| Match Pictures | The Road To Seville | Matches: 2002 – 2003 |
Celtic Games – UEFA Cup 2003
First Leg: Celtic 3-1 Stuttgart
Review
In the opening minutes Maloney curled a free-kick straight into the hands of Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from a promising position. Stuttgart then wasted a great chance to take the lead in the ninth minute. Lambert lost possession to Amanatidis just inside his own half and it was two against one for the Germans. But Aliaksandr Hleb’s pass was too strong for his team-mate with Neil Lennon and Douglas both struggling to make up the ground.
Stuttgart suffered a major blow in 17 minutes, when Bordon was shown a straight red card for a professional foul on Stilian Petrov, who was clean away. But this did not prevent the Bundesliga side from taking the lead in the 27th minute. Balakov swung an inviting cross into the box and Kuranyi rose above Joos Valgaeren to head low past Douglas from 10 yards.
This spurred Celtic into action and they began to exert pressure on the Stuttgart defence.
Celtic got back on level terms in the 36th minute. Maloney chested AlanThompson’s cross into the path of Lambert and he struck a sweet first-time shot past Hildebrand into the bottom corner of the net.
Then, with the half-time whistle approaching, Maloney took advantage of a poor clearance by Fernando Meira to bundle the ball under the advancing Stuttgart keeper from close range.
Didier Agathe could have stretched their advantage in the 49th minute when space opened up for him, but he sliced his right-foot shot well wide.
Celtic were well on top and the Stuttgart goalkeeper saved from Maloney before Meira made a vital block tackle on Agathe. And the pressure told with just over 20 minutes remaining when Petrov somehow squeezed a right-foot shot between Hildebrand and his post from close to the byline after Lambert’s pass had sent him clear.
Trivia
- UEFA Cup 2002/03: The Road To Seville
- Celtic had to play this game without Larsson who has a double fracture of the jaw.
- Stuttgart took a shock lead after going down to 10 men.
Teams
Celtic:-
Douglas, McNamara, Balde (Laursen 88), Valgaeren, Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Smith 69), Sutton, Maloney.
Subs Not Used:- Marshall, Sylla, Fernandez, Healy, Guppy.
Goals: Paul Lambert (36′) Shaun Maloney (45′) Stiliyan Petrov (68′)
VfB Stuttgart:
Hildebrand, Hinkel, Bordon, Meira, Gerber, Soldo, Meissner (Rundio 76), Hleb (Carnell 51), Balakov, Amanatidis (Danglmayr 19), Kuranyi.
Subs Not Used:- Ernst, Tiffert, Seitz, Ganea.
Sent Off:- Bordon (17).
Booked:- Meira, Meissner.
Goal: Kevin Kuranyi (27)
Attendance:- 59,644
Referee:- Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
Pictures
Articles
Petrov sinks Stuttgart
BBC
Celtic battled back from a goal down to beat 10-man Stuttgart and set up the possibility of another ‘Battle of Britain’ tie with Liverpool in the quarter finals of the Uefa Cup. The Scottish champions went behind to a Kevin Kuranyi header despite the Bundesliga side being reduced to 10 men after 17 minutes when Marcelo Bordon was sent off for a professional foul. But skipper Paul Lambert rallied his side with a great equaliser before Shaun Maloney pounced on the stroke of half-time to put the Parkhead men on course for their ninth successive home win in Europe. And Stilian Petrov gave Celtic a healthy two-goal cushion to take to Germany for the second leg next week with a clinical second-half finish. In the opening minutes Maloney curled a free-kick straight into the hands of Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from a promising position. At the other end Rab Douglas was let off the hook when Ioannis Amanatidis sliced his shot well wide after Krassimir Balakov had headed Bordon’s ball into his path. Stuttgart then spurned a glorious opportunity to take the lead in the ninth minute. Lambert lost possession to Amanatidis just inside his own half and it was two against one for the Germans. But Aliaksandr Hleb’s pass was too strong for his team-mate with Neil Lennon and Douglas both struggling to make up the ground.
The Scotland international keeper did have to make a save in the 15th minute when Bordon got on the end of Balakov’s corner from eight yards, but he caught easily. Stuttgart suffered a major blow a minute later when Bordon was shown a straight red card for a professional foul on Stilian Petrov, who was clean away. But this did not prevent the Bundesliga side from taking the lead in the 27th minute. Balakov swung an inviting cross into the box and Kuranyi rose above Joos Valgaeren to head low past Douglas from 10 yards. This spurred Celtic into action and they began to exert pressure on the Stuttgart defence without creating any real clear-cut chances. But the home side did get back on level terms in the 36th minute. Maloney chested AlanThompson’s cross into the path of Lambert and he struck a sweet first-time shot past Hildebrand into the bottom corner of the net. Then, with the half-time whistle approaching, Maloney took advantage of a poor clearance by Fernando Meira to bundle the ball under the advancing Stuttgart keeper from close range. Celtic were looking to wear the 10 men down in the second half by passing the ball around. Didier Agathe could have stretched their advantage in the 49th minute when space opened up for him, but he sliced his right-foot shot well wide. Celtic were well on top and the Stuttgart goalkeeper saved from Maloney before Meira made a vital block tackle on Agathe. And the pressure told with just over 20 minutes remaining when Petrov somehow squeezed a right-foot shot between Hildebrand and his post from close to the byline after Lambert’s pass had sent him clear.
