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First leg of Two
Trivia
- First leg of two games in UEFA Cup.
- Barcelona were the in form side in Europe, and few if any gave us any hope of winning over the two legs.
- Home win set us up for a tense second leg away in Barcelona.
- Barca fans disrupt a minutes silence in respect of the Madrid bombing victims.
Summary
Most fans awaited this game thinking the worst. Granted we had been in the UEFA Cup final in the past year and had a very good go in the Champs Lge Group stages (missing out just, again!), but Barcelona were the inform team in Europe at this point and few if any gave us a realistic chance.
Nevertheless, we were playing at home. Surprisingly we kept together in this game despite some good attacking moves by Barca, but one of the big turning points came off the pitch, when sendings off during the HT interval followed a brief bout of handbags between some players. Sadly for Rab Douglas he was sent off from Celtic's side even though he was appraently trying to stop the melee.
In stepped, David Marshall, with a remarkable performance (saving a penalty). Additionally, a brilliant game by Bobo helped us get through against an ill-disciplined Barca side. Sadly Bobo picked up a yellow and was out the return leg.
As for our winner, Alan Thompson smashed home a close range goal to give Celtic the goal we all craved set up by Larsson who headed the ball down perfectly to his colleague.
A night to remember for us all….
Teams
Celtic:
Douglas;
Varga, Balde, McNamara; Agathe,
Pearson, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Sylla 83);
Larsson, Beattie (Marshall 45).
Subs Not Used:- Lambert, Wallace, Smith, Kennedy.
Goal:- Thompson 59
