Celtic Character Praised After Falkirk Victory Tightens Title Racenewsline24

Celtic stayed level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts after a 3-1 home win over Falkirk. Daizen Maeda scored twice at Celtic Park, with Kieran Tierney also on target. Kyrell Wilson replied for Falkirk, but Martin O’Neill’s side kept control of the title chase.

The result pulled Celtic alongside Derek McInnes’ Hearts in the table, with Hearts not playing until 26 April 2026. O’Neill stressed that the performance showed why Celtic remained serious contenders, while also pointing to areas that still required improvement as the run-in continued.

O’Neill underlined the importance of mentality in a tight championship battle involving Hearts and Rangers. “We’ve got flaws like anybody else, but you can’t dispute the character of the team,” he told Sky Sports. “We have to battle for everything. There were times today when we pressed strongly, we were great. Naturally, I’ll pay attention [to Hearts and Rangers on Sunday], I’ve always done that. It’s a three-horse race.”

Celtic seized control during a dominant first half, when Maeda and Tierney both struck to put the hosts two goals ahead. Falkirk struggled to handle Celtic’s pressing and movement before the break, with O’Neill’s side creating repeated pressure around the visitors’ penalty area.

The game opened up after half-time, as Falkirk pushed higher and forced Celtic onto the back foot at times. Wilson pulled a goal back with 20 minutes remaining, raising tension inside the stadium. Maeda restored the two-goal cushion seven minutes from time to seal the points.

Falkirk’s defeat continued a difficult run at this venue. The club had now lost on 17 of the last 19 visits to Celtic in all competitions, drawing the other two matches. Their most recent victory at Celtic Park remained a 2-0 success from October 1994.

Despite the statistics, Falkirk head coach John McGlynn highlighted how the squad approached the occasion against Celtic. “It was a big challenge today to see where the players were,” he said. “I’m very proud, it was very, very gutsy and brave, the performance. We didn’t sit back, we just tried to take it to Celtic as much as we could.”

McGlynn praised Celtic’s intensity during the first half and pointed to his team’s response after the interval. “I thought Celtic were bang at it in the first half. I haven’t seen them press as well as that in a long time. I thought, mentally, in the second half, many teams would be two goals down and lose by five or six. But the second half was 1-1, and I’m so proud of the players for the goal they scored and the way that they played.”

The result kept Celtic firmly in touch with Hearts and maintained pressure before the remaining weekend fixtures involving Hearts and Rangers. Falkirk left with another defeat at Celtic Park but with McGlynn encouraged by effort and attitude, while O’Neill viewed the contest as another step in a tense title race.