Celtic centre-back Auston Trusty celebrated last night’s historic 1-0 win over Young Boys at Celtic Park, which sealed a place in the Champions League knockout playoffs.

With Trusty starring last night, he has gone from being culpable for a number of goals against Dundee at Dens Park last week to proving solid in defence against Kilmarnock on Saturday and against the Swiss champions last night. These performance shows why the Hoops paid a reported £6 million for the US defender in the summer from Sheffield United.

Trusty was unlucky not to score last night from a corner, with his header in the second half narrowly going over the bar. He certainly provides an extra threat from set pieces, using his physicality to get on the end of free kicks and corners—an aspect of his game that often goes under the radar.

The Celtic defender often brings a calmness on the ball that Liam Scales at times lacks, meaning that build-up play from the back is smoother. With Celtic, at times last night, it was more comfortable to move the ball through defense into midfield, despite Young Boys pressing high at times.

Massive night🤩 Proud of this team and the result moving us into the Play-off round in the @ChampionsLeague

Thank you to all the supporters for the incredible atmosphere🍀 #TrustyTheProcess pic.twitter.com/CVvrouH5Gn

— Auston Trusty (@Auston_Trusty) January 23, 2025

His performances in the Champions League, in particular, have taken Celtic up a gear this season. The Hoops were desperate to add clean sheets before this campaign, and with three in their last five games in Europe, that’s exactly what Trusty has delivered alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the defence.

Kasper Schmeichel and Reo Hatate will rightly get plaudits for their part in last night’s win. However, it was also a night where Trusty showed why, in big games, he can deliver despite a few minor setbacks since joining in the summer.