that no side has ever recovered from to qualify.
Meanwhile, Hearts travelled to Switzerland to take on FC Thun, with Wouter Vrancken’s side looking to secure their first victory in the competition after picking up just one point from their opening two matches.
Durán and Osmand Spark Comeback Bhoys
Celtic finally got their Europa League campaign underway with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Beşiktaş at Celtic Park, thanks to a dramatic late winner from substitute Camilo Durán.
The Hoops started brightly, with Sebastian Tounekti causing problems down the left flank before finding Benjamin Nygren inside the penalty area, although the Swedish midfielder was unable to direct his effort on target.
Despite their positive start, clear-cut opportunities were limited throughout the opening half, and the visitors began to grow into the game.
Sam Johnstone was called into action to tip a powerful strike over the top of the bar, although the linesman’s flag would have ruled out a goal anyway, summing up the lack of intensity and real quality in the first half.
Celtic looked to start the second half brightly, with James Forrest testing German stopper Alexander Nübel shortly after the restart.
However, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock in the 54th minute after Jordan Lotomba brought down Ernest Poku inside the penalty area.
Junior Olaitan stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick, with Sam Johnstone managing to save his initial effort, but the Nigerian midfielder reacted quickest to turn home the rebound and give Beşiktaş the lead.
Martin O’Neill responded by introducing Callum Osmand and Camilo Durán just after the hour mark, and the changes had an immediate impact on proceedings.
Osmand needed just moments to make his mark, firing home from distance with his first touch to bring Celtic level in the 62nd minute.
The Hoops continued to push forward and completed the turnaround in the 78th minute when Osmand turned provider, slipping a pass through to Durán, who rounded Nübel before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
However, Celtic’s advantage lasted just seven minutes, as Orkun Kökçü found himself with space and produced a stunning long-range effort to find the bottom corner and draw the visitors level once again.
Just when it looked as though the points would be shared, Durán had the final say, collecting a dragged strike from Kieran Tierney before firing home from close range in the 87th minute to send Celtic Park into celebration.
The victory gives the Hoops their first three points of the Europa League campaign, offering a much-needed boost in what is undoubtedly a difficult period for the club.
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Hearts Suffer Disappointing Defeat Against FC Thun
Elsewhere, Hearts’ difficult Conference League campaign continued as they fell to a 3-1 defeat away to Swiss side FC Thun.
Wouter Vrancken’s side made a reasonably positive start to proceedings, with Josh McPake testing goalkeeper Niklas Steffen on a couple of occasions as the visitors looked to take an early lead.
However, the Jambos were dealt a major blow in the 22nd minute when Jamie McCart inadvertently turned the ball into his own net after attempting to cut out a long ball looped towards the Hearts box.
Things went from bad to worse for the Edinburgh side just 12 minutes later, as Brighton Labeau doubled the hosts’ advantage.
A quick counter-attack saw Nils Reichmuth drive forward before delivering a dangerous ball into the penalty area. Stephen Kingsley attempted to clear the cross, but could only knock it into the path of Labeau, who made no mistake from close range.
Hearts struggled to find a response before the break, although Guendouz came close to pulling one back with a dangerous effort inside the penalty area.
The visitors faced an uphill battle after the restart and their hopes of getting back into the game took another hit in the 56th minute.
Reichmuth delivered a dangerous ball towards the near post, where Furkan Dursun got the decisive touch to guide the ball beyond Reus to make it 3-0.
Hearts continued to search for a way back into the contest, with Malachi Fagan-Walcott coming particularly close when his header from a Jordi Altena free-kick was brilliantly saved by Steffen.
The Jambos eventually found a consolation goal in the 82nd minute, as Stuart Findlay rose highest to meet another Altena delivery and head the ball into the net.
However, it proved too little too late, with Hearts unable to mount a late comeback as they suffered their second defeat of the Conference League campaign.
The result leaves the Edinburgh side with just one point from their opening three European fixtures, putting further pressure on their remaining league-phase matches.
Featured Image Credit: Carys Flanagan