A few months after that win over Barcelona and being eliminated in the knock-out stages of the Champions League by Juventus, Neil Lennon took his Celtic team to Astana, where Shakhter Karagandy elected to play their home tie in the 2013 qualifiers, while sacrificing a sheep for good fortune on the pitch a day earlier.
We lost 2-0 before performing an heroic rescue a week later to snatch victory in stoppage time, but some of the detail from the defeat in Kazakhstan has been lost.
In the opening stages at the Astana Arena we looked miles ahead before Shakhter scored a 12th minute opener. We continued to dominate possession – 61% overall – but failed to put the ball in the net, before conceding a late second, which must have delighted and surprised the Kazaks in equal measure.
A 2-0 loss away in Europe is a bad result, but the nature of the game gave plenty of room for encouragement. We were clearly a better team, but didn’t have our act together, especially in defence.
This game was the one and only start for that urban legend, Steven Mouyokolo, who partnered Charlie Mulgrew in central defence to give new guy, Virgil van Dijk, his second start, making a very unaccustomed appearance at full back. What did we expect? It wasn’t a surprise that we did enough in the return leg with a more conventional look at the back (Mouyokolo and van Dijk were both dropped).
Astana have several things in their favour. They are fully fit, 21 games into their league season, and 10 points ahead, so they’ve had the luxury of resting players as the qualifiers approached. Shakhter Karagandy have also agreed to postpone their scheduled game on Saturday, so Astana won’t play until they face Celtic next week. By contrast, Brendan Rodgers still needs game-time to work his players up to full fitness.
Last season Astana reached the Champions League group stage, eliminating Maribor (cough), HJK Helsinki and APOEL Nicosia along the way. Their group performances against Atletico, Benfica and Galatasaray were more than credible – two defeats and four draws, achieved by defending in numbers across all six games.
Listen carefully to the confidence the Shakhter manager who faced us three years ago has in his fellow Kazaks. Astana will be buoyed by last season’s achievements and will have watched the debacle in Gibraltar. They think they are the stronger team and, unlike their group stage games last season, will attack Celtic at home.
The last time they attacked at home in Europe was a year ago against HJK Helsinki, who scored three on the counter-attack but conceded four. There will be space to exploit on that bumpy plastic surface in central Asia. Defend, forget faux comforts like 61% possession, and have Leigh, Patrick, James and Callum hit them on the break.
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BCW
He goes on about snyde remarks ffs, he does it all the time.
Never a Celtic man
HH
TET,
dont waste your time on the five carder
evening.
its friday night. nae quiz, nae pablo music, its a poorer lounge nowadays.
anyways.
dembele, trying too hard. takes a touch when he could shoot, shoots when he could have taken a shot. barges through when a pass, a 1-2 was on,
know what though, i watched leigh encourange and praise him after every effort.
leigh is now a mentor
and dembele bhoy will come good.
ps. i saw the griff being sick on the park.
THE_HUDDLE…
I’ll have a word with kitchen staff when I go to the number 7 for the hun game;)
Kidding aside, the food is usually top class.
I won’t make the game tomorrow as I told BMCUW and ACGR today, might be a few weeks before I can go to a game.
If someone bumped into my shoulder I’d collapse.
Not sure if it’s being shown on the telly, if not it’ll see it in other ways, I’ve never felt comfortable with the sausage word.:)
Nick Cave – Into My Arms
https://youtu.be/FG0-cncMpt8
griff 1 on 1 with the kepper is the weakest part of his game,
you would hope with a striking partner, there becomes an option to cut back to someone running in centre to the goal, and an easy finish,.
catch up with him
Ron67
Not an ideal team but i would play as many defenders as possible
SIPSINI
Game is on Sky mhate HH !
“As it transpired, Stein made the move in the March. His last game in charge of the Easter Road side ousted the country’s dominant Rangers side from the Scottish Cup. The outcome proved to have huge significance. It helped smooth the way for the newly arrived Stein to snare Celtic their first major trophy in 11 years, courtesy of a 3-2 victory over Dunfermline.”
*So the 7-1 gemme wisnae for a major trophy, well they can stick their much vaunted trebles up their Irish language then, 2 of which they allegedly “stole”.
EDB, good luck Jim
The White Stripes-Fell In Love With A Girl
https://youtu.be/fTH71AAxXmM
NALLY81 on 22ND JULY 2016 11:15 PM
Ron67
Not an ideal team but i would play as many defenders as possible
***My team would never have EA
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
JOBO,
from a purely active and fitness perspective, isnt the standing section the place to be ?
you go to the match, you jump about you join in, you come home knackered,
is that not what fitba is all about.
PARK ROAD 67…
Cheers for that, I wasn’t sure if it was on any channels. Hail Hail
Saint Stivs
The strongest part of the Griff’s game is he still fancies 1 on 1″s with the goalie, anytime the wee man doesn’t score he thinks he will the next time (I think that’s his strongest part)
SAINT STIVS SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 22ND JULY 2016 11:20 PM
if only some of our 1st team had the same attitude.
