| Match Pictures | Matches: 2002 – 2003 | 2002-2003 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic tumbled out of the Champions League on the away goals rule, at the qualifying stage after a disappointing defeat in Switzerland.
Review
Basel started at a whirlwind tempo and Celtic could have been a goal behind after just three minutes when Paul Lambert had to stretch to block a shot from Ivan Ergic just a few yards out.
Celtic were caught out by the pace and clever movement of the Swiss in the eighth minute when a delightful reverse pass from Hakan Yakin split the visiting defence, allowing Gimenez to race through and slide the ball under Robert Douglas.
Celtic should have been on level terms soon after but Henrik Larsson's firm header from just five yards out went straight at Basel keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler.
The home team, backed by a noisy capacity crowd, had their tails up and they were rewarded with another goal after 22 minutes when Murat Yakin rose above Bobo Balde and Ulrik Laursen to head home a corner kick.
Balde had two good chances to get a goal back for Celtic when he found room in the opposition box, but was denied by a good save from Zuberbuhler and later headed over from a good position.
Celtic made changes at half time with Didier Agathe and Steve Guppy coming on to play on the flanks. Laursen and Paul Lambert were the men to make way, and the were immediately on the offensive and a deflected shot from Stilian Petrov flashed narrowly wide.
Playing with determination and drive, Celtic were on top for long spells of the second half, but struggled to create good goal-scoring chances.
The Basle defence were holding out, and they were fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 65th minute when Quennoz handled in the box, but referee Andres Frisk was not interested.
Chris Sutton had a near post header saved and a long range effort from Momo Sylla was easily dealt with.
Substitute John Hartson almost scored with his first touch in the 71st minute but Zuberbuhler stuck out a hand to block the Welshman's close range header.
Douglas produced a wonderful diving save to keep Celtic's hopes alive in the 85th minute and immediately afterwards Larsson volleyed over the bar from eight yards as play raged from one end to the other.
The final minutes saw a Sutton shot slide inches wide of the post as Celtic laid siege to the Swiss goal.
Teams
FC Basel:-
Zuberbuhler, Barberis, M Yakin, Quennox, Duruz, Ergic, Cantaluppi, H Yakin, Varela (Degan 61), Gimenez, Rossi.
Subs not used:- Rapo, Koumantarakis, Degen, Atouba, Tum.
Goals:- Giminez 8, M Yakin 22.
Celtic:-
Douglas, Mjallby, Balde, Valgaeren, Laursen (Guppy 45), Sylla (Hartson ??), Lennon, Lambert (Agathe 45), Petrov, Sutton, Larsson.
Subs not used:- Hedman, Crainey, McNamara, Fernandez.
Booked:- Sylla
Att:- 30,500
Ref:- Andres Frisk (Sweden).
