Watch: Celtic’s World Cup Goal Drought Ends as Two Hoops Stars Find the Net Overnight

By
Aaron McGuire
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Celtic finally have their first goalscorers of the 2026 World Cup.

It proved to be a memorable night for the Scottish champions, with two of Martin O’Neill’s players finding the back of the net just hours apart.

The first came from Daizen Maeda.

Scotland supporters had been hoping Japan could do them a favour by beating Sweden by four or more goals, a result that would have significantly boosted Steve Clarke’s side’s hopes of progressing.

Instead, Japan had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

That means Scotland’s qualification hopes now look considerably more difficult heading into the last batch of fixtures – the Tartan Army can probably start packing their bags.

Maeda was at the heart of Japan’s performance.

The Celtic forward timed his run perfectly from the left-hand side before being slipped through on goal.

Showing the composure that made him such a decisive figure during Celtic’s title-winning run, he calmly slotted the ball beyond the goalkeeper to give Japan a 1-0 lead.

Although Sweden equalised, the draw was enough to send Japan through to the knockout stages as runners-up in the group.

Just a few hours later, Auston Trusty ensured it was a memorable evening for Celtic.

The American had endured a mixed start to the tournament.

After being left on the bench against Paraguay and making only a substitute appearance against Australia, Trusty was restored to the starting XI for the final group match against Turkey.

Operating at left-back, he made an immediate impact.

With just three minutes on the clock, a deep corner found its way to the back post, where Trusty showed excellent technique to bring the ball under control before firing it into the net.

It was the defender’s first World Cup goal and the second scored by a Celtic player at this summer’s tournament.

The USA eventually lost an entertaining contest 3-2, but the defeat mattered little.

Results ensured the Americans still finished top of their group and progressed to the knockout stages.

The World Cup is football’s biggest stage.

And overnight, two Celtic stars announced themselves on it.