Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 15:00; Sunday Celtic TV, also on PPV.
- Celtic move back into second spot. Sevco drew 0-0 away whilst Hearts won, so Hearts on top still on 54pts -28GD, Celtic on 48pts & -20GD (43 goals scored) whilst Sevco on 48pts -20GD (37 goals scored).
- Cvancara scores his debut goal for Celtic, so already 1 goal & 1 assist. Tounetki had a goal disallowed (correctly ruled out due to Maeda offside). Nygren scores again.
- Major protests at the game today v the board, very loud, very clear. Unavoidable
- Iheanacho back from injury and comes on late as a sub.
- Arajuo was class & Tierney was excellent too.
- Green Brigade still banned their corner empty, 19 games now.
- Possibly first time we’ve played 3 consecutive games against our ex goalkeepers? Barkas, Bain & Craig Gordon!
- Martin O’Neill confirms medicals ongoing for two players coming in at Celtic. Expected to be Mvuka and Adamu. Chance of other business too with Ghedjamis still heavily linked. Stephen Welsh expected to remain at Celtic unless another centre back arrives.
- Ex Celtic manager Ronny Deila appointed by Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv as their new head coach.
- Reports:
- Celtic are quietly confident of striking a deal for Frosinone attacker Fares Ghedjemis despite the Serie B leaders being reluctant to sell and demanding at least £6m.
- Dunajska Streda have told clubs that they do not want to sell Damir Redzic, with Celtic, RB Salzburg and at least two other European clubs having tabled offers of around £3.5m
- Celtic intend to discuss a contract extension with James Forrest provided the 34-year-old winger is still content with his current role but are also happy to allow him to move on if he is keen to seek more playing time elsewhere.
- Brann head coach Freyr Alexandersson has told TV2 in Norway it is “50/50” whether reported Celtic target Felix Horn Myhre, for whom Brondby have reportedly lodged a £2.6m transfer bid, remains at the club.
- Reported Celtic target Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has decided to join Stoke City on loan with an obligation to buy from Crystal Palace amid interest in the 23-year-old from Monaco.
- Kasper Hogh remains a target for Celtic and Norwich City, but a move for the 25-year-old forward in this window is looking less likely after Bodo/Glimt progressed to the Champions League knockouts.
- Celtic are working on a loan deal for Freiburg forward Junior Adamu.
- Nottingham Forest exploring a move for Celtic midfielder Arne Engels. Celtic have received a £14m bid acc to reports.
- Transfers – January transfer window:
- Next day is last day in the window
- In:
- Julian Araujo – On loan – 6mth
- Stephen Welsh recalled from Motherwell loan.
- Thomas Cvancara signs on loan with option to buy.
- Out:
- Hayato Inamura – Loan to FC Tokyo until the end of the 2025/26 season.
- Jahmai Simpson-Pusey loan cancelled early
Shin Yamada loan 6mths – Preußen Münster.
Summary
“I thought it was a great win for us, particularly after Thursday night and the effort the players put into that win. “You could see there were periods in the game where we didn’t have the energy, but there’s a great camararderie about the group. They want to go beyond the call of duty and it was a big, big win. “Falkirk are flying, they’re a dangerous side. I’m delighted we’ve won and there were some big efforts today. “Naturally pleased [Tomas Cvancara] got the goal. He hasn’t played a lot of football in recent times, but I think there’s lots of improvements in his game. There’s a player there. “I said to [Benjamin Nygren] in my first spell that midfield players who score goals are worth their weight in gold. “We are [close to transfers]. We’ve some medicals here at this minute and fingers crossed the players come through. “We’ve got a couple and we’re hoping to add maybe late on. “That would give us a chance. We’re staying there to the end and let’s see what happens.”
Martin O’Neill postmatch
pads99 of KDS:
A bit of a grind but Falkirk play nice pass and move football and made it hard at times. Our midfield should take note.
Two lovely goals especially the second. Thought Nygren worked hard and his goals have been a lifesaver. If he had any pace at all he would playing at a much higher level.