Articles
Pictures
Articles
Celtic beaten in Basel
BBC: FC Basel celebrate in style on the final whistle Basel 2-0 Celtic (Agg 3-3 – Basel win on away goals)
Celtic tumbled out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage after a disappointing defeat in Switzerland. Basel ran the Scottish champions ragged in the opening stages and goals from Christian Giminez and Murat Yakin were enough to give them an early lead. Celtic, who had a 3-1 lead from the first leg, battled gamely to get back into the match but lacked creativity in the final third of the pitch and fell victim to the away goals rule. Martin O'Neill's men enjoyed the bulk of possession in the second half and carved out a number of chances, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and squandered opportunities means a Uefa Cup campaign beckons for Celtic. Basel started at a whirlwind tempo and Celtic could have been a goal behind after just three minutes when Paul Lambert had to stretch to block a shot from Ivan Ergic just a few yards out. Celtic were caught out by the pace and clever movement of the Swiss in the eighth minute when a delightful reverse pass from Hakan Yakin split the visiting defence, allowing Gimenez to race through and slide the ball under Robert Douglas. The Glasgow side should have been on level terms soon after but Henrik Larsson's firm header from just five yards out went straight at Basel keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler. Celtic started with an unfamiliar back four and, without the width provided by their normal 3-5-2 formation, lacked menace going forward. The home team, backed by a noisy capacity crowd, had their tails up and they were rewarded with another goal after 22 minutes when Murat Yakin rose above Bobo Balde and Ulrik Laursen to head home a corner kick. Balde had two good chances to get a goal back for Celtic when he found room in the opposition box, but was denied by a good save from Zuberbuhler and later headed over from a good position. Celtic made changes at half time with Didier Agathe and Steve Guppy coming on to play on the flanks. Laursen and Paul Lambert were the men to make way. The Scots were immediately on the offensive and a deflected shot from Stilian Petrov flashed narrowly wide. Celtic were denied by the resolute Swiss Playing with determination and drive, Celtic were on top for long spells of the second half, but struggled to create good goal-scoring chances. Chris Sutton had a near post header saved and a long range effort from Momo Sylla was easily dealt with. Substitute John Hartson almost scored with his first touch in the 71st minute but Zuberbuhler stuck out a hand to block the Welshman's close range header. Douglas produced a wonderful diving save to keep Celtic's hopes alive in the 85th minute and immediately afterwards Larsson volleyed over the bar from eight yards as play raged from one end to the other. The final minutes saw a Sutton shot slide inches wide of the post as Celtic laid siege to the Swiss goal.
FC Basel: Zuberbuhler, Quennoz, Vila Varela, Hakan Yakin, Barberis, Gimenez, Murat Yakin, Duruz, Cantaluppi, Ergic, Juilio Rossi. Subs: Koumantarakis, Tum, Savic, Rapo, Streller, Degn, Thimothee Atouba.
Celtic: Douglas, Valgaeren, Balde, Mjallby, Laursen, Sylla, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Larsson, Sutton. Subs: McNamara, Hartson, Fernandez, Agathe, Hedman, Guppy, Crainey. Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)
O'Neill rues defensive flaws
Celtic's failure to reach the lucrative Champions League group stages may have cost the club in the region of £15m and is a dent to the prestige of the Parkhead club. A 2-0 defeat to Swiss side FC Basel saw the Scottish champions, who lead 3-1 from the first leg, tumble out on the away goals rule and sees Celtic go into the Uefa Cup draw on Friday. Manager Martin O'Neill broke with his normal 3-5-2 formation in favour of a back four, but the system proved flawed as an uncomfortable Celtic were torn apart in the opening stages and found themselves two down after 22 minutes. O'Neill admitted his side's first-half display dashed their Champions League dream after his tactics backfired in the St Jakob Stadium. "I am obviously very disappointed, but we didn't play well enough in he first-half," conceded O'Neill. "In the second-half we threw everything at them, but it wasn't to be, but full credit to Christian's (Gross) side. "They played very well especially in the first-half. Even though we had the majority of play, we just weren't able to take chances Celtic manager Martin O'Neill "We wanted to be as strong as possible. "We knew that we had an advantage going into the game and we wanted to keep that advantage for the first 25 minutes of the game. "That was the reason I played the four in defence, but they scored twice in that time. "We abandoned it at half-time because we needed to score a goal. "I felt even with the team in the first-half that were capable of scoring, but we just didn't defend well enough at set-pieces." O'Neill reverted to a back three after the break, but despite some good opportunities, the visitors were not able to take them. FC Basel 2-0 Celtic He continued: "We changed the system and even though we had the majority of play, we just weren't able to take chances." The Celtic boss refused to make excuses even though referee Andres Frisk failed to award them a second-half penalty after Alexandre Quennoz handled the ball in the box when in a prone position. O'Neill muttered: "On the penalty I don't know what happened." FC Basel manager Gross was revelling in the moment and described his side's display as "perfect." The former Tottenham boss enthused: "It was a pleasant night for us. We started the second leg in the best possible way. "I am glad for the the players, the city and the crowd. This is a great achievement."
