Celtic secured a 1-0 victory away to St Johnstone in Perthshire, but the win was overshadowed by a bizarre VAR decision that disallowed a second goal. The incident, reported by the Daily Record, occurred in the 66th minute when Haissem Hassan's apparent finish was chalked off because the ball left the camera frame, leaving video officials unable to overturn the on-field call.
What happened with the disallowed goal?
Sebastian Tounekti delivered a chipped cross towards the back post. Kasper Hogh headed the ball back across the face of goal for Haissem Hassan to convert. Assistant referee Matthew MacDermid immediately indicated he believed the ball had gone out of play before Hogh's intervention, signalling for a St Johnstone goal-kick. The VAR system reviewed the incident but could not provide conclusive evidence to overrule the assistant. The ball had moved out of the top right corner of the camera shot between Tounekti's cross and Hogh making contact. Lead commentator Ian Crocker explained the situation during the broadcast. He said, "Because the ball went out of the camera frame, VAR had to stick with the on-field decision."
How did the match unfold?
The only goal of the game came from Mika Baur, who scored his first goal for Celtic to secure the three points. The result maintained Celtic's perfect start to the Premiership season at that point. The team's current form remains impeccable, sitting first in the Premiership with 15 points from five wins. They have scored 13 goals and conceded just three, giving them a commanding goal difference of +10. This puts them three points clear of nearest challengers Heart of Midlothian. You can see the full standings for the latest league table.
What was the reaction to the decision?
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, working as a pundit for Sky Sports, was vocal about the incident. During the coverage, he observed, "The ball goes out of the picture for a second... Maybe it curled heavily back in." Later on social media, Sutton called the assistant's decision "baffling" while praising the team for securing another three points and a clean sheet. He also highlighted Baur's neat performance and the important goal.
What is Celtic's current situation?
The victory in Perth was another step in a dominant opening to the campaign. The team's recent form reads as five consecutive wins. Their next challenge is a home fixture against Motherwell, who are currently fifth in the table, on December 26th. Fans can look ahead to that match and others on the club's fixtures schedule. With the squad performing strongly, details on all current players are available on the official squad page. Celtic's next match is at home to Motherwell on Boxing Day 2026.