The protests today were the loudest and most sustained this season. All around me were on their feet for “stand up if you hate the board”.
This was a very tricky fixture to negotiate especially after Thursday night and so top marks to the players for a clean sheet and three points. And we sent sevco down into third spot which is an added bonus.
Very well done to the players. We are starting to build some momentum now and hopefully we can bring in a few players and then we crack on for the title.
COYBIG
Dull game, lit up by a really well worked nygren goal. But that was about it.
We struggled against falkirks press for periods in the game.
Teams
Celtic
Martin O’Neill
Formation:
4 – 4 – 2
01, K. Schmeichel
63, K. Tierney, subbed for S. Welsh at 83mins
05, L. Scales
47, D. Murray
22, J. Araujo
38, D. Maeda, subbed for K. Ịheanachọ at 84mins
42, C. McGregor (c), Captain
27, A. Engels, subbed for R. Hatate at 71mins
13, Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for J. Forrest at 48mins
08, B. Nygren
11, T. Čvančara, subbed for S. Tounekti at 72mins
Substitutes
Subs:
51, C. Donovan
49, J. Forrest
28, Paulo Bernardo
41, R. Hatate
14, L. McCowan
12, V. Sinisalo
23, S. Tounekti
57, S. Welsh
17, K. Ịheanachọ
Goals:
T. Čvančara (39′)
B. Nygren (62′)
Assists:
K. Tierney (39′), C. McGregor (62′)
Falkirk
Manager John McGlynn
Formation 04 – 2 – 3 – 1
19, S. Bain
03, L. McCann, Yellow Card 17′
05, L. Henderson
20, C. Allan
02, K. Adams
21, D. Tait, subbed for H. Cartwright at 64mins
16, B. Stewart, subbed for B. Graham at 74mins
29, C. Miller, subbed for A. Nesbitt at 84mins
08, B. Spencer (c), Captain
22, K. Wilson, subbed for E. Ross at 64mins
30, L. Marsh, subbed for F. Yeats at 63mins
Subs:
17, H. Cartwright, Yellow Card 66′
06, C. Donaldson
07, B. Graham
01, N. Hogarth
28, F. Lissah
09, R. MacIver
10, A. Nesbitt
23, E. Ross
14, F. Yeats
Referee David Dickinson
Video Assistant Referee Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee 1 David Roome
Assistant Referee 2 Chris Rae
Fourth Official Graham Grainger
Assistant VAR Official Frank Connor
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall possession
Celtic 57.6% Falkirk 42.4%
Shots
Celtic 10 Falkirk 14
Shots
Shots on target
Celtic 5 Falkirk 4
Shots on target
Total touches inside the opposition box
Celtic 29 Falkirk 21
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 4 Falkirk 2
Aerial duels won
Celtic 10 Falkirk 14
Fouls committed
Celtic 7 Falkirk 5
Corners
Celtic 9 Falkirk 4
In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Celtic 10 Falkirk 14
Shots on target
Celtic 5 Falkirk 4
Shots off target
Celtic 4 Falkirk 6
Attempts out of box
Celtic 3 Falkirk 5
Total offsides
Celtic 1 Falkirk 4
Distribution
Total passes
Celtic 547 Falkirk 403
Pass accuracy %
Celtic 88.3 Falkirk 81.1
Backward passes
Celtic 92 Falkirk 62
Forward passes
Celtic 157 Falkirk 139
Total long balls
Celtic 41 Falkirk 63
Successful final third passes
Celtic 110 Falkirk 67
Total crosses
Celtic 26 Falkirk 21
Defence
Total tackles
Celtic 22 Falkirk 24
Won tackle %
Celtic 59.1 Falkirk 62.5
Fouls committed
Celtic 7 Falkirk 5
Total yellow cards
Celtic 0 Falkirk 2
Total clearances
Celtic 19 Falkirk 31
Pre Match Facts
Celtic have won each of their last seven meetings with Falkirk in all competitions, last winning eight in a row in December 1973.
