We anticipated a rollercoaster final game of the season, but goodness, no one could have imagined the dramatic a conclusion we got.
Just as they had against Newco six days earlier, then against Motherwell on Wednesday, Celtic conceded the first goal against Hearts and left their title hopes clinging by a thread. Until that goal in the 43rd minute, Hearts offered little more than resistance, as Celtic struggled to create a chance worthy of the name.
Celtic defend corner kicks with a mix of man-to-man; usually concentrating on the tall players who take up prime positions in front of goal, and zonal; flooding the prime spots in front of goal where players are most likely to score from.
Lawrence Shankland made a run to the back post from a low-risk area and with his run, was able to evade Alistair Johnston. When Viljami Sinisalo came for and missed the cross, Shankland was favourite and finished excellently.
With the middle of the park proving impossible to penetrate, Celtic made their crucial breakthrough down the left. Sebastian Tounekti played-in the overlapping Kieran Tierney, whose cross met the arm of the unfortunate Kyziridis. Referee Don Robertson initially pointed for a corner kick, but within a second changed his mind to award the penalty.
Arne Engels will hit better penalties and not convert them. It is a worry for another day that our competence from the spot does not seem nailed down, for now, none of that mattered as Hearts ‘keeper Schwolow dived over the shot. A delicious twist of irony was added to the equaliser, as it occurred in the fourth minute of four added before the interval, after Hearts players twice required play to stop during the first half for physio treatment.
With Celtic’s ‘Get out of Jail’ card played, Martin O’Neill made the first of his big substitution decisions at halftime. Kelechi Iheanacho always improves Celtic when he comes on. Always. He is by far the best player in Scottish football and with Daizen Maeda moving left, Celtic began to dominate proceedings for the first time in the game.
With Hearts clearly flagging and sitting ever-deeper, the goal always looked like coming, however, I got worried when Martin made his second big substitution decision. As he hooked Auston Trusty for Callum Osmand with 17 minutes of the game left, it indicated the manager was making a gamble he was not entirely comfortable with. This was the first time he had gone three at the back at Celtic – since 2005 anyway – and was a formation I thought we had seen the last of when Wilfried Nancy departed. It clearly played a significant role in our French manager’s downfall.
Osmand had not even featured on the bench in over six months. His appearance as a sub was a surprise in itself. In his career to date, he had played only 94 minutes of senior football across three substitute appearances. You would be forgiven for thinking, ‘Desperate stuff’. But you would be wrong.
Osmand’s final act will take all the headlines but his most telling contribution was his timed run (while over a yard onside) and perfect cross for Daizen Maeda to give Celtic the lead in the 88th minute. For a player dismissed as “Miles off it” by an earlier manager, but championed by Shaun Maloney and the rest of the coaching staff to Martin O’Neill, as soon as Irishman arrived for his first stint in charge this season, Callum was outstanding. We have a genuinely exciting 20-year-old on our hands.
Marcelo Saracchi came on at the same time as Osmand and played a pivotal role in the second Celtic goal, his directness in possession was exactly what was required that late in the game, that late in the season. The script was written for the man of the moment and Daizen Maeda was not about to let the occasion pass.
When he saw Osmand head towards the byline, Daizen moved away from him to create space in which to attack the coming cross. The goal was an instant of ecstasy for Celtic fans worldwide, which was frustrated by a bizarre offside flag which was correctly overruled by VAR. Ecstasy resumed when Don Robertson pointed to the centre spot and I am not sure it will ever end. We may now have to live with being permanently ecstatic.
Sky Sports had its greatest moment since the “Agueroooooooo” goal in2012. Hearts fans distraught at getting to the 88th minute of the final game of the season as champions-elect, only to see their hopes destroyed. Celtic fans, who had not seen their side top of the table since September, now believing, “It’s happening!!” Life in all its joys and tortures was there, beamed around the world for gasping audiences.
All that was left was the most incredible end to a season ever recorded, more so than that 2012 win by Manchester City. There was one minute on the clock when Callum McGregor conceded a free kick 40 yards from the Celtic goal. Derek McInnes told Schwolow to leave his goal and get into the Celtic box. When the resultant kick was knocked out the box, every Celtic player pushed out, seven Hearts players, stood still. That caused the most overwhelming overload you will ever see. Iheanacho, McGregor, James Forrest, the referee and Callum Osmand were all ahead of the nearest Hearts player. It was indeed happening. Celebrating this goal was the most fantastic experience. The outcome was inevitable six seconds before it happened; allowing us the most delicious anticipation of pleasure known to man. You just don’t get this at a football game.
1986, 1988, 1998 and 2017 are the most iconic seasons I have experienced. It’s too early to know if this tops the lot; recency bias, and all that. But today, it feels like it does. We were so low, so often. So many late, late, goals. Behind in our last three games with no space to drop points.
