Falkirk beat Celtic for the first time since 2007 on Sunday, Ethan Ross and Scott Tanser scoring in a famous 2-0 win at the Falkirk Stadium — and the man who made sure of it was Celtic's former goalkeeper Scott Bain, who produced 10 saves against the club he once served.
This was no smash-and-grab fluke, even if Celtic created enough chances to win three games, as their own manager admitted. Falkirk scored twice in the first half, defended their box with everything they had and rode a goalkeeping performance their manager called the game of Bain's life. For the champions, a sixth defeat in 10 matches — and just one clean sheet in that run — turned a routine chance to go seven points clear into a full-blown defensive inquest.
Three minutes in, Celtic gift the opener
The afternoon turned inside three minutes. Ryan Strain crossed from the right and the returning Cameron Carter-Vickers, back in the starting line-up after injury, diverted the ball straight into the path of Ethan Ross, who made no mistake. As Sky Sports reported, Strain injured himself delivering that cross and had to be replaced, but the damage to Celtic was already done.
Celtic responded like champions are supposed to. Camilo Duran struck a post on 12 minutes, then was denied by Bain three times in the first half alone, while Haissem Hassan — recalled to the side — was also foiled by a diving Bain stop. But every save seemed to grow Falkirk's belief, and on 38 minutes they doubled the lead. Teenage winger Owen Eames, on loan from Derby and a constant source of creativity, slipped an infield pass through and left-back Scott Tanser ran untracked through the centre of Celtic's defence before slotting past Sam Johnstone.
Falkirk thought they had a third early in the second half when Jacob Murrell bundled the ball in after Celtic failed to deal with a long throw, only for VAR to rule it out for handball. It did not matter. Bain produced a brilliant double save from James Forrest and Benjamin Nygren, denied Forrest again, and thwarted Nygren and Mika Baur late on as the home crowd chanted for their goalkeeper to be Scotland's number one.
O'Neill points at his own defence
Martin O'Neill, who made three changes after the midweek draw with Dundee United, split his verdict between praise for Bain and blame for his own back line. The goals, as the Gazette & Herald reported, drew a blunt response: "They were very poor from our viewpoint. We didn't clear it for the first one, then we let someone run through and pick his spot for the second. We have conceded some poor goals and haven't kept a clean sheet for some time and that's the essence of a championship team."
On Sky, O'Neill added that Celtic "could have scored six or seven dead easily" and called Bain "magnificent", while insisting his side are "still top of the league" and were in a worse position at this stage last year. Falkirk manager John McGlynn went further on his goalkeeper: "Scott Bain had the game of his life. If ever there was a statement about putting him into the Scotland goal, that was it. He could easily be doing a job for Celtic, but I'm delighted we've got him."
So what — top spot is safe, the defence is not
Celtic remain four points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership, but they have now played a game more than second-placed Rangers, who spent the weekend booking a cup final instead. The cushion is real; the form behind it is not. One clean sheet in 10, a sixth defeat in that spell and a Europa League campaign still waiting for its first point — with Besiktas away on Thursday — means O'Neill's problems are stacking up faster than his excuses. Celtic's European struggles, seen already in their Celta Vigo defeat, are now bleeding into domestic afternoons they used to win by habit.
For Falkirk, this is a season-defining result: a fourth successive win, a third straight clean sheet and fourth place in the table, two points behind Hearts. A side that had not beaten Celtic in 19 meetings stretching back to 2007 did not just end that run — they announced themselves as a genuine force in this season's top six.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Bain will rightly take the headlines — a former Celtic keeper producing the performance of his life against Celtic is the story of the weekend in Scotland. But do not let the saves hide the truth: Celtic's defence handed Falkirk both goals, and a team that cannot keep a clean sheet cannot keep relying on its lead at the top. O'Neill knows it. The question is whether he can fix it before Rangers, and Europe, make him pay for it properly.
Was Bain's display the best by a goalkeeper in Scotland this season, or was this defeat all of Celtic's own making? Let us know in the comments.
