Adrenaline pumping as play-offs return

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We’ve been here several times before.  Our first venture into the Champions League play-off round was in 1998 against (then) Croatia Zagreb.  Zagreb were clearly the better team but while a 1-0 win in the home leg gave us hope we were outclassed in the return game.

The unforgettable tie against Ajax was next.  Celtic’s best away performance in this tournament saw us beat the Dutch champions 1-3 in Amsterdam.  Ajax were clearly caught cold and performed infinitely better at Celtic Park, winning 0-1, but Celtic shut up shop to deny them any real chance of progression.

Basel were unknown and un-fancied in 2002 but their movement in central midfield was too much for Celtic, although curiously they only managed to perform for 45 minutes in each game.  An away goal defeat blocked our route to the top competition.  MTK Budapest were professionally swept aside in 2003.

Who can forget Spartak Moscow?  Just as they had done against Ajax, Celtic did the hard work away in the first leg, returning with a 1-1 draw, but incredible dramas unfolded at Celtic Park.  Roman Pavluchenko levelled Scott McDonald’s opener but the Russian missed a first half penalty.  The game went to extra time and with minutes left a defender punched Scott Brown’s shot off the line.  Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink missed with the resulting spot kick setting up a memorable penalty competition.

Vennegoor of Hesselink and Pavluchenko both scored this time as brave efforts from Gary Caldwell, Derek Riordan and Maciej Zurawski, who almost certainly knew he would never kick another ball for Celtic, and a save by Artur Boruc, sent us through.  Naka proved that 12 yards is too close a dead ball distance for him.

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A favourite Celtic Park memory?  You bet.

The adrenaline is pumping already.  Bring it on.

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542 Comments

  1. South Of Tunis on

    Saint Stivs @ 16 09 —

     

     

    ” a real low point for us ”

     

     

    It was indeed but those dark days were brightened by this graffito on the inside of the toilet door in Tennents Bar ——

     

     

    Nikoloy Todorov ! Thank You !

  2. 31003

     

    16:21 on

     

    21 August, 2012

     

    st stivs…..you pullin ma leg?

     

     

     

    aye, sorry, just tormenting.

  3. st stivs….thank god for that…..I thought for a minute that I’d been sold a crap £2400.00 lap top there…phew

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  5. I dont often verge into politics here, I firmly believe they dont mix sport and politics, but never say never, so from republican socialist working in the city of London, one simple thought

     

    Take all the public funding used to buy shares by the government in our ailing banks, and divi those shares up between every current and past tax payer and those unfortunate enough to have an NI number but not yet able to find employment, at the last count this would equate to a sum in excess of £3,200 per household ( these numbers are taken from a lib-dem policy doc so allow some leeway) Allow individuals to keep the shares and their dividends, or sell them and do as they see fit with the cash, the result would be the kind of consumer spending that would make the rest of the world green with envy and an almost instant end to the recession. But of course the government dont want to do that, even though the shares are rightfully yours, it was your tax that bought them, but of course this government believes that wealth belongs in the hands of the few, strangely enough the same few that fund the conservative party

     

     

    end of politics

     

     

    c’mon you bhoys in green !

     

     

    M

  6. miki67

     

     

    14:37 on 21 August, 2012

     

     

    Where is ra bommur?

     

    ——————————————-

     

    I saw Bummer in Costa on Sauchiehall St on Sunday morning. He just walked in, used the toilets then walked back out. Didn’t buy anything, the baristas must have been unable to put their hands on the title deeds.

     

     

    And to just offer my tuppence worth on the great economic/political debate…I think ye’s are aw a bunch o’ diddies.

  7. ibleedgreenandwhite1 on

    someone posted instructions the other day on how to get ITV 1 in HD,,,is it possible to do the same for STV????

     

     

    HH

  8. The Battered Bunnet on

    Ohits

     

     

    Here’s the place we stayed last year:

     

     

    http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/it4447.htm

     

     

    It’s the bottom floor of a fairly large villa, owners stay up top (nice folk) set in the countryside 5 mins from Cassino, with views towards the Abbey and Monte Cairo. The house is brand new, all marble floors and the likes. Really very good. Downside: No pool, although they may have put one in by now. (If you have kids, the ‘water park’ in Cassino is very very good)

     

     

    Cassino is a fairly relaxed town, very clean, easy going. Good restaurants and a lively street life. Obviously there’s all the WWII stuff (Polish Cemetery is a moving experience) and the abbey itself, but it’s the options you have from the location that is the great thing.

