For an hour at Celtic Park on Thursday night there was nothing to suggest what was coming. Celtic had managed two touches in the Besiktas penalty area in the entire first half. Sam Johnstone had already seen Junior Olaitan tuck away the rebound from a saved spot-kick. A fifth straight European defeat, which would have been a club record, looked close to certain.
Then Martin O'Neill made three substitutions and the night turned inside out. Callum Osmand, Camilo Duran and Colby Donovan came on just after the hour. Between them Osmand and Duran produced three goals and an assist, and Celtic won 3-2.
Forty-three seconds
That is how long Osmand had been on the pitch before he scored. Callum McGregor read a Besiktas pass into midfield, took the ball off them and slid it forward. The 20-year-old carried it to the edge of the area and drilled a low finish past Alexander Nubel. A stadium that had been quiet to the point of discomfort found its voice in a second.
Everything changed with it. Liam Scales forced a save from a corner. Osmand put Benjamin Nygren through, and Nygren curled his shot just over. Then Osmand set up Duran, who rounded Nubel and rolled the ball into an empty net. Celtic had gone from one shot in sight of goal to leading a Besiktas side that had controlled the first half without breaking sweat.
Orkun Kokcu dragged it back level almost immediately with a strike from the edge of the box that gave Johnstone no chance. The response took barely any time at all. Kieran Tierney drove into the area and scuffed his effort, the ball dropped to Duran, and he side-footed it home from close range. The offside check felt like it lasted longer than the move itself. On 87 minutes, Celtic were back in front and this time they held on, helped by a strong Johnstone claim from a late cross.
What it means for Kasper Hogh
O'Neill has said more than once this season that he does not know his best eleven. After Thursday he has less room to be uncertain. Duran is now on 13 goals for the campaign and looked sharp the moment he arrived. Osmand's first touch was to turn and run at a defence, which is more than Celtic's starters managed all evening.
Kasper Hogh started and is now 15 games without a goal. He looked hesitant, and hesitancy is exactly what a team low on belief cannot afford. Dropping a striker on that run is not a difficult call in itself; the harder part is that Celtic have been carrying him in the hope the drought ends on its own. It has not.
The warning signs did not disappear either. Johnstone's poor clearance set up the whole first-half mess, Jordan Lotomba's challenge on Ernest Poku was rash enough to give away the penalty, and there were visible gaps in the stands amid continuing fan unrest about the board. A comeback win does not fix any of that.
O'Neill takes the relief
"It's a relief we've got off the mark and got some points on the board," the 74-year-old said afterwards. "The game was pretty difficult but we came through it with flying colours. We could've caved in after the penalty goes in but we came roaring back and the subs made a big difference."
He also told his players they were a credit to the club, which is the sort of thing managers say when the result matters more than the performance. Celtic have a domestic game on Sunday before the international break. Whether this is the turn or just a loud evening will be clearer by then.
Match facts: Celtic 3-2 Besiktas, Europa League, Celtic Park. Junior Olaitan scored the opener from the rebound after Sam Johnstone saved his penalty. Callum Osmand levelled 43 seconds after coming on, Camilo Duran put Celtic ahead, Orkun Kokcu equalised, and Duran won it on 87 minutes. Duran was named player of the match with a BBC user rating of 8.42. Source: BBC Sport.
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