Falkirk have lost 15 of their last 17 away games at Celtic across all competitions (D2) since a 2-0 league victory in October 1994 under Jim Jefferies.
Celtic have won all four of their home league games under Martin O’Neill this season without conceding. Indeed, having also won his final home league match in his first spell in charge of Celtic 2-0 against Aberdeen in May 2005, the Northern Irishman could win six home league games in a row without conceding for the first time as Hoops boss.
Falkirk have won three of their last four league games (L1), as many as their previous 10 beforehand (W3 D3 L4). However, the exception in this time was a 0-1 defeat to Celtic in January.
Benjamin Nygren leads the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership for goal involvements with 14 (11 goals, 3 assists), scoring in his last three league games. The last player to score in four successive league appearances during his debut campaign as a Celtic player was Moussa Dembélé in March 2017.
Articles
I watched Celtic go second with win over Falkirk – 3 conclusions including pressure reducer and key transfer move
By Graham Falk
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/i-watched-celtic-go-second-with-win-over-falkirk-3-conclusions-including-pressure-reducer-and-key-transfer-move-5498329?cx_testId=5&cx_testVariant=cx_undefined&cx_artPos=1&cx_experienceId=EX2NAIW0WFIR&cx_experienceActionId=showRecommendationsK080OZDSLLXE8#cxrecs_s
Sports Writer
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Published 1st Feb 2026, 21:00 GMT
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Celtic 2-0 Falkirk – game and press conference reaction
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Three key takeaways from Celtic’s 2-0 win over Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership
Celtic moved into second place in the Scottish Premiership with a crucial 2-0 victory over Falkirk at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon as they continued to keep the pressure on league leaders Hearts.
Martin O’Neill’s men started the game nine points behind the Tynecastle outfit after Derek McInnes’s side triumphed 3-0 at Dundee United on Saturday evening, but reduced the lead to six points thanks to goals from Tomas Cvancara and Benjamin Nygren either side of half-time.
Despite the win, chants of ‘sack the board’ were heard throughout from the Celtic home support, with frustration continuing to build between the fans and the board over a perceived lack of movement in the transfer window. However, with the 73-year-old manager revealing afterwards that he was close to a double breakthrough, we look at the key talking points from Celtic’s 2-0 win against Falkirk:
Nygren is Celtic’s most valuable
The Swedish international is an intriguing figure. He cost just £1.7million when he arrived in the summer, and has bagged 16 goals for the club since signing from FC Nordsjælland, but there remain some fans who are yet to be fully convinced by the midfielder.
There have been times this season when he’s gone missing in action, and yet just when you begin to doubt his impact, he comes up with the goods when it matters most. His numbers since his arrival in the east end of Glasgow can’t be argued against, and he popped up with a crucial goal at a key time yet again against Falkirk on Sunday, sealing the win on the hour mark to push Celtic up the table.
Those who have doubted him must surely now be realising his immense importance to Celtic in their quest for success. You’d be laughed out of town for saying anyone but Daizen Maeda was the most important player in Celtic’s squad at the start of the campaign, but the 24-year-old has surpassed him.
If the Hoops are to leapfrog Hearts and win a historic 56th league title, then Nygren will be in with a shout of winning player of the season due to his ability to find the target on a consistent basis.
Pressure reliever for Cvancara
The need for an out-and-out goal-scorer at Parkhead has been clear since the day Kyogo Furuhashi walked out the door almost exactly a year ago. Kelechi Iheanacho has done okay in patches when he’s been fit enough to start, but he clearly isn’t the long-term successor to the little Japanese international. Most of the season, the club have been forced to use the inexperienced Johnny Kenny, or the slightly out of sorts Daizen Maeda, as their central striker, and they’ve suffered for it.
Forget Celtic’s worries for a moment, because Cvancara came with a few of his own. The Borussia Monchengladbach loanee had the first half of his season ruined by a dispute over unpaid wages which brought an end to his loan with Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor prior to his arrival in Glasgow.