The brilliant game against Newco just over a week ago with one of the greatest goals we have ever seen. The even-more outstanding game against Motherwell, conceding in the 85th minute, then its momentous conclusion. Finally, the Hearts game that won the title. Scoring with literally the last kick of the ball in the final two games of the season – and I don’t recall that happening once before in my Celtic supporting life.
Scottish football outdid itself this season, credit to Falkirk, St Mirren, Hibernian and Motherwell for their playing style, to Newco for their recovery and coming so close after Russell Martin, and, of course, to Hearts. Derek McInnes’ reaction to our entirely-legitimate penalty at Motherwell, or on Saturday, might cloud your judgement on this, but football does things to people. To McInnes, to you and to me.
Most of all, congratulations to Martin O’Neill, his team of winners, to Celtic Football Club and the supporters who inspired them to historic greatness.
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Hot Smokedj
I believe it would be the end of Celtic if we moved.
Hope you enjoyed Saturday:-)
your were missed on the stair:-))
Hail Hail
You were :-))
An Tearmann, I actually commented to my brother that the 3 games in 8 days finale would act to our advantage. Our players spent much of the season coping with that scenario over and over, with a wee respite towards the end of the season to give them some time to recharge their batteries for the final push. The Hearts players hadn’t had to cope with that workload and the lack of recovery time, and when they needed to recover and reach peak level they couldn’t do it.
Game on a constant loop in the Brazen. Don’t hear anyone complaining. 😁
a very very slight nagging in my head is that the board will feel vindicated. After all we won the league, eh and hopefully the Cup as well.
Tony Bloom is a serial winner and I’d think Hearts will be stronger next season, but, so will we with St Martin at the helm
Great days, best wishes to all fellow Celts, enjoy it greatly
kingLUBO
bigrailroadblues@4.13pm
Just wait till the Celtic fans invade the pitch……
All hell will let loose….
Towards the end of the match it must have been a nightmare for the Hearts defence to keep track of the Celtic forwards.
We were playing with 4 up front and they wee circulating ad lib.
At the time of the second goal Maeda was at point, Iheanacho a little deeper, Forrest wide right and Osmand wide left. Hearts had 3 CBs plus full backs.
Sarracchi – who started the move from left CB by stepping into midfield – picked up the ball again and moved forward.
Nygren ran wide taking a centre mid with him, Osmand ran behind and inside his full back, one CB went to Sarracchi on the ball, another CB ran to close Osmand after the pass.
The pass itself took out a CM, 2 CBs and a FB, leaving Maeda near post and Iheanacho central on the spot with just one CB to cover them both. The FB on the other side was covering Jamesie at the back post. Osmand had three options – 4 if you count Engles in the D – took the near post option and Maeda poked it home.
There was so much going on, so much movement that it’s difficult to see what Hearts could have done about it. They were beaten by some very clever footballers playing very clever football. Not even the linesman, doing his best, was able to prevent the goal.
Joyful stuff.
TBB- Saracchi added pace and a bit of adventure when he came on,Hearts couldn’t cope with him,I hope we do a deal for him
I’ll never tire of watching this.
https://youtu.be/eEkeglSspx4?si=pjX8877JDumRtfKD
Incredible stuff.
Radio5 Live Drive gets in on the Act……
Clare McDonnell (R5) “Was there any sectarianism on display?”
Scott Thornton (Merchant City & Trongate Community Council)
“…..Irish flags were rampant…..make of that what you will…”
Make of that what you will indeed….
So proud of MoN for pointing blank refusing to condemn Celtic fans.
We’ve some former execs that need to learn a few things from MoN.
Tim Malone Will Tell on 18th May 2026 9:25 am
God only knows what we would be facing if the end result had been 2-1 with a similar pitch invasion and time still on the clock.
*but it didnae happen and neither did it on Wednesday night after the penalty when Kelechi ran to our fans which prompted the wee boys in our support tae join him, in fact both times our players did that, this time though we witnessed an event we will probably NEVER EVER see again and thats 3 Celtic mhen running clear with only the ref following them, the opposition had stopped dead, the majority of Parkheid was on its feet in anticipation of the ball nestling n the net and when it did exuberance took over as the young bhoys took to the field.
I have mentioned on here before about a cup game on March 3, 1966 at swinecastle, its on you tube, watch it, the crowd were on the park before the ko, early on in the game they came back and the teams had to leave the park, when we eventually took the lead at 3-2 they were back on, all young Celtic bhoys, the game was eventually replied as it finished 3-3 and we won the replay 3-1, no recriminations from the smsm or the home side, this was a typical blood and thunder cup tie, wonder if some of those young bhoys are critcising today’s.
