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 today concludes our EXCLUSIVE series in which Martin O’Neill, in two interim spells, threw away the script and piloted Celtic through a minefield to achieve the impossible dream of a fifth successive title and the club’s record 56th crown.
And the veteran gaffer – rewarded with a permanent contract earlier this month – threw in the club’s 43rd Scottish Cup for a good measure.
Please enjoy!
OH, HAMPDEN IN THE SUN…Martin O’Neill completes an incredible double with the 3-1 Scottish Cup Final triumph over Dunfermline at Hampden on May 23.
MAY 2026
THE CELTIC steamroller was now in motion as an unlikely silverware double came into focus.
The team that had stuttered to eight league defeats earlier in the campaign was picking up momentum as they flattened the opposition barring their way to glory.
It was that man Kelechi Iheanacho who took centre stage again as the champions fought tooth and nail to claim a 2-1 triumph over a determined Hibs team at Easter Road on the Sunday afternoon of May 3.
The inexhaustible Daizen Maeda got the opening goal in the 41st minute when he whipped in a low, astute right-wing cross from comeback Bhoy Alistair Johnston.
It was erroneously flagged offside by a linesman, but the goal was given after VAR official Don Robertson relayed the message to the onfield colleague David Dickinson.
The match officials were also in contact in the 21st minute after Jamie McGrath had scythed down Johnston with a wild challenge. He was booked for leaving the Canadian World Cup defender in a heap, but Robertson guided the whistler to review the incident on his touchline screen.
It was a surprise to no-one when the ref returned to scrap the yellow card and brandish the red to expel the culprit.
CAPITAL SHOW…Kelechi Iheanacho drives in the Celtic winner against Hibs at Easter Road.
Joe Newell levelled just on the interval with a controversial goal after images showed the ball had hit his right hand before he fired past Viljami Sinisalo, but, on this occasion VAR overlooked the infringement and the goal stood.
However, justice was done in the 72nd minute when a Kieran Tierney right-wing corner-kick took a nick off a scrum of players jostling at the near post.
Iheanacho was the calmest man in the vicinity as he took the ball on his chest and then hit it on the drop for the matchwinner.
The following evening at Tynecastle, Rangers’ bid for their second title in 15 years ended in a 2-1 loss against Hearts where, ironically, Lawrence Shankland hit the winner.
On top of their 3-2 home defeat from Motherwell the previous weekend, it was all over for Danny Rohl and his also-rans.
And just to emphasise the reality of the situation, Celtic walloped their Govan foes 3-1 at a rocking Parkhead on May 10.
Mikey Moore took advantage of a deflection off Liam Scales to whip the opening goal beyond the helpless Sinisalo in the seventh minute.
Yang Hyun-jun rattled in the equaliser in the 23rd minute after Luke McCowan had sent Arne Engels running clear through a hesitant defence. The Belgian whipped over a low cross and the South Korean didn’t break stride before drilling the ball low past Jack Butland.
OVER AND OUT…Daizen Maeda lands with a bump after his fantastic over-head kick that brought Celtic their third goal in the 3-1 derby triumph at Parkhead.
And it was all over when Maeda produced two excellent strikes in just over three second-half minutes.
Scales picked out Tierney on the edge of the box and the World Cup-bound defender first-timed an inviting ball into the box.
As ever, Maeda was first to react as he got in ahead of the dithering defenders to ram a shot into the net.
In the 57th minute, the jet-heeled Japanese international conjured up a Goal of the Year contender to send theur opponents toppling to defeat..
Sebastian Tounekti teased his way past James Tavernier, who was making his final appearance for the Ibrox club. The Tunisian sent a cross into the mix and Connor Barron got a foot to the effort to divert the ball into the air.
As fortune would have it, the miscued clearance dropped in the direction of Maeda who took a touch with his left foot and, with his back to goal, took off on an acrobatic mid-air leap to catch the ball with his right and send an amazing attempt sailing high past the transfixed Butland for the third and killer goal.