Of course, O’Neill and the fans will want to add some more firepower over the next 24 hours, but the sight of Cvancara bagging his first goal for the club will relieve an awful lot of pressure on the Czech hitman. “What I don’t want to do is put an awful lot of pressure on him thinking he is the answer to all our problems,” said the manager upon the 25-year-old’s arrival, but the longer a forward goes without scoring a goal, the more pressure it adds – and Celtic are already at boiling point.
A £9million purchase by Monchengladbach in the summer of 2023, he scored just six goals in the Bundesliga and recorded just two goals and one assist in 13 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig earlier this season. He has arrived in Glasgow with a real point to prove. There’s a long way to go, but a goal and an assist in his first two league games is a very tidy start to the 6ft 3in hitman’s Celtic career, and bagging on his first appearance in front of the home support will be a big boost to his self-confidence.
Key transfer move
O’Neill refused to be drawn on which positions he was hoping to strengthen as he enters the final 24 hours of the transfer window, but it is quite clear that Celtic need additions at centre-back. After admitting the club were close on two attacking options in the shape of Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka from Freiburg and Lorient, respectively, he conceded that it “would really be nice” if he could add further options in other parts of the field before 11pm tomorrow night.
The Hoops boss appeared to almost feel sorry for the recalled Stephen Welsh, who he admits wants and deserves to play first-team football following his strong performances for Motherwell in the first half of the campaign. That said, he simply can’t let him return to Fir Park unless he strengthens his backline before the transfer window shuts.
His first choice centre-back, Cameron Carter-Vickers, is likely to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, while Auston Trusty was suspended on Sunday, meaning he was left with a centre-half pairing of Liam Scales and Dane Murray. With respect to both, that simply won’t be enough if they want to sustain a challenge in both the Scottish Premiership title race and the Europa League. The 73-year-old needs help to bolster his squad, and a centre-back is a must.
‘Done their medicals’ – Martin O’Neill hints at busy Celtic transfer deadline day amid £100million claim
By Graham Falk
Sports Writer
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/done-their-medicals-martin-oneill-hints-at-busy-celtic-transfer-deadline-day-amid-ps100million-claim-5498287?cx_testId=5&cx_testVariant=cx_undefined&cx_artPos=0&cx_experienceId=EX2NAIW0WFIR&cx_experienceActionId=showRecommendationsK080OZDSLLXE8#cxrecs_s
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Published 1st Feb 2026, 18:10 GMT
Updated 2nd Feb 2026, 01:39 GMT
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Celtic 2-0 Falkirk – game and press conference reaction
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Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has spoken about potential incomings and outgoings ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has hinted that supporters should prepare themselves for a busy transfer deadline day, but has insisted he has no desire to see Arne Engels leave this month.
The Scottish champions took full advantage of Rangers’ slip-up against Hibs earlier on Sunday afternoon to move into second place on goal difference with a 2-0 win over Falkirk at Celtic Park thanks to goals from Tomas Cvancara and the league’s top goal-scorer Benjamin Nygren.
However, the 73-year-old admits he needs to add further numbers to his squad in order to compete in the final four months of the campaign, and he revealed that both Freiburg’s Junior Adamu and Lorient’s Joel Mvuka are closing in on moves to the club, with medicals planned for both.
“They’ve either done their medicals or are about to do them,” admitted O’Neill. “So that helps us a little bit, you know, as much as anything else. We might, you never know, there might be something else before Monday evening at 11. Then you won’t be able to ask me on Tuesday, which will be the biggest relief of all time. But it’s always been the same, so it’s not a problem.
“We need Adamu, who’s a very fine player and can hold the ball up, I think. Sometimes he’s played very, very little, but I think he can make an impact. He might not last games and things like this, so we definitely need someone strong in there. Adamo can do that. I think there’s a little bit of pace with the young lad from Lorient. So it’ll just give us a couple of options as much as anything else.
“The players, I think they deserve it. I think their efforts have been really, really big, and I think you saw today where, with the number of games, there’s just no respite for us. As a consequence, players would naturally feel tired. So this will help supplement the squad, as I said, and there might be, hopefully, a possibility of other things happening between now and 11 o’clock, I believe.”
