Martin O'Neill names 'magnificent' unsung Celtic star after 'roaring' Besiktas win
Martin O'Neill has been speaking after Celtic's dramatic 3-2 win over Besiktas in the Europa League on Thursday night. The Bhoys finally produced a big European performance after three straight defeats in the Europa League and four in Europe overall.
O'Neill surprisingly made five changes to his starting XI and put top scorer Camilo Durán on the bench. But the much-changed Bhoys held their own, albeit they were behind due to a rebounded penalty by the time three changes were made on the hour mark.
Those changes changed everything, with Callum Osmand scoring and assisting and Durán scoring twice as Celtic eventually won the game 3-2 despite conceding an equaliser with five minutes to go.
"Really magnificent," O'Neill told TNT Sports after the game. "Some really decent stuff, particularly in the second half. Just when we thought we were going to drop two points, we came roaring back to win the game. It was a magnificent effort by the team - so much spirit, heart and desire to claw their way not only into the game, but through it."
He added: "Funnily enough, we could have scored five or six on Sunday. We played very well, we peppered the goal and couldn't score. We dropped two points against Dundee United here. But in terms of European football, there's no doubt about it - it's been tough. Really tough matches.
"Tonight was a really tough game as well, they're a very fine side. But we rose to the occasion tonight. What we've done, I think, is given ourselves a chance. We still think about trying to qualify - that's a long, long way off, but at least we've given ourselves a chance."
O'Neill also addressed the mass rotation and praised veteran winger James Forrest for his performance.
The veteran boss continued: "Well, tonight, for instance, Latomba made his first start for us. You're trying to find out as much as you can about players. I made some changes in the side to freshen things up, knowing that some players - James Forrest, who was magnificent for us - might not last the game.
"But we have to give players the opportunity, because we've played a lot of games in relatively quick succession."
The starters didn't look dangerous enough to cause Besiktas any real issues, but they were solid defensively, and it must be said that while the usual starters may have more talent, the Bhoys haven't been as reliable defensively against better opposition many times this season.
