Nygren uses the head for vital three points | OneFootball

Scottish Premiership

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The Falkirk Stadium

FALKIRK…0

CELTIC…1

(Nygren 43)

Celtic took a massive three points on the road this evening, defeating Falkirk 1-0 in the biting cold at the Falkirk Stadium, with Benjamin Nygren grabbing his 12th goal of the season just before half time.

Celtic dominated the opening stages of the game, and were in control of the play, however, Falkirk began to show their top-six credentials and it wasn’t long before the match started to swing the way of the home side. 

Their positive play encouraged the home fans to grow into the game themselves, and every minor infringement or dubious claim for a foul was met with a cacophony of noise inside the Falkirk Stadium. 

John McGlynn’s men looked to launch crosses into the box at every opportunity, and twice they found themselves with goalscoring opportunities which the Hoops did well to clear. 

Kasper Schmeichel was called in to action with just over 20 minutes gone when Filip Lissah struck a shot from distance which he got down to quickly. 

Then came the home side’s best chance of the match so far, and one which Kyrell Wilson won’t want to see again. The Falkirk forward picked up on a ball which was launched forward and drove in to the box, rounding Schmeichel and leaving an open goal to shoot in to. But Wilson slipped at the pivotal moment, and the ball sailed high and wide of the target.

Celtic were being put under real pressure at this stage, and moments later, a lapse in concentration from Daizen Maeda resulted in a chance for Barney Stewart, but the Falkirk man’s effort from inside the box was straight at Schmeichel who made the save. 

The Hoops, having weathered the storm, then found themselves with a big chance when an Arne Engels corner went deep to the back post and was headed goalward by Maeda, but former Celtic stopper Scott Bain, now plying his trade at Falkirk, produced an impressive one-handed save to keep the ball out. 

With the half drawing to a close, Celtic found themselves with another corner, taken again by Engels though this time, the outcome was different, with Nygren getting on to the end of it and diverting it into the net, with Celtic’s leading scorer taking his goal tally for the season to 12 so far. 

There were no changes for either side at the break but the same can’t be said for the officiating team, with referee John Beaton forced to take up the role as fourth official for the second half whilst Sean Murdoch was handed the whistle. 

Celtic had the ball in the net early in the second period, though Maeda had clearly been caught in an offside position and the goal was ruled out. 

With half-an-hour remaining, Martin O’Neill looked to his bench, replacing Sebastian Tounekti and Yang with Luke McCowan and Reo Hatate. 

The home side, just like in the first 45 minutes, looked to create chances and put Celtic on the back foot, and on several occasions, Celtic had to be resolute in defence to keep their slender one-goal lead intact. 

There was a further change for Celtic as the half progressed, with Engels replaced by Johnny Kenny as the Hoops looked to double their lead. 

Kenny almost bagged the goal he has been searching for of late within seconds of his introduction when a clever pass from Nygren was picked up by Hatate and flashed in to the box, but the Falkirk defence were able to deal with the danger before Kenny could finish. 

Schmeichel was once again called in to action when Williams found himself with a massive goalscoring opportunity, but the Celtic keeper produced a sensational save from point blank range to prevent the equaliser. 

Fixtures

Falkirk Vs. Celtic - Wed, Jan 14th 2026, 19:45 Final score: 0 - 1