On outgoings, O’Neill conceded that he doesn’t want to lose any of his current players as he addressed rumours of a £14million bid for Belgium international midfielder Engels from Nottingham Forest, while he also discussed the possibility of Stephen Welsh returning to Motherwell on loan before the window shuts on Monday evening.
“I hadn’t heard that [Forest’s bid for Engels],” said O’Neill. “There’s one or two of the lads here who have not played much football, and I can understand frustrations of that there. I know that, and if we can get some people in, I don’t mind some players maybe going on loan or something like this who haven’t played and desperately want to play.
“If you’re not playing, there’s a natural frustration. So we’ll see what develops in that – I’m not talking about Arne here – I’m just talking in general. But if nothing does develop over the next 24 hours, then I would really rather keep the players because we will need them. They might not see that at this minute, but if we stay in competitions, if we do—and that’s a big if—then we will need them.
“If they’ve done it [made a bid] then they must have done it during the game. Because I didn’t know anything about it, honestly. And I would want it rebuffed, unless it was £100million, then I think the board would step in there.
“Welshy has done very, very well at Motherwell, and in an ideal world, he would probably want to go back, and I don’t really want to stop him when he’s on a really good run there at this minute. So that might depend on us getting someone else in as cover.
“We only have the three centre-backs at this minute, and Welshy, you know, he wants to play. Obviously he’d like to play at Celtic. If I can’t guarantee that for him, then obviously he wants to play with Motherwell where he has done exceptionally well. So, but if we don’t get anybody else in, then that’s a case of wanting to keep him here and then just battling for a place.”
Čvančara on target as Celtic pick up all three points
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/february/01/-van-ara-on-target-as-celtic-pick-up-all-three-points-against-falkirk/
By Matthew Campbell
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01 Feb 2026, 5:06 pm
Scottish Premiership
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Celtic Park
CELTIC…2
(Čvančara 39, Nygren 62)
FALKIRK…0
Celtic picked up all three points with a 2-0 win against Falkirk at Paradise as Tomáš Čvančara opened his scoring account and Benjamin Nygren added to his impressive goal tally for the season.
John McGlynn’s Falkirk side have rightly earned plaudits this season for their attacking performances and their ability to get results, an ability which sees them currently occupy a top-six spot in the table, and they looked to put the Hoops under pressure from the first whistle this afternoon.
Early in the match, Kasper Schmeichel was called in to action, producing a good diving save to prevent Barney Stewart from finding the bottom corner with a header from inside the box.
Celtic soon settled in to the match and looked to put together some attacking moves and force Falkirk to defend. However, chances were at a premium for both sides, though Yang was unfortunate not to find the back of the net with a powerful shot from inside the box which forced former Celt, Scott Bain to make a strong save.
With the first half nearing a close, the goal that Celtic had been searching for was delivered by Tomáš Čvančara on his home debut.
Keiran Tierney sent in a tempting cross towards the big forward who glanced a headed effort towards the bottom corner, leaving Scott Bain with no chance and giving the Hoops a 1-0 lead.
Falkirk almost grabbed an equaliser from a corner moments later, with the ball ricocheting dangerously around the six-yard box before Kasper Schmiechel was able to gather, keeping Celtic’s lead intact at half time.
58%
Possession
42%
10
Shots
14
5
Shots On Target
4
9
Corners
4
7
Fouls
5
0
0
Cards
2
0
The visitors almost equalised early in the second half when former Celt, Calvin Miller fired a shot towards goal from distance which crept just wide of the target.
Soon after, Yang was substituted for James Forrest, and after his recent positive performances, it will be hoped that there are no injury concerns surrounding the winger.
There seemed to be more energy in the play in the second half, and with just 10 minutes gone, the game ranged from end to end with Falkirk breaking in to the Celtic box just before Tomáš Čvančara sent a shot just wide of the post at the other end moments later.