Uefa Cup
Celtic punish 10-man Stuttgart
Graham Hunter
The Guardian, Friday 21 February 2003 00.25 GMT
Article history
Celtic had one of their finest results in modern times despite the unpromising circumstances of this Uefa Cup fourth-round tie. As eviction from the Champions League by Basle showed, a 3-1 lead from the home leg is not always sufficient but the players can pause to cherish this eventful win.
Martin O’Neill’s men, disadvantaged by injuries and the suspension of John Hartson, prayed for some rogue event that would tilt the balance back towards them. They got it, too, with Marcelo Bordon, Stuttgart’s Brazilian centre-back, sent off for a professional foul after 19 minutes.
The red card was a challenge to take command of the game, if not the tie, but Celtic could not meet it immediately.
The visitors, a man down, were soon a goal ahead and it was an unexpected achievement for Celtic to gain the lead by the interval. Their character shone through even in the absence of some of their talent.
Celtic had not been at this modestly advanced stage of a European competition for 23 years and there were real questions about their merits in such a context. This was not the ideal juncture for Celtic to field awkward inquiries.
Once Henrik Larsson had been ruled out with a broken jaw, there was never any threat to Pierluigi Collina’s status as the glitziest figure on the pitch. As far as Celtic were concerned, the referee was welcome to his celebrity because this was no night for glamour from the Scottish champions. They are a pragmatic bunch and tumultuous aggression was the pronounced element of their repertoire here.
Lacking the enterprise of Larsson, manager O’Neill placed a marked emphasis on experience as he sought a line-up that could stand its ground against a currently potent Bundesliga side.
The captain Paul Lambert is often left on the bench at the start of the most trying fixtures but he was reinstated this time. The long-serving Jackie McNamara was accommodated as well, even if that meant pushing the midfielder back into defence.
There was no rhythm to the team at the start and the visitors’ attackers looked predatory. The nature of the struggle changed, all the same, when Shaun Maloney, Larsson’s understudy, sent Stilian Petrov on a run that was halted coarsely by Bordon 30 yards out. Other Stuttgart players were hurtling back, but the centre-half had been the last man and Collina had no reason to excuse him.
Steffen Dangelmayr’s introduction as a replacement for the centre-half meant that Ioannis Amanatidis, one of the forwards, had to be removed. Despite that reduction in firepower, Stuttgart broke through in the 26th minute when Kevin Kuranyi headed in a chip from Krassimir Balakov.
The setback dispelled Celtic’s inhibitions and, with Didier Agathe dynamic, they played with the zest of men who had nothing left to lose. Their goal, in the 39th minute, was thoughtfully constructed as Petrov chested down a McNamara cross and Lambert slanted a controlled drive into the corner of the net.
Felix Magath’s men were apprehensive and six minutes later Dangelmayr proved a sorry deputy for Bordon, bungling a through ball by Alan Thompson which put Maloney in position to accept his opportunity sharply.
That was a piercing blow to Stuttgart but this is a hardened, fit side and energy only trickled out of them instead of gushing away as Celtic hoped.
Still, Celtic maintained a high tempo and the patterns of their play grew more marked. Lambert, 34, was restored now as the orchestrator of the build-up. The captain needed treatment for a foul that left him in a heap but there was no chance that he would let himself be withdrawn from this occasion easily.
It was Lambert who delivered a shrewd pass for his side’s third goal in the 68th minute. It picked out the run of Petrov and, drilling the ball in from close to the byline on the right, he beat the goalkeeper Timo Hilderbrand at the near post.
That finish confounded geometry just as, to Celtic’s joy, the night was defying logic.
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; McNamara, Balde (Laursen, 88), Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Smith, 69); Maloney, Sutton.
VfB Stuttgart (4-3-1-2): Hildebrand; Hinkel, Meira, Bordon, Gerber; Meissner (Aundio, 76), Soldo, Hleb (Carnell, 52); Balakov; Amanatidis (Dangelmayr, 19), Kuranyi.
Sent off: Bordon.
Booked: Meira, Meissner.
Referee: P Collina (Italy).
