Inter were an incredible side. They were top of the Italian league and aiming for their fourth title win in five seasons. The one time they lost was after a play-off. The European Cup had become as much their domain as the Italian title. Having won it in 1964 and 1965, they lost the previous season’s semi-final in controversial manner to Real Madrid after some debatable refereeing. Reigning champions, Real, would suffer retribution, losing home and away to Inter in the ’67 quarter final. No team in European history had been so dominant. Real won five European Cups in a row but could not combine that with the kind of domestic domination this Inter team enjoyed.
On the morning on 25 May 1967 they were truly the most formidable team in history.
The game has to be seen to be believed. We won the European Cup, you know that, but HOW we won it is the most startling thing. I was a teenager when the first ‘video recorded’ arrived in the house. Soon thereafter a copy of The Celtic Story was purchased. I knew the legend but nothing prepared me for the onslaught, I’d never seen a football team destroy opponents in this way.
A CQN’er kindly prepared the stats for us:
Total shots – Celtic 45, Inter 3
Shots on target – Celtic 16, Inter 3
Shots off target – Celtic 29 (3 against the woodwork), Inter 0
Possession – Celtic 64%, Inter 36%
Crosses into opponents box – Celtic 40, Inter 4
Corners – Celtic 10, Inter 0
Successful passes – Celtic 310, Inter 224
Misplaced passes – Celtic 49, Inter 79
Passbacks to goalkeeper – Celtic 7, Inter 20
Fouls Committed – Celtic 19, Inter 21
Offsides – Celtic 5, Inter 1
No prizes for guessing the top two passers, Bobby Murdoch (60) and Bertie Auld (51) but it surprised me that John Clark and Jim Craig came joint third with 43 each, considerably higher than Tommy Gemmell (27), next on the list.
Someone suggested to me that the European Champions tournament had been devalued by a team winning by ‘parking the bus’ in front of their own goal. I disagree. This is football, spoiling has always been part of the game and the Champions Final is not always pretty, which makes the special times all the more special.
Someone lifts that cup every year, but few have done so with such devastating style as the Lisbon Lions.
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So the morons running the Dead Parrot of football think they can overturn a football decision in a court – a move which can ban all Scottish clubs from Europe and the national team from WC qualification?
Isn’t there a vote coming up where they need Celtic, Hearts, Dundee United. Motherwell and St Johnstone to vote for them?
Their idiocy knows now bounds.
Time for UEFA to get involved
I wasn’t even a twinkle in my Mammy’s eye in 1967 but the names of those Lions were as familiar to me in my childhood as those of any contemporary footballers were, thanks to my Granda’s stories.
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play on the hallowed surface of the Estadio Nacional, as a match was arranged by a UEFA lawyer between our team of mainly British ex-pats and his Swiss team.
Fate can be a strange thing though and is often delivered with cruel irony and that is certainly how mine arrived. On the morning of the match my excitement turned to horror as I learned that some eejit had decreed we should line out in the full England strip!!!!
Imagine my predicament. Here I was faced with the choice of playing on the ground where legends were born in the colours of the auld enemy..or not at all.
The other non English on the team hailed from Holland, Greece, Norway, Zimbabwe and Canada and, although a little perplexed at being asked to don the three lions, really weren’t all that bothered. Nobody understood my plight.
Anyway, a compromise was reached when I agreed to tog out with a crest cut from a retro Ireland tracksuit glued over the badge.
After the game I got to stand where Big Billy lifted the cup complete in my retro 67 hoops. The photo has pride of place on my Granda’s mantlepiece.
Just thought I’d share that wee tale today.
is a court really going to over rule two senior lawmen that have come to the
same conclusion?
BADA BING
Any better on the work front lately?
If you bump into VP tonight,let him know our favourite sprinter is running tomorrow at Haydock.
Middle draw,and a decent price,and I hope I hivnae jinxed it!
The huns on Rm delighted hoping it gets Every scottish club kicked out of europe.
STUPID STUPID SCUM
Nail them to the floor UEFA
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
The peepil have as no dignity or a shred of remorse.
jock tamson on 25 May, 2012 at 13:35 said:
Lower North £609.00