IT CREPT in with the merest whisper and went out with an almighty roar.
Celtic’s 2025/26 campaign will go down in the Hoops’ Hall of Fame as one of the most extraordinary in the club’s proud history.
Written off and dismissed, the Parkhead men simply refused to roll over – and completed an unforgettable crusade with a league and Cup double.
CQN continue their EXCLUSIVE series telling the tale of how Martin O’Neill, who twice answered SOS calls from his old club, manoeuvred Celtic through a minefield to achieve the impossible dream of a fifth successive title.
Please enjoy!
BY THE RIGHT…Celtic debutant Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sweeps in the stoppage-time winner against Livingston.
FEBRUARY 2026
CELTIC became the late-goal specialists to keep their quest for a league and Cup double on track during a crucial month.
Junior Adamu, on loan from Bundesliga outfit SC Freiburg, netted with just THREE seconds remaining of stoppage-time to prevent the team from toppling out of the Scottish Cup to Dundee at Parkhead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the former Arsenal, Liverpool and England midfielder who had just joined as a free agent, and Julian Arauajo, another temporary transfer from Bournemouth, both struck in added-on time to ensure Premiership wins against Livingston and Kilmarnock.
The loss of four points would undoubtedly have proved fatal to Celtic’s hopes of lifting a fifth successive title.
There was no sign of the drama that would follow when Tomas Cvancara, a loan signing from Borussia Monchengladbach the previous month, glanced in his first goal for Martin O’Neill’s men in the 2-0 victory over Falkirk in the east end of Glasgow.
Benjamin Nygren claimed the killer second and a week later the Hoops turned their attention to the Scottish Cup with Steven Pressley’s side the visitors for the Fifth Round tie.
STOPPAGE-TIME SAVIOUR…Junior Adamu flicks in the last-gasp equaliser against Dundee.
Ethan Hamilton powered through from midfield shortly after the break to wallop an almighty effort past the sprawling Viljami Sinisalo to give the visitors the lead. And that’s the way it stood with the game going into seven minutes of stoppage-time.
With the referee about to blow the final whistle, Sebastian Tounekti teased his way in from the left to zip a low cross into the box and Adamu, who had replaced Cvancara in the 80th minute, brilliantly flicked the ball with his back-foot to send the ball arrowing past the stranded Jon McCracken.
We hadn’t even gone two minutes of extra-time when the Tunisian winger again made a significant contribution as he weaved in from the left before thumping a right-foot drive into the net for the winner.
Anything Adamu could do, so could Oxlade-Chamberlain. With the game deadlocked at 1-1 against Livingston four night later, the 32-year-old experienced performer, who had just come on as a substitute moments earlier, curled in the points-clincher with the clock once again ticking down.
ROARING SUCCESS…Julian Araujo celebrates his late winner against Kilmarnock.
Next up to take over the mantle of late-goal hero was Mexico international right-back Araujo who materialised at the back post to blast in the winning goal in the champions’ dramatic 3-2 triumph over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park where they had trailed 2-0 at the break.
Celtic’s Europa League adventure came to a shuddering halt as they crashed 4-1 at home to VfB Stuttgart on the Thursday evening of February 19.
A first-minute goal from Luke McCowan in the return in Germany the following week handed O’Neill’s men a surprise victory, but they were never going to overturn the deficit from the collapse in Glasgow.
But the Irishman suffered his first league defeat at Parkhead since Hibs won 3-1 in April 2000 and, coincidentally, it was the Easter Road side who again inflicted the damage.
On this occasion, it was the Hoops who were on the reciving end of a late goal when the Edinburgh club hit them with a classic sucker-punch with only three minutes to play when they broke away on the left and Kai Andrews drilled in the visitors’ second and winning strike.
Auston Trusty was red-carded for the second time this season after VAR intervened in the 74th minute to flag up a coming together with Jamie McGrath as both lined up for a Celtic corner-kick on the right.
Referee Matthew MacDermid was told to look again on the touchline monitors and once against the World Cup-bound centre-back was banished.
It was 1-1 at the time after Nygren had nullified a 24th-minute opener from Felix Passlack.
The loss left the champions six points adrift of Hearts and two behind Rangers although they still had a precious game in hand.
RESULTS
February 1:
Premiership:
CELTIC 2 Falkirk 0
Cvancara, Nygren
February 7:
Scottish Cup: Fifth Round:
CELTIC 2 Dundee 1 (AET)
Adamu, Tounekti
February 11:
Premiership:
CELTIC 2 Livingston 1
Saracchi, Oxlade-Chamberlain
February 15:
Premiership:
Kilmarnock 2 CELTIC 3
Tounekti, Nygren, Araujo
February 19:
Europa League:
CELTIC 1 VfB Stuttgart 4
Nygren
February 22:
Premiership:
CELTIC 1 Hibs 2
Nygren
February 26:
Europa League:
VfB Stuttgart 0 CELTIC 1
McCowan
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss Part Eight of The Impossible Dream – only in your champion CQN.