Just after the hour mark, Celtic went 2-0 up with Benjamin Nygren grabbing his 12th league goal of the season, finishing off a brilliant move which saw the Swede link up wonderfully with Callum McGregor on the left wing.
Nygren, whose goalscoring exploits this season speak for themselves, almost made it 3-0 a few minutes later when he got a shot on target from just outside the six-yard box, but Scott Bain was equal to it and was able to make the save.
Martin O’Neill made a few changes with 20 minutes gone, bringing Reo Hatate and Sebastian Tounekti on for Arne Engels and Tomáš Čvančara, with the latter receiving a standing ovation as he left the pitch after a good home debut which saw him grab his first goal in the Hoops.
Tounekti had the ball in the net shortly after being brought on, but the offside flag went up denying the winger what would have been a nicely-taken goal.
There were further changes for Celtic as the match progressed, with Stephen Welsh and Kelechi Iheanacho brought on for Kieran Tierney and Daizen Maeda.
Falkirk went close to dragging themselves back in to the match with five minutes to go when veteran striker Brian Graham got a shot away from inside the box, but Kasper Schmeichel got down well to his left and was able to make the save.
Today’s victory over Falkirk returns Martin O’Neill’s side to second place in the table, with a trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen coming up on Wednesday night.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Araujo, Murray, Scales, Tierney (Welsh 83′), Hyunjun Yang (Forrest 48′), Engels (Hatate 71′), McGregor, Maeda (Iheanacho 84′), Cvancara (Tounekti 72′), Nygren
Subs: Sinisalo, McCowan, Iheanacho, Tounekti, Paulo Bernardo, Hatate, Forrest, Donovan, Welsh
Falkirk: Bain, Adams, Allan, Henderson, McCann, Stewart (Graham 74′), Tait (Cartwright 64′), Wilson (Ross 64′), Spencer, Miller (Nesbitt 84′), Marsh (Yeats 63′)
Subs: Hogarth, Donaldson, Graham, MacIver, Nesbitt, Yeats, Cartwright, Ross, Lissah
Manager: It was a good victory against a tough Falkirk side
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/february/01/manager–it-was-a-good-victory-against-a-tough-falkirk-side/
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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01 Feb 2026, 5:53 pm
Martin O’Neill was pleased to see his side take all three points against a very tough Falkirk side, with Tomáš Čvančara and Benjamin Nygren scoring the goals in a 2-0 win for the Hoops.
The result, which returns Celtic to second place in the league, saw Čvančara score his first goal for Celtic, while Nygren netted his 15th of the season.
And reflecting on the game, Martin O’Neill told Celtic TV: “I’m delighted because after the exertions of the other evening, wondering about levels of fitness and levels of energy, the sort of pressing we can do wasn’t really there and I wasn’t surprised at all.
“But we dug it out, we won and the second goal was a magnificent piece of football and it was a big win for us because Falkirk are a very decent team.
“Tomáš scored the header, but there’s lots more to him and I think he can improve immensely.
“I think he can be stronger at times when the ball’s being held up and he can learn from the likes of Iheanacho, for instance, but he’s got something there and I think he can only improve with us.
““The game was tight and it was in the balance, we were 1-0 in front but we were defending at that stage, but it was a great move (for the second goal). Callum was at the centre of it, and he’s a top-quality player.”
Post-match reaction: Tomáš Čvančara & Julián Araujo speak to Celtic TV
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/february/01/post-match-reaction–/
Celtic TV
By Matthew Campbell
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01 Feb 2026, 5:56 pm
With the hunt for the title heating up, every point picked up seems to take on an added significance, and today’s 2-0 win over Falkirk was no different.
John McGlynn’s side have now suffered four defeats at the hands of Celtic this season, but, given their top-six status, they went in to today’s match looking to cause an upset at Celtic Park.
For a while, the visitors kept Celtic at bay, but a first Celtic goal from Tomáš Čvančara broke the deadlock before Benjamin Nygren doubled the Hoops’ lead in the second half.
