Falkirk Beat Celtic 2-0 as Scott Bain Makes 10 Saves Against His Former Club

Falkirk beat Celtic 2-0 at Falkirk Stadium on Sunday in the William Hill Premiership. Ethan Ross scored in the third minute and Scott Tanser added a second in the 38th minute. Former Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain, now in goal for Falkirk, made 10 saves against his old club as the home side held on for their first win over Celtic since 2007.

Ross struck almost at once. Ryan Strain crossed, Cameron Carter-Vickers knocked the ball into Ross's path, and Ross finished the chance in the third minute. Falkirk doubled the lead before half time. Tanser ran on to an infield pass from on-loan Derby winger Owen Eames and slotted the ball past Sam Johnstone in the 38th minute.

Bain shuts out his former club

Celtic pressed for a way back and never found one. The Scottish Sun reported that Celtic had 24 shots and nine on target without scoring. Bain dealt with everything that reached him, making 10 saves in a man of the match display against the club he used to play for.

Falkirk were denied a third goal early in the second half. Jacob Murrell had a goal disallowed by VAR after the ball hit his hand before going in off him. The 2-0 score stood, and John McGlynn's side saw out the match.

A bad run for the champions

The defeat was Celtic's sixth in 10 matches. Martin O'Neill's side have won only three of their last 10 games. They missed the chance to extend their lead at the top to seven points.

Celtic remain four points clear at the top of the Premiership, but they have now played a game more than second-placed Rangers. After the match O'Neill told Sky Sports: "Remarkably, we're still top of the league." He added: "I'm not sure about your point here. I've just tried to explain to you, we missed goal after goal today. Their goalkeeper was magnificent, he was man of the match. And yeah, we put the ball in the net, even taken half of the chances, we would have won."

Falkirk climb to fourth

The win was Falkirk's fourth in a row. It moved them up to fourth in the table. It was also their first win over Celtic since March 2007, when they won 1-0 in a match where Kasper Schmeichel, then on loan at Falkirk from Manchester City, saved a penalty.

Nineteen years on, another Falkirk goalkeeper decided the fixture. Bain's 10 saves kept a clean sheet, Ross and Tanser took their chances, and the champions left Falkirk Stadium with nothing.