Two games to go – and the fifth successive crown was within touching distance.
PICK IT OUT…Daizen Maeda whips in Celtic’s first goal against Motherwell at Fir Patk.
Celtic’s 3-2 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park in the following midweek was overwhelmed by controversy.
With the game tied at 2-2 and Hearts easing to a 3-0 win over Falkirk at Tynecastle, the champions were awarded a spot-kick after Sam Nicholson handled a high ball as he challenged Auston Trusty.
Andrew Dallas, on VAR, instructed referee John Beaton to have a review of the incident on his touchline monitor.
The match official returned to the pitch to point to the spot as the visiting support, excellent throughout, held their breath.
Iheanacho was the epitome of cool as he placed the ball on the spot, took a short run-up and stalled briefly before whipping a low drive into the keeper’s bottom right-hand corner of the net as Calum Ward took off to the left.
Fir Park erupted in joyous bedlam in the knowledge Celtic were just one win away from a fifth successive title.
Derek McInnes’ side were one point ahead as they prepared for Saturday’s last-day visit to the east end of Glasgow where it was a case of winner takes all.
Maeda and Nygren had scored the goals that made it all-square before the breathtaking climax in North Lanarkshire on an evening laced with tension and emotion.
It took the Hoops until the 41st minute to get a shot on target and, amazingly, it brought them the equalising goal after falling behind in the 17th minute to an Elliott Watt long-range drive.
KING OF COOL…Kelechi Iheanacho slots in Celtic’s penalty-kick winner at Fir Park.
With just four minutes to go to the break, Tierney passed swiftly inside to Tounekti who was crash-tackled by Calum Slattery,
The ball broke in the direction of Maeda who took it first-time to lash an angled drive wide of the helpless Ward on its way into the net via the inside of the left-hand post.
In the 58th minute, a revitalised Celtic took the lead after yet another eye-catching strike from Nygren.
Yang set up the Swedish international with a touch into his tracks and the prolific midfielder launched a spectacular drive high past Ward at his left-hand side.
In the 85th minute, Liam Gordon scrambled in an equaliser from close range after a bout of penalty box ping-pong.
That set up the tense encounter for an enthralling finish and Iheanacho held his nerve to propel the champions to within 90 minutes of a fifth successive crown.
The campaign for the crown came to a shuddering, sensational crescendo in a 3-1 triumph over Hearts at a packed Parkhead on Saturday May 16.
The serial champions, written off by so many, claimed a victory that will live long in the memory.
At 1-1 in the 87th minute, the title was heading to Edinburgh for the first time since 1960 and the hosts looked to have lost their chance of a remarkable recovery after losing eight league games in a rollercoaster campaign.
And then Maeda made a spectacular impact when he turned in the second goal.
Marcelo Saracchi, an inspired late substitution for a tiring Tierney, slipped a super pass to Callum Osmand, making his first appearance since November.
THE MAGIC OF MAEDA…deadly Daizen scores No.2 past Hearts keeper Alexander Schwalow as Celtic seal their fifth successive title.
The youngster rattled over a low cross from the left and Maeda raced in to get the all-important touch to turn the ball into the net.
There was an agonising wait for the goal to be confirmed as the touchline official erroneously waved for offside. Thankfully, VAR proved he was wrong and Maeda and everyone else of a Celtic persuasion got on with their celebrations.
And the grand finale received a fitting end when Osmand rolled in the third with the last kick of the ball in the eighth minute of stoppage-time.
Hearts keeper Alexander Schwolow went up for a free-kick in the fading moments as the visitors hoped for the goal that would take the flag to Tynecastle.
Blair Spittal swung in the setplay and McGregor was first to react. The ball dropped to Cammy Devlin, but his shot was charged down by Iheanacho and broke to the Hoops captain who delivered a perfect pass to Osmand, with Iheanacho and James Forrest in support, who chased into the Hearts half without an opponent in sight.
The former Fulham kid gleefully struck the ball into the gaping net for the goal that brought down the curtain on a crusade that veered towards the unbelievable.
