Scott Bain Holds Celtic to Zero in Falkirk Win
The former goalkeeper made 10 saves as his old side suffered a 2-0 loss, extending their losing streak to six games in ten matches.
By Elena Menon ·
Celtic lost 2-0 at Falkirk on Sunday, a result driven by defensive errors and a performance from Scott Bain that frustrated the visitors throughout. The champions, under manager Martin O’Neill, now have six defeats in their last ten league games.
Ethan Ross opened the scoring in the third minute after a misjudgment by Cameron Carter-Vickers allowed Ryan Strain to deliver a cross. Ross tapped in the chance before Scott Tanser doubled Falkirk’s lead in the 38th minute. Tanser received a pass from Owen Eames and slotted the ball past Sam Johnstone.
Bain, playing for his former club, made 10 saves to keep the scoreline low. He denied Camilo Duran three times in the first half and stopped Haissem Hassan with a diving save. In the second half, he completed a double save to deny James Forrest and Benjamin Nygren, drawing chants from the home crowd.
Celtic failed to convert several chances in the final third. Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, and Hassan all shot wide from inside the box. Liam Scales headed over the bar, while Mika Baur and Nygren were stopped by Bain from distance. Finn Yeats also blocked a shot from Nygren with a dive.
Falkirk’s victory moved them into fourth place in the Scottish Premiership. It was their fourth consecutive win and their first victory over Celtic since 2007. Celtic remain four points clear at the top of the table but have played one more match than second-placed Rangers.
Kasper Hogh started on the bench after being dropped in favor of Duran. Hogh, who has scored most of his career goals on artificial surfaces, came on for the final 25 minutes but went 14 games without a goal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started his first match in two months, while Carter-Vickers returned from injury.
A goal by Jacob Murrell in the second half was disallowed by VAR after the ball struck his hand. Murrell had appeared to score after a long throw failed to be cleared, but the interference stopped the ball from counting. Strain injured himself while crossing for the first goal and was replaced by Jack McMillan.
Source: The Irish Times