     

     

    Flying to Rome or Naples with the budget airlines is cheap, and Cassino is equidistant from both, although the traffic means Naples is quicker, about 1 hour tops.

     

     

    You’re only 60 minutes drive to Pompei, Herculaneum, Vesuvius etc heading south, or 80 minutes by car or train into Rome and all it has to offer. Amalfi is 2 hour drive south, while the ferries to Ischia and Capri run out of Naples.

     

     

    Beaches are 30 odd minutes away, best at Gaeta.

     

     

    If you’re a walker, the mountains are on your doorstep in every direction.

     

     

    You won’t have enough time to do it all.

     

     

    If you want to book, get in touch and I’ll put you onto the owner rather than book via the site linked above. Cheaper.

     

     

    TBB

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  10. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    My concern for Celtic over the two legs against the Swedes is our lack of goals in Europe you simply must take your chances.We imo havnt been making all that many chances and we certainly cant be called free scoreing.I think the tie is 50/50 and will go to the team who want it the most.H.H.

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  12. Man…..my neighbourhood’s going down the drain at some rate…..my usual sangfroid was shattered by the sound of a ned (from Glasgow….the memory of that kinda voice never leaves you) weilding a shovel like an axe in the yard of my neighbour, not that long moved in and no advert for the big society himself.

     

    Police descend like locusts before things got totally out of hand.

     

    However, I just know that this is no tiff over dog crap or such trivialities and that there will be ongoing chapters.

     

    Been thinkin’ of movimg for a while. Today is a convincer and a motivator.

     

    Contrary to what anyone may think, I truly enjoy peace and quiet.

     

    Yeah. I like my music loud occasionally,but I’m equally happy spending houre reading a book in as near total silence as I can find.

     

    NoSuchPlaceAsShangri-La CSC

  13. If dual contracts are proven will RFC set a new world record for the number of games a club has fielded ineligible players?

     

     

    Good luck to the Bhoys tonight,we are the better team and I expect us to prove it.

  14. traditionalist88 on

    hamiltontim

     

     

    Should have been put to bed in the first leg though if we’d taken our chances – always do it the hard way. Therefore its through on away goals for me:)

     

     

    HH

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  16. The Battered Bunnet on

    Bourne

     

     

    You don’t honestly think they’re going to hand the VAT over, do you? :¬)

  17. 31003

     

    To post a link

     

     

    My Favourite site

     

     

    which will display like this: My Favourite site

     

     

    Not saying that you like knitting or anything, but how is the shoal coming on?

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  19. Estadio Nacional on

    WhiteDogHunch

     

     

    If you are around…

     

     

    Where are you watching the game?

     

     

     

    EN

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  21. C’mon the Spartak Muscovites – Aiden’s on from the start!

     

     

    Stadium looks about a quarter full – 20,000(?)

     

     

    Spartak the club of the Soviet Trades Union!!

     

     

    HH!!

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  23. Feeling surprisingly confident about tonight. Forster in goals, Rogne and Mulgrew must be central defensive pairing, Kayal and Ledley should be in central midfield in front of them, Commons ahead of them as 3rd midfielder/support to striker and Sammi as lone striker. Matthews and Brown down the right, Izzy and Forrest down the left.

     

     

    Helsingborg 0 Celtic 2

  24. The Battered Bunnet on

    Lordluvrocket

     

     

    They’re in line for a few World Records. Here’s a couple:

     

     

    Endurance: Longest running episode of cheating in sporting history.

     

     

    Synchronised Scamming: Greatest number of athletes cheating in a sporting event.

     

     

    Previous record holder: Balco, 27 athletes over 2 years.

     

     

    New Record Holder: Rangers, more than 50 athletes over 11 years.

     

     

    And we haven’t considered that no Balco Director sat on the Board of the IAAF or the IOC.

     

     

    Got to hand it to Rangers (posthumously), they sure knew how to run an epic scam.