The there was another game, last one of the season at Parkheid, we were neck and neck with deidco but had a superior GD, this was due mainly to the huns dropping a point at cappielow midweek, so a packed ground was in full voice as we clapped the visitors, morton, on to the park, Wispy gave us the lead but one of the visitors Wednesday night heroes, joe mason, equalised just before half time, nae worries as we had 8 of the Lisbon Lions on the field that day, Brogie, Charlie G and the Bear were the exceptions, Luggy was our sub.
We did everything, absolutely everything with the ball hitting legs, erses, etc, but put the ball in the net that second half, until in the last minute big Tam once again rampaged down the wing and crossed the ball intae the box, the Buzz Bomb is credited with scoring which he did only this time he actually bundled the ball intae the net.
Cue bedlam like we have seen often especially last Sunday, Wednesday night and Saturday, but the only person on the park other than the payers that afternoon was a Big Mhan fae Burnbank as he hirpled past ball bhoys, polis and anyone else in his way to jump on his players celebrating what was technically the Title winner, meanwhile down at rugby park the visiting support, whose game had finished earlier. were silenced on hearing of our late winner.
Oh and didn’t the late great Tommy Burns do the same after a late European winner and possibly Lenny tae, what we are witnessing right now was caused by a sour faced tadger on Wednesday night when hearing of our late penalty winner, btw is he no supposed to face the beaks this week for his outburst.
The sectarianism is in the answer…
What number comes after 55 and before 57 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
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Celtic Mac @ 5:04pm – Lol.
The lack of self awareness, in this day and age, is astounding.
If Clare McDonnell of R5 is lurking?
Every day is a school day.
Scotland fans will need to be on their best behaviour at the World Cup.
If not the SMSM will be down on them like a ton of bricks……..won’t they?
BBC Network getting fed the narrative to take UK wide by the Blue Broadcasting Corporation as usual.
Twas ever thus.
We’ve seen it in News, Sport, Current Affairs and even Mastermind.
Simple solution Celtic Board.
Cut out the middle man.
Continue to extend a warm welcome to BBC Network …
… and ban BBC Scotland …………… a.k.a. the Blue Broadcasting Corporation forthwith.
Radio Scotland now rewriting history. At the recent cup game at Ibrox, the Union Bears came on to the pitch and the Celtic supporters came on to confront them. At least, that is the version they are spouting. Oh, and they have at least stopped claiming Hearts players were assaulted; they were merely goaded.
They are also claiming that Glasgow Council are supporting the Police. I thought Glasgow Council were saying the Police’s claim that Celtic wouldn’t engage with them was wrong.
Tontine Tim,
I remember that Morton game well for 1 reason: I was with my Dad in the Hayshed, as he always called it. Probably the last time, as I used to go to the game with my pals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giWnk6Yz3SQ
Extraordinary finish to the Scotland V Denmark game.
No restart.
Ref blew for time up.
Any complaints then?
Tim Malone Will Tell on 18th May 2026 2:54 pm
“Hillsborough was a tragedy waiting to happen – to suggest that all seater stadiums does not improve safety disrespects the 97 dead in my opinion.”
|
The Liverpool fans said that they’re 97 comrades were crushed to death by Thatcher’s impartial officers of the law, to be used as an excuse, create a narrative about football terraces being unsafe, because Thatcher could not control the England national teams fans violent hooliganism.
They said it when they visited Parkhead in 2016 when they came to see our safe standing area.
They said that all seating has created boring stadiums.
They said that if football terraces were unsafe why was it only the deliberately ‘badly’ policed Hillsborough game in 1989 that had such a tragedy?
Ibrox – crushing, Hillsborough – crushing, Bradford – fire, were the exceptions, and were politicized to seat every stadium in UK and then the world.
Football fans have been dumbed down by a Government orchestrated lie, which has saw football stadiums transformed into all seated family sections which are thoroughly boring.
Society is now majority of sheeple since the ‘deep state’ stole the beautiful game from the working classes.
30 years after Hillsborough scam, the Government felt bold enough to vaccinate the entire population, with mRNA military grade vaccines for a virus which nobody could prove existed.
This was the classic example of a scam on the millions of innocent people.
Who felt timid from uppity football fans on terraces?
Who felt the need to dumb down and emasculate all men into curtain twitching, gender benders, etc.
Hillsborough was a red flag in more ways than one.
They were used and their lives were taken to create a narrative about football terraces as unsafe spaces.
The beautiful game has been stolen until this scam is overturned!
Sorry if the truth offends – they’re murders must ever be forgotten.
Even as they lay on the ground dead or dying, the fake media were already plunging they’re knives into these victims backs.
The ‘Taylor Report’ bs must be overturned to properly respect these innocent fans.
They were wall to wall lied about by the establishment.
This was written over Kenny Dalglish’s face at the fans funerals.
That look that he learned at Celtic, the look of knowing your being cheated and lied to, but you cannot prove it.
