Jota ended 18 months of injury torment by finally returning to action for Celtic in a bounce game. The Hoops star had been sidelined for a staggering 524 days after suffering a devastating ACL injury in April 2025.
The Portuguese winger took another huge step towards his long-awaited first-team comeback at Lennoxtown on Friday. Jota, 27, came through 45 minutes unscathed in a closed-doors clash against Falkirk, reported by the Scottish Sun.
Celtic win behind closed doors
A Celtic side featuring fringe players and youth prospects ran out 2-0 winners, with rising B team star Lucas Clearie grabbing both goals. Clearie, 17, has been in red-hot form this season, finding the net 15 times in just 13 Lowland League appearances.
Boss Martin O’Neill had previously revealed he expected Jota to be back in the first-team fold around Halloween. The ex-Benfica ace returned to training in August and has been steadily building up his fitness ever since.
Road to first-team return
Now, after finally getting minutes under his belt, the £9million man is edging ever closer to his top team return after missing the whole of last term.