CROWNING GLORY…Callum Osmand races away after stroking in Celtic’s third goal in the 3-1 triumph over Hearts with Kelechi Iheanacho in pursuit.
Earlier in a dramatic encounter, the first-half had come to a conclusion with Arne Engels’ penalty-kick leveller in stoppage-time.
Ironically, after all that furore over the handball award before Celtic’s winner against Motherwell in midweek, it came from…a handball.
There was no debate about this one. Tierney’s left-wing cross was clearly handled by Alexandros Kyzaridis, referee Don Robertson unhesitatingly pointed to the spot and Kevin Clancy, on VAR, agreed.
Up stepped Engels to accept the responsibility and his drive went under the body of the diving Schwolow at his left-hand side.
It was hardly the textbook execution of an award, but no-one in the east end of Glasgow was complaining as the stadium erupted into joy.
The Hoops had been forced to come off the ropes after going behind in the 43rd minute through a back-post header from Shankland following a right-wing corner-kick.
A week later, the curtain came down on an extraordinary campaign with Martin O’Neill waving to the joyous Celtic fans and Callum McGregor holding the Scottish Cup aloft at Hampden.
Incredibly, after all the trials and tribulations, Celtic had completed a phenomenal league and Cup double after being written off just a few weeks ago.
WALKING ON AIR…Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates scoring Celtic’s third goal in the 3-1 Scottish Cup Final win over Dunfermline at Hampden on May 23.
Goals from Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels and Kelechi Iheanacho – who else? – got the job done against Neil Lennon’s battlers.
It was no surprise when Maeda claimed the breakthrough goal in the 19th minute.
The Japanese speedster picked up where he left off the previous weekend in the title-winning victory and this time it was the Fifers who were left in his slipstream.
He darted around with his usual menace and his jet-paced acceleration helped him as he set off in pursuit of a chipped through ball from Alistair Johnston.
Central defender John Tod hesitated for a fatal moment, missed his clearance and Maeda was in behind him to size up the situation in a heartbeat before nonchalantly lifting the ball over the outrushing Anton Oxborough with his right foot.
The keeper was left motionless as the ball sailed serenely over his head on its way to its inevitable destination.
Engels doubled the advantage in the 36th minute with a venomous right-foot drive from 25 yards that completely flummoxed the Fifers’ keeper.
WHAT A DOUBLE…Martin O’Neill and Callum McGregor celebrate Celtic’s remarkable Premiership triumph
The Hoops lost the momentum in the first 10 minutes of the second-half with the Fifers, re-energised by the introduction of three half-time substitutions and some words from Neil Lennon, trying to close them down and put them under pressure.
As expected, O’Neill introduced Iheanacho for Forrest in the 59th minute with Maeda going to the left wing and Yang switching flanks.
In the 66th minute Iheanacho touched a low cross from Yang over the line, but the strike was ruled out for offside. It was tight, but images showed it was the right decision.
However, there was no arguing with the third goal in the 73rd minute, inevitably scored by Iheanacho.
The Nigerian international took a pass from Nygren, displayed some bewildering close control to ease away from two defenders and then the keeper before stroking the ball into the net.
The guy just makes it look so easy.
The Fifers claimed a consolation goal through Josh Cooper in the 80th minute.
However, Celtic coasted to the final whistle of a turbulent season in which they somehow managed to claim a double.
Only Martin O’Neill could have inspired such a rally from the Hoops.
RESULTS
May 3:
Premiership:
Hibs 1 CELTIC 2
Maeda, Iheanacho
May 10:
Premiership:
CELTIC 3 Rangers 1
Yang, Maeda 2
May 13:
Premiership:
Motherwell 2 CELTIC 3
Maeda, Nygren, Iheanacho (pen)
May 16:
Premiership:
CELTIC 3 Hearts 1
Engels (pen), Maeda, Osmand
May 23:
Scottish Cup: Final
CELTIC 3 Dunfermline 1
Maeda, Engels, Iheanacho