RIP the 97 innocent Liverpool Football fans.
Sad are the home of the narrative victims….
Rat Nevin on 5live said he seen 2 guys assaulting Shankland, total lies,another who should be banned, any evidence of 1 Hearts player assaulted would be all over the news
1. BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 16TH MAY 2026 9:14 PM Miracle on Kerrydale St ,
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 17TH MAY 2026 2:10 PM
Ah finally, I’ve made it onto this Dear Green Place. What a day it was yesterday! Absolutely sublime. It may be a few days until I come back down to Earth. Loved every minute of it.
Never doubted we would do the business but an Our Father, three Hail Marys, a Glory Be and request for intervention from Our Lady of Good Success sealed the deal and Daizen scored shortly afterwards.
************
Must fess up here……I’m no longer a person of faith, but with 10-15 minutes to go I remembered a post from a couple of years ago from BRTH extolling the virtues of Queen of the May – 🎼 Bring flowers of the rarest…🎼 .. most people will know the one.
I couldn’t get it out of my mind, but neither could I remember the words – so I googled them including:
Thy love and protection,
Sweet Mother, to win;
In danger defend us,
In sorrow befriend us,
And shield our hearts
From contagion and sin
*********
Started singing lyrics to myself in my isolated bubble.
Now, take what you like from that, but I took it as having a win and defending it against the sinful Hearts – bit of a stretch, I know, but hey-ho! Anyway, guess what happens next: Tequila Maeda and The Three Amigos!!!
Only right that I have a wee trip up to Brother Walfrid’s grave and thank him for giving us such a wonderful gift. Enjoy, Enjoy, fellow Celts.
BBC Shortie report on poor Scott Hastings includes rugger fans invading the pitch.
No outcry.
Will they be included in swinney’s new law?
Or, like alcohol bans, only for us football plebs.
Bada 6.40
Nevin? He never went to university.
Quote from Brian Mc Clair.
Just a thought, given I think Maeda has played his second last game for us: we’d have a couple fewer league trophies without him and Kyogo.
Nevin attended Glasgow College of Technology (now Caledonian University).
Parkheadcumsalford
So Brian was correct? Only seen his response on an interview. He’s still a snivelling soup taker.
In other news, is anyone going to Lisbon next Monday 25th May? I’m taking grandson – and son-in-law – to Estadio Nacional. Right of passage and all that.
We’ll be watching the cup final in O’ Gillins where I watched the 2017 Invincible Final with many fine CQNers.
Hendrix on the jukebox. Red House. Good start to the week. 👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwQAV4n5zA
TENNNNNN……….
NINNNNNNNNE….
EIGHHHHHHT…….
.SEVENNNNNNN…
..6.5.4.3.2.1
🥴😂🤣🏆🏆🏆
It’s not our fault
– the huns liquidated
-they sold their soul and can’t reinvent themselves
-The only thing McInnes could refer to was the defunct hun ‘they’re all against’ culture
– It’s not our fault McInnes sent them out to fall over and disrupt and the only thing they disrupted was themselves
-it’s not our fault that VAR penalty decisions are not decided by checking the score in Tynecastle
– It’s not our fault Hearts couldn’t pull away from us
-It’s not our fault Rangers can’t manage modern football
– it’s not our fault Motherwell can match anybody in the league
It is our fault
-we’re solvent
-the team kept going
-the board ditched Nancy
-an elderly experienced manager was desperate to win this league
-the injured players got themselves back
-60,000 fans roared at the team all game long!
Tough on Hearts who led the League table for the whole season but no doubt Celtic were deserving winners. Hearts players were out on their feet in that second half and dropping to the turf with all kinds of injuries ?
The Celtic bench and changed tactics made a huge impact. Kelechi saved his best performance until this last crucial game of the Championship, James Forrest different class, Sarrachi typical feisty South American, hope we are signing this guy and young Osmond made a fairytale return to the team with his goal and assist in the final minutes of the title in.
Of course who can forget The Green Panther who pounced for that second strike, the mercurial Daizen Maeda the star of our last 7 games. Looking forward to seeing him in the World Cup. Congrats to the squad and the whole Celtic backroom team after an unforgettable season.
Lauded
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26113320.watch-hearts-fans-welcome-team-back-tynecastle/
Condemned
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq55r8pppyeo
The Battered Bunnet on 18th May 2026 4:23 pm
Towards the end of the match it must have been a nightmare for the Hearts defence to keep track of the Celtic forwards….
_
Very much in agreement with this and with the rest of your post. It makes me wonder whether the consensus that the current squad is sub-standard is entirely valid. Ever since the defeat at Tannadice, the team has, at some point in each game, conjured up some outstanding play. They’re not the finished article but nor are they a million miles off it.
Yeah B2B
It’s disgusting the money Celtic bring to the city year in year out