It was a home debut to remember for Čvančara, whilst another of Celtic’s new recruits, Julián Araujo, picked up the Man of the Match award after another impressive performance.
Araujo and Čvančara spoke to Celtic TV after the match and reflected on a good afternoon for Glasgow’s green and white.
Araujo said: “Falkirk are a good side, a side that came to play football and I think it took us a bit of time to break them down.
“We stuck to the plan and this man (Čvančara) took the chance. We got the goals and hopefully we can keep going. “
Čvančara added: “It’s perfect to score, but I’m so happy that we got the three points and credit should go to all the lads in the dressing room.
“We’re happy to take three points and we will hunt them until the end.”
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ce9ypyen07zt
At a glance
Celtic close gap on Rangers but remain six points behind Hearts
Cvancara scores on home debut to give Celtic lead before Nygren adds second
O’Neill yet to taste defeat as Celtic manager in third spell
ByAndrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Sportscene highlights: Celtic v Falkirk
01/02/2026
Watch on iPlayer
Tomas Cvancara marked his home debut with the breakthrough goal as Celtic held off a stubborn Falkirk challenge to move second in the Scottish Premiership.
Czech striker Cvancara, signed on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach, glanced in a brilliant header to open his Celtic account before Benjamin Nygren’s whipped effort gave the hosts daylight in the second half.
Victory moves Celtic above Rangers on goals scored, and ensures Martin O’Neill remains unbeaten domestically since returning to the dugout, although they are still six points behind leaders Hearts.
When these two sides met in Falkirk a few weeks ago, Celtic were considered a little lucky to come away with a 1-0 win.
This time they were simply more clinical than their visitors, who had more shots and carried a threat throughout in a brave, battling performance.
It took a while for O’Neill’s side to click and Falkirk almost took advantage when they had chances though Barney Stewart and Louie Marsh, but both were well saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Once Celtic got their second, their tails were up and they almost had a third through Nygren, but Scott Bain produced a fine save.
Sebastian Tounekti also had the ball in the net, but Daizen Maeda was offside earlier in the move when he blocked the ball on the goalline.
Analysis: Falkirk get flowers but Celtic keep up pressure
As has often been the case under O’Neill’s interim stewardship, Celtic weren’t great but found a way to win.
It was Falkirk who edged the attacking stats – including the xG, 1.07 to Celtic’s 0.61 – and they’ll feel hard done by to come away with nothing.
But eight league wins from nine for O’Neill is hard to argue against and, while they were a little ropey at the back at times, it was another clean sheet at home. In fact, Celtic are yet to concede at Parkhead with O’Neill at the helm.
That was arguably the most prescient challenge he faced when he came in. Under Wilfried Nancy, Celtic were leaking like a sieve and now they have shut up shop, conceding just three goals across O’Neill’s time in charge.
The other big issue was finding a striker. Cvancara was not a name known to many, but a little digging revealed a character not too popular in his last dressing room.
He had two goals from 13 appearances and limited minutes in Germany, yet he has hit the ground running at Celtic and given fans belief he could be the man.
After setting up Yang against Hearts, the 25-year-old led the line again and took his goal superbly, peeling off his marker and glancing a header just out of reach of a despairing Bain.
Attacking stats between Celtic and FalkirkImage source, Opta
Falkirk are the feelgood story of the Premiership and they continued to impress, albeit leaving with nothing.
They matched Celtic, whose budget dwarves their own by multitudes, for large spells. Plenty players in this Falkirk squad were playing League One football just two seasons ago, remember.
Calvin Miller was one of those. Previously a highly-rated youngster at Celtic, he played with a point to prove. Barney Stewart, playing university football a little over a year ago, led the line well and on another day could have scored.
While there are a few other candidates for manager of the season at this stage, John McGlynn is one of the favourites. Sitting sixth, Falkirk are not out of place in the top half.
What they said
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill: “I thought it was a great win for us, particularly after Thursday night and the effort the players put into that win.
