Durán double gives Celtic 3-2 win over Beşiktaş
Camilo Durán scored twice, the second three minutes from time, as Celtic came from behind to beat Beşiktaş 3-2 at Celtic Park.
By Harvey Watkins,
Celtic beat Beşiktaş 3-2 at Celtic Park on Thursday night in the fourth round of Europa League fixtures. Camilo Durán scored twice, including the winner in the 87th minute, two minutes after Beşiktaş had drawn level for a second time.
All five goals came after the interval, and four of them in the final 25 minutes. The headline is a home win. The more accurate summary is that Celtic had to win the match twice.
A goalless first half and a Beşiktaş lead
The first half produced no goals, and the opening one went to the visitors. Junior Olaitan put Beşiktaş ahead in the 54th minute, leaving Celtic behind at home with a little over half an hour to play.
The deficit lasted eight minutes. Callum Osmand equalised in the 62nd minute, and the match was level again before it had settled into its new shape.
Durán puts Celtic in front
Durán gave Celtic the lead in the 78th minute. It was the first time they had been ahead in the game, and with 12 minutes left it looked like the decisive moment.
It was not. Orkun Kökcü equalised for Beşiktaş in the 85th minute, and for a short spell the match was heading for a draw that would have reflected how evenly the second half had been traded.
Two minutes from 2-2 to 3-2
Celtic's response was immediate. Durán scored again in the 87th minute to restore the lead, and this time it held. The gap between Kökcü's equaliser and Durán's winner was two minutes, which is about as little time as a side gets to recover from losing a lead late on.
That sequence is the story of the night. Celtic trailed once and were pegged back once, and on both occasions they answered. Osmand's equaliser came eight minutes after Olaitan's opener. Durán's winner came two minutes after Kökcü's.
What the scoreline says
A 3-2 result with this pattern does not describe a comfortable evening for either side. Beşiktaş scored twice away from home and led for a spell, which is not nothing. Celtic conceded twice at home, including a late equaliser after going in front, and that will be the part of the evening worth examining once the result has been banked.
Equally, the capacity to score three times in 25 minutes after falling behind is a meaningful thing to have shown. Two of those goals came from one player, and Durán's contribution of the go-ahead goal and the winner is the individual mark this match leaves.
One result is a single data point, and it would be a stretch to draw broad conclusions about either side from it. What can be said is that Celtic were behind, level, ahead, level and ahead again, and finished the night with the win.