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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The World is in a real Pa….. State.
Thank the Almighty for Glasgow Celtic.
This Bhoy can sing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtJ9sPYWYEA&list=RDMtJ9sPYWYEA
NIGHT ALL
Concentrate – Camu Camu – Fully on Bringing through the Celtic players.
Patience&Time.CSC
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
Guid night Judester.
Burnley78 on 23rd July 2016 12:04 am
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.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sad but TRUE
The Huddle
Tuned into CQN for some tunes and chat. Fine tunes tonight mate.
HH
Optimus Prime
A Bird Watcher is an observer.
a pair of brown eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dSGu9803LA
Pete
Wish your dad was with me in Valencia last week. He would know the name of the wee sparrow like bird that shared my balcony, peanuts, bread and water for a week. :)
Petec, I’m sorry I blew out at you last week, really sorry. I shouldn’t have done it on here. In a fun city pub would have been more fitting over a few beers.
I don’t agree with a lot of what you say but you have every right to say it.
Apologies my friend.
HH, We are all Celtic in our own way.
Incredible respect given by Orbital to who?
I reckon only weeminger would know.
Delaneys Dunky on 23rd July 2016 12:41 am
Pete
Wish your dad was with me in Valencia last week. He would know the name of the wee sparrow like bird that shared my balcony, peanuts, bread and water for a week. :)
….
HH
Delaney’s
How was holiday mate ? If i get to CQN Corner tomorrow in time from Brazen will u be there ? If not maybe BV nxt time i’m in Glasgow , HH !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYrdtaCzyXs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sorry if that doesn’t work. I’m just testing while it’s quiet. I did the linky thing a while back but canae remember how :)
-Tambo
A Ceiler Gonof Rust on 23rd July 2016 12:41 am
Petec, I’m sorry I blew out at you last week, really sorry. I shouldn’t have done it on here. In a fun city pub would have been more fitting over a few beers.
I don’t agree with a lot of what you say but you have every right to say it.
Apologies my friend.
HH, We are all Celtic in our own way.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Dude – you Sir, yer a Legend for a reason to me. Yer Top Drawer.
The Happy Atheist track took you back.
You commended me on that. Thumbsup city.CSC
I’m very difficult to even speak to these days, you need to be on the wavelength before things can even start to make sense. I try not to be like I am, but I can’t help myself.
I’m Loopy, I was very happy about that Label, Honestly.
Yer Bhoy JJ, he is a serious voice of reason. Maximum respect to the fella.
Yer a ghetto Sup a *
Nice to see Catman backing up some of the rumors. He lives under Big Peter’s bed, except when the big chap is at work on his heating issues. That’s when the Cat works his magic and Mrs L spills the beans…….
These St Tony’s boy’s, charmers to the last.
HH the Cat………………..:_)
DD,
Creation is Rocking
catman is ………………..
Labs?
Burnley78
Describing Celtic fans with different opinion than you as bitter and ignorant?
Words often associated with the Ibrox hordes.
Poor form.
Where would CQN be without YouTube. ?
My Son is listening to Usain Bolt stuff.
He tells me to Shut Up.
He thinks I’m being too critical about the Celtic Players.
I wonder why he goes on like that? ;))
Came on for a late scroll back after a busy day and m glad I did, EDB, great to see your post and my very best wishes.
Greenpinata on 23rd July 2016 1:04 am
Where would CQN be without YouTube. ?
………………………………………………………………….
I don’t know.
Powerful
Just the goals by the Maestro – his Midfield play was Immense.
GREENPINATA
On Youtube… but withoot the sense of ‘togetherness’.
I’ve lurked for a long time. Very rarely post. Always enjoy this place and the characters within. I’m that guy in the corner at the party, in the kitchen, chilling, enjoying the ambience.
It’s even less cool now that I’ve written it and read it! Ah well. Still :)
Keep it rollin’ & keep it green ;)
-Tambo
Burnley78,
What took us to a point where we are losing to teams from Gibraltar, bitterness? ignorance?
Or just plain incompetence?
Petrie & TB67,
You Tube no problem, but susssh you might wake up the anti American mob. After all it is media.
Togetherness is good.
Hail, Hail to all.
Goodnight my friends in Celtic.
antipodean red,
The SFA are the reason Scotland are where they are.
I got a wee dig this week about A Tim Working in a Yard that has the Queen as……..
I retorted that Pope Francis will have the Anglican Church under Rome soon… It was not a comment I was happy to relay – regarding the BIG picture.
ISIS have a dirty Bomb already to……..
Hegelian Dialectic
Islamic Eschatology is in play.
Israel is the Real target.
Erdogan wants to Destroy what he wants to Destroy.
Israel has now got a very HARD RIGHT wing stance.
Now Gentlemen I’m Always on the side of Israel.
The Word is Pivotal in my thinking.
GREENPINATA
Anti-Americans? They’re nae trouble. It’s the koonts who are anti-anything just because ‘society’ says so…. feck’em.
Shhh….. between us (winky face)
HH
-Tambo
Grace – Jim McCann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMf6IyJI0e4&index=3&list=RDMtJ9sPYWYEA
HH
Sick of the youtube information
Support those Bhoys on that pitch.
Brilliant we have a refreshed LL stand.
So much nonsense on Youtube these days.
The Ipet goat extended version analysis is Pathetic.
16roads.CSC
That so called part time team we played the other night there which is a load of the usual rubbish by the hun media group turns out that only two of their players were part timers the rest of them where pros also said outfit have won the League they play in 14 times in a row & they play all their matches on the only 5,000 capacity stadium on the rock talk about home advantage & most of them play for the national team they are certainly no footy mugs by that I’m referring to fitness level & ball movement so people should not believe all the rubbish which is written/typed by our great scottish press aye right so our next match is against FC Baretek Astana Founded in 2012 with a Stadium Capacity of 30,000 & banked rolled & blah-blah-blah with their so-called manager thinking that their match against us is a bye for them aye right that’s according to the daily retard as mentioned above we all know that nowadays there are no mugs/easy matches in European footy & the fact that said FC Baretek Astana took points @ home last Season in the CL Group Stages off of Athletico Madrid, Benfica & Galitasiry shows that they are a difficult team to play against on their home pitch but considering that they managed to score a last gasp winner against the champions of Estonia in the previous round @ home also shows that they are not world beaters. Never mind about sitting back & defending for 90 minutes plus we should invite them onto to us & hit them on the break I totally agree with Calum McGregor we need to attack them simple as & if the Estonia Team can score over there then so can we think positive not negative I personally think we will get past FC Baretek Astana over the two legs & I’ve also got a feeling this Season we will get into the CL Group Stage this Season we are due a break & good fortune for a change HH All :-) :-)