Boavista v Celtic, 24 April 2003, was one of the most frustrating games of football I’ve sat through. Needing to score, for 78 minutes Celtic were moribund; they made not a single attempt on goal. Instead, they did what most teams do away from home, condensed midfield and defended, while Boavista, who would qualify for the Uefa Cup final if the game ended goalless, did much the same.
The goal appeared to take place in slow motion. Henrik Larsson moved forward to the end of the D and tried to pass to John Hartson, but a defender intercepted. Unfortunately for Boavista the ball was returned from the interception to an unmarked Larsson on the edge of the box.
It spun from his preferred right foot onto his left but the shot gently arced inches away from the goalkeeper’s grasp. The goal was a deflection, although we didn’t see it at the time. The keeper was moving his weight from right to left as the ball drifted to his left.
It may have been a turgid game of football decided by a deflection but it was also one of the most intense sporting occasions in our 125 year history. The sheer release of tension when the goal went in was incredible. 15 minutes, and one generous refereeing decision later, Celtic were in a European final.
Since then we have become accustomed to our position as a credible European team but it was very different in season 2002-03. This was the first Christmas Celtic were in Europe since 1979; each milestone along the way, Blackburn Rovers (a far more credible team at the time), Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool, was celebrated with something close to astonishment.
The triumphs of this season, qualifying for the Champions League group stage instead of losing to Basel, then progressing to the knock out rounds, are greater than the achievements of April 2003, but they will never feel that way. That game, that season, trophy-less though it was, changed our entire landscape. Nothing would ever be the same again.
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Wim Wenders.
Wee Nicole from Eurovision.
cliftonville celt from belfast
Updated to sevco are F********
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPE-OxBcrsU
Baku/Black Isle Celt,
I thought it was Adi Dassler = Adidas and Pum Dassler = Puma. Might be a nickname?
DBBIA,
Maybe. Depends exactly where he is.
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 57s
Welcome to our first LIVE Season Ticket Q&A. Send in your questions now using the hashtag #BeCeltic
oglach 11:55 on 25 April, 2013
“Lewandowski could have been a Celt if Celtic PLC would have met Poznans 4million asking price, BTM tried to sign him on a couple of occasions. How much is he worth now?”
Some you win some you lose.
St Pauli
The reiperbahnn
Astra Beer
Great weekend 8-)
yorkbhoy 11:47 on 25 April, 2013
“If we had signed him and he hadn’t scored in 3 games we would be calling him a waste of space”
Sure, if he had netted over 20 goals and then gone three games without scoring some of the CQN body-language experts would be saying: ‘He’s not interested. He wants away. Lennon needs to drop him.’ect, ect, ect…
Hamiltontim
11:59 on
25 April, 2013
BTM was given £4m to spend on a striker.
He chose Fortune.
==
I think MAH was second choice? Not sure why we didn’t pursue the Polish bhoy perhaps too many other teams interested and the board didn’t want to get envolved in a bidding war.
WiseinretrospectCSC
Is this German debate on CQN the wurst ever?
bankiebhoy1
11:50 on 25 April, 2013
Hogan’s Heroes………….
————
Now there is a blast from the past was it
Schultz that looked like fat sally
Never ever seen so many sombreros…. And I’ve been to Mexico!!!!!!
Lefty……….
Thats him – you might say his ‘doppleganger’!
;)
bankiebhoy1
I just had to :))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ag4nkSh7Q
Hamiltontim
HT, had almost erased that from the ole memory banks!!!
lol steinreignedsupreme, in 2013 everyone is shrinks and metapsychologists!!!!!!!
KLV
Steinreignedsupreme/ Oglach
Re your comments re Lewandowski
Looks as though we dodged a bullet not signing him then :-)
Jimbo
Levi Staus ,Bosch , Gropius-Bauhaus, Hindenburg-Zeppelin , Nena 99red balloons, Beethoven, Rommel , Beer festival -Munich -prost,,,,,,Black Forest gateau …..slurp.
leftclick
LOL very good 8-)
Steinreignedsupreme @12:01 ” … Some you win some you lose.”
Bang on.
Given the choice and the benefit of hindsight I’d be Happy with Henrik every day of the week.
aye MAF was a better investment. ;) never a fan, him or camara
KLV
Stein… I remember one game at Celtic park where a “fan” behind me was giving Henrik dog’s abuse… He wanted Maloney instead. Henrik scores 3 and he starts shouting that Maloney would have got 4. Everyone was in hysterics at the guy.
bankiebhoy1 @12:03 “Is this German debate on CQN the wurst ever?”
Richard Whitely would have been proud of that one.
Ernie –
WITTGENSTEIN was
Austrian.
And should be at the top of the list. Of Austrians.
Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles
yes we are 2 mins away from the autobahn , the chiemsee and the simssee are both about 20 mins away and really looking forward to the summer here as it will be my first .
where abouts in deutschland are you based ?
NatKnow
Mozart then Schubert. I’d say Wittgenstein and Mahler would go to a penalty shoot-out.
For third place, I mean.
Oglach
My point was that the board made money available mate, it was up to the manager who it was spent on.
That Kant should never get a mention either………………
The Legless Loon: “Rangers supporters want to see that shyster of a conman, that low life liar, Craig Whyte get his just desserts.”
“Low life liar” – surely “Expert poker player”?
bamboo
12:07 on 25 April, 2013
————————————-
Considering that I’ve been to the last 26, I can’t believe I didn’t mention the Oktoberfest or even my favourite city München. Must be the ole Alzheimer’s kicking in.
Definitely off oot this time.
The Saint
beerhuntercsc
Germans = dodgy clothes, mad facial hair, strange hair cuts, odd music, strange obsession with sun beds, poor television shows, great design and build quality, good beer, strange sausages and lets not forget an unhealthy obsession with the Hoff !!!!!!1
Can’t stop laughing @corsica1968 2m
Finally told they all know going to go bust again. Options: Murray or Mather find short-term finance quick, DCK comes back, or death.
Germans, there can be only one!
The one, the only…. David Hasselhoff.
Honorary German maybe , but he brought down the Berlin wall you know!
And then he married it !?!?!
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/hasselhoff-marries-berlin-wall-1.1345340
madasfeck.csc
HH
/Bishop B
Springtime for Hitler & Germany (need to cut & paste)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K08akOt2kuo
Wicklowbhoy,
Nordrhein Westfalen about 100km NE of Dortmund. A place called Gütersloh, home of Miele and Bertelsmann media.
Watching the game last night —- I thought Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan was excellent . .
Dortmund paid less for Gundogan than Liverpool paid for Charlie Adam .
Dortmund paid less for Gundogan than Stoke paid for Charlie Adam .
Absurd !
Hmmm…
McGhee
Macleod
MacInally
Lambert
Lubo
Thom
Hinkel
O’Neil
Hmmm…..
HamiltonTim, Had a drink with Barry Quinn brother of Brian in a pub in Spain watching the game last Sunday. We talked about CQN, he said he knew you and asked me to pass on his good wishes the next time I saw you on CQN.