Paolo Nutini – pencil full of lead
https://youtu.be/rcDXhD7hsn8
sack the board with that 3rd strip
if thats for real its nonsense.
celtic marketing and new balance need to know only 1 thing.
the secret to success is every strip should be a version of the 1st strip hoops.
coy the home strip.
combinations
all yellow with green hoops
all green with yellow hoops
all black with green hoops
its not rocket salad,
https://youtu.be/dqQyKL8nf8E,
Shane and Sinead
Toure could be a decent short term signing and mentor to the younger defenders we have seen in pre season.
McCart and O’Connell and Ralston show promise.
Not to bothered about other mids and forwards unless we are clearing out quite a few.
Would love to see at least Nesbitt and Miller from development squad be integrated into first team this season.
Many complain we lack technique and skill but those two youngsters showed both in abundance last night.
The Libertines – What Became Of The Likely Lads
https://youtu.be/QGBlEo2NlsY
I was delighted to see Dembele grab the ball at the pen and gutted for him when it was hunnified/nullified. Had he got his first goal I’d have fancied him to go on and score 2 or 3. Obvious that lyres were trying to help him get off the mark as well particularly young paddy.
Jamie T – Sticks ‘n’ Stones
https://youtu.be/r9APEZMeH0o
COWIEBHOY on 22ND JULY 2016 10:49 PM
I agree with what you say, but I’m sure Griff needs to work on his decision making. He gets into great positions where the correct decision is not to shoot, and instead go round the keeper. He had the momentum on at least one occasion to do that on Wednesday, but shot straight at the goalie.
Merle at his best1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDDyyDjWM_0
TERJE VIGEN on 22ND JULY 2016 11:49 PM
COWIEBHOY on 22ND JULY 2016 10:49 PM
I agree with what you say, but I’m sure Griff needs to work on his decision making. He gets into great positions where the correct decision is not to shoot, and instead go round the keeper. He had the momentum on at least one occasion to do that on Wednesday, but shot straight at the goalie.
————-
your right the feight shot, go wide, keeper on his arse, slot it away.
SSSTB
GO GET IM FLOYD!!!
HILARIOUS
Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down – Kris Kristofferson
https://youtu.be/3yAW1daYXD4
starry plough on 22nd July 2016 9:47 pm
SCULLYBHOY
Erik’s Wiki has him at 6.1″
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hope you are right mhan!
HH
CRAIGELLACHIE10 on 22ND JULY 2016 11:46 PM
I was delighted to see Dembele grab the ball at the pen and gutted for him when it was hunnified/nullified. Had he got his first goal I’d have fancied him to go on and score 2 or 3. Obvious that lyres were trying to help him get off the mark as well particularly young paddy.
Me too, Dembele will score 25 this season,U will start a campaign here and now on CQN If he doesn’t, £ 50 to Mary’s Meals anyone else…?
The Dembele 25 starts now
Incredible levels of bitter ignorance on here today.
Just which agents out there who have players on their books with any kind of marketable vs,us would allow them to consider coming to play in a league whose 3rd ranked team loses to Maltese and Luxemburg teams and whose top team loses to a team from Gibralter.
Sure maybe at the last minute just ore window closing if they have no other buyers then maybe …
After
EPL
Bundesliga
LA Liga
Serie A
France
The English Championship
Holland
Portugal
Austria
Belgium
Switzerland
Russia
Kazakstan
Then finally we might be considered as an option.
Worth remembering there are many other leagues not mentioned above which are ranked higher than scotland in the rankings.
Still we have some half wits and malcontents trying to suggest it is our board denying the top dollar manager any funding.
The ignorance beggars belief.
The only folk available right now to any scottish team are those who can’t get anything else.
Wake Me When It’s Over – Willie Nelson
https://youtu.be/PUnhQipC68E
I’m off to my bed.
Read some of the earlier pages of today’s blog and noted mention of the phrase that has been used to beat us up with over the last week or so: “the worst result in our history!” Then I thunk about it a little bit more.
Bhoys and ghirls, lhads and lhasses, lhadies and ghents, I leave you with this thought:
Eintracht Frankfurt 12 (Twelve, TWELVE) Glasgow Rangers 4
Now if that had happened to us over two legs of a European Cup semi- final ……………
Nytol
Hail! Hail!
EDB,
Stay Strong Dude.
I hope yer enjoying Many Great Celtic nights still.
Griff doesn’t need to go round the goalie in a 1:1 situation. He needs to open his body up a bit more and bend the ball round the goalie. It’s something goal scorers do while they are still at Primsry school.
Same jeans
https://youtu.be/RpXTISw_Huw
I can think of a few goals Leigh Griffiths has scored one-on-one with the keeper.
Up to Paradise tomorrow with another 15 South Ayrshire Tims , Brazen Head before and after game Happy Days HH !