“You could see there were periods in the game where we didn’t have the energy, but there’s a great camaraderie about the group. They want to go beyond the call of duty and it was a big, big win.
Falkirk manager John McGlynn: “I thought our performance was good. On another day we walk away from here with a point, maybe more if we take the lead.
“We’ve got a five-point gap [to seventh]. We have to do our best to pick up more points. The squad we’ve got is a good squad and we’re happy to go forward with it.”
What’s next?
Celtic visit Aberdeen in the Premiership on Wednesday night, while Falkirk travel to Livingston (both 20:00 GMT).
Celtic close to two signings & eyeing more – O’Neill
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c0mk3r70zzko
Celtic interim manager Martin O’NeillImage source, SNS
ByGeorge O’Neill
BBC Sport Scotland
Published
1 February 2026
Sportscene highlights: Celtic v Falkirk
01/02/2026
Watch on iPlayer
Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill revealed two prospective signings are having medicals and hinted the club could do further deals after his team beat Falkirk 2-0 to move above Rangers into second place in the Scottish Premiership.
The Parkhead outfit have signed Julian Araujo and Tomas Cvancara – both on loan – in the winter transfer window from Bournemouth and Borussia Monchengladbach, respectively.
Supporters have consistently criticised a perceived lack of investment this season, while last summer’s recruitment has been hit and miss at best.
Benjamin Nygren is Celtic’s leading scorer – the Swede took his tally to 15 with the second against Falkirk – but Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti have flattered to deceive.
Free signing Kelechi Iheanacho has struggled for both form and fitness, and although Kieran Tierney has impressed at points, he is not the same player that left for Arsenal in 2019.
The victory over Falkirk took O’Neill’s side back into second after Rangers were held by Hibernian, but they still trail leaders Hearts by six points.
“We are [close to transfers],” O’Neill said. “We’ve some medicals here at this minute and fingers crossed the players come through.
“We’ve got a couple and we’re hoping to add maybe late on. That would give us a chance. We’re staying there to the end and let’s see what happens.”
Cvancara makes mark as Celtic beat Falkirk to go second
Celtic to play Stuttgart & Forest face Fenerbahce
Published
2 days ago
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‘Fingers crossed’ on new Celtic signings – O’Neill
O’Neill was asked specifically about Lorient’s Norwegian forward Joel Mvuka and Freiburg’s Austria striker Junior Adamu, who have been linked with moves to Celtic.
The former Leicester City and Aston Villa manager would not confirm those were the two players undergoing medicals, but told BBC Scotland: “You would be pretty well close.”
With the transfer window closing on Monday night (23:00 GMT), former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner was heartened by the news, but frustrated by the length of time it has taken to bring in reinforcements.
“That’s the most promising thing I’ve heard from the manager in the past couple of weeks,” he said on Sportsound.
“Once you’re at the medical stage, the deal is done. They’re at the final stage, thank goodness. It’s dragged on and dragged on and dragged on.
“They have got to learn from that in the future.”
It remains to be seen if Celtic will get deals over the line before Monday’s deadline, but O’Neill has made it clear he feels the squad needs strengthening if they are to challenge for silverware.
‘I think there’s a player there’ – O’Neill heartened by Cvancara impact
Celtic’s most recent addition Cvancara made an impact on his debut against Hearts last weekend, assisting Yang Hyun-jun in the 2-2 draw, and he opened his scoring account against Falkirk with a lovely glancing header.
The Czech Republic international had more touches in the Falkirk box than any other Celtic player and O’Neill believes there is plenty more to come from the big striker.
“It was great and it was the breakthrough as well too, which was needed,” O’Neill said. “And that’s nice for him and it’ll give him a really big boost of confidence.
“There’s parts of his game I think that obviously need tidying up, which I think he can do.
“He hasn’t played much football in recent times, so that’s two games for us, he makes the goal for us at Hearts – and I think at that stage he might have been the only player on our field who could have made that run at the time – and (on Sunday) he’s come in and he’s got the goal.
“So he’s wanting to prove himself, and I think that there’s a player there.”