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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Foghorn
And they will all be as clean as the driven snow, no like them nasty cheating Ruskies :-)
HH
The Spirit of Arthur Lee on 22nd July 2016 9:06 pm
Kolo toure signing tomorrow
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hope you are right but is he to partner Eric – if so it is a very small centre back partnership
Full name Kolo Abib Touré
Date of birth 19 March 1981 (age 35)
Place of birth Bouaké, Ivory Coast
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Centre back
Sorry to appear negative and sound like a permanent malcontent when such a signing would be a wonderful achievement,
SoAL
Is that an informed guess or inside info ?
HH
The Spirit of Arthur Lee
You beat me to it. I am hearing the same but not as the wildcard.
Other irons in the fire
HH
THE_HUDDLE on22ND JULY 2016 9:35 PM
foghorn leghorn on 22nd July 2016 9:34 pm
and for good measure a scottish girl has just broke the british 1500m record
i will wait til i find out what team she supports before deciding whether to be happy for her or not
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And if she was using the non banned drugs :o)
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it showed her finishing off a bottle of mad dug while she was warming up so she wouldnt need any drugs
So Toure and Sinclair tomorrow…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
CATMAN
You can have it mucker
I will get paul to remove my post
LOL
I braved BT sport for a bit. A genuine part time team (one without seven or eight full timers in it) beaten comfortably by the second highest paid team in Scotland. Quelle surprise.
What I did notice was the relentless positivity about sevco throughout. No mention of toiling, huffing and puffing, failing to put the game away etc as we get when Celtic play the like of EK.
I also note that kranjcar looks well short of fitness – I wonder why he wasn’t used for 60 minutes to help work on this, but I’m no magic hat so who knows. Barton not in squad – I suspect he will have some veto on playing in games like that. Just a theory.
Windass is every inch the anonymous mid level SPFL player if that.
There is nothing in that team that anyone in the SPFL will be worrying about.
I’m away to bleach my eyes
Catman
So two in, like buses so they are :-)
HH
SCULLYBHOY
Erik’s Wiki has him at 6.1″
Lennybhoy – are you messing?
Catman Soal & Lb
Is Kolo holding out so YaYa gets a contract as well ?
That dam PL
Is PL working ot to complete the deals ?
Where’s the rumour coming from?
RobertTressell
I saw about ten mins of the game on the betting site, they were brutal.
I reckon when all the teams are up to speed every club in the spl will have the beating of them, problem is the officials, they will be 15-18 points better off with their help imo.
HH
Within the realms of what we can afford – how can anyone doubt that the manager is totally in charge of who we will sign?
Brendan and Chris have both stated unequivocally that they will decide who will be brought in, and it will take as long as it takes to get the right people.
Why so much continuous sniping and moaning?
EDB…
Best wishes, keep strong mate. Hail Hail
Brendan and Chris have both stated unequivocally that they will decide who will be brought in, and it will take as long as it takes to get the right people.
…………………..
A link to that statement would be appreciated, Oh wait, neither of them said anything like it so It won’t be forthcoming any time soon.
Mats Nilloc on 22nd July 2016 9:52 pm
Within the realms of what we can afford – how can anyone doubt that the manager is totally in charge of who we will sign?
Brendan and Chris have both stated unequivocally that they will decide who will be brought in, and it will take as long as it takes to get the right people.
Why so much continuous sniping and moaning?
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You are glutton for punishment. You know the kids on here will still post their pish :O)
Saw that Celtic supporter par excellence EDB posting earlier (and the one and only DBBIA even earlier). Praying for you, sir. God bless you and give you strength.
Gary Caldwell spotted hiking towards Parkhead with a pair o brand new green fitba boots hangin’ ower his shoulder.
Just saying.
wildbeastinganimalcardCSC
– Tambo
Edb
Thoughts and Prayers with you as always.
ACGR……. Awfy braw …..are you getting through a lot of braw drams with the man?
Hahahahaa
Braw
Hal Hail EDB nice to see you back in your seat at Celtic park & posting on CQN Best of luck
Toure might well be a good signing but he will be well short of fitness for our next European game. H.H.
Toure may well prove to be a “good” signing. But how many times have we been shortchanged by ageing ” superstars”
HH.
IF we sign Kolo I will be delighted, but I was wondering what the reaction will be when he has an Efe.
mon the edb
Good evening, friends.
Evening Jobo
And also good evening to friends I have yet to meet………. ;-)
Evening Chums
Good evening jobo…
Just watched Trump on the news, a dangerous man…fanatic springs to mind.
Got a couple of texts from Lennybhoy, here’s hoping they come to fruition.
Jobo….
Did you get a new scarf on Tuesday ? I panicked but if you did it’s now unbeaten (in the standing section) :-)
ROBERTTRESSELL on 22ND JULY 2016 9:47 PM
Just what I hear and as Catman posted, other irons in the fire.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Evening Starry :)))
THEHUDDLE@9:58
I know that, and indeed one just has – however they should not be allowed to post their vitriolic dribble unchallenged – I can handle their sniping and snide remarks like water off a rhinoceris’ back.
Gerry…..
Parked the car at 7.38pm almost a mile from The Park. Made kick off with seconds to spare but, alas, scarf-less. But hey-ho. As a more general observation, watching the game from 111 is about 6 times exhausting as the ole FS2. Had to take a 2-minute sit down half way through the 2nd half!