Callum Osmand Scores Twice in Two Minutes on First Start as Celtic Beat Hearts 7-1

Callum Osmand scored twice in two minutes on his first start for Celtic on Sunday, October 18, 2026, as Celtic beat Hearts 7-1 at Celtic Park to move four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. The 20-year-old’s afternoon lasted only 45 minutes: he was taken off at half-time with a hamstring issue, and manager Martin O’Neill spent his post-match interviews explaining why a two-goal debut as a starter ended early.

What happened at Celtic Park on Sunday?

Celtic were 5-1 up by half-time. Kieran Tierney headed in the opener on seven minutes and Benjamin Nygren made it 2-0 three minutes later, both goals coming from Mika Baur corners. Osmand then scored his double, Amadou Mendy pulled one back for Hearts from distance, and a Jamie McCart own goal completed the first-half scoring. Camilo Duran curled in the sixth four minutes after the restart and Nygren added the seventh late on. Hearts arrived as the division’s top scorers and managed 20 shots, according to the Press Association report carried by DAZN, but the game was gone before half-time. It was the response Celtic needed after Thursday’s Europa League defeat at Benfica, in a season where the club’s off-field noise has run from board disputes to the fan protest that stopped a match with tennis balls.

How did Osmand score his two goals?

Both came from Hearts mistakes and Camilo Duran’s running. In the 36th minute, goalkeeper Sabri Guendouz played a slack pass out, Duran collected it and set up Osmand to score. Two minutes later Duran pressed again, his own effort was saved, and Osmand headed in the rebound. Sky Sports described a quickfire double on his first start for the club; Celtic Quick News timed the goals at two minutes and eight seconds apart. Osmand has history in this fixture: five months earlier he scored the goal that sealed Celtic’s title against Hearts, which made his selection on Sunday feel pointed before he had touched the ball.

Why was Osmand taken off at half-time?

He felt a hamstring problem during the first half and was replaced by Jota at the break. O’Neill told the Glasgow Times it was more precautionary than anything else: “He had a hamstring problem. I’m not surprised really because he’s not played that much. Tim the physiotherapist said just leave him out, and I think he would have said that even if it had been 0-0.” Osmand wanted to carry on, O’Neill added, but saw sense. Delicate player-management calls of this kind rarely get the manager’s reasoning on the record this clearly; most half-time hooks stay unexplained, unlike the selection rows that produce moments like Bernal’s headbutts on Lamine Yamal.

What did Martin O’Neill say about Osmand?

“Callum did great, he has a goal-scoring instinct, there’s no question about that,” O’Neill said. He was honest about the limits too: Osmand is small, leading the line alone might be difficult for him, and the fit is probably alongside a stronger partner. On the injury, O’Neill said he thinks Osmand should be okay for Thursday. That assessment, rather than the two goals, is the detail Celtic supporters will check first this week.

Why did the start itself raise eyebrows?

Osmand had barely played this season, and Celtic’s club-record signing watched from the bench. Kasper Hogh, whose fee the Scottish Sun has reported at £11 million, was a substitute while a 20-year-old led the line, on an afternoon when Celtic’s finishing had been questioned. Hogh did come on and set up Nygren’s second goal, the seventh, with a deft feed. Young forwards making a first start count is a familiar storyline, and it landed on a weekend when small margins were argued over everywhere, from the subjective offside row in Hull’s draw with Everton to the two minutes that settled this one by half-time.

What comes next for Osmand and Celtic?

Celta Vigo visit Celtic Park on Thursday in the Europa League, and O’Neill expects Osmand to be available. A first start that produced two goals in two minutes, a half-time withdrawal explained by the physio, and a manager openly sketching the role that suits him gives Osmand a defined place in the squad for the first time. The weekend’s big European talking points ran elsewhere, from Kylian Mbappe’s panenka against Sevilla to Celtic’s own seven-goal afternoon, and Osmand’s fitness check on Thursday is now the follow-up that matters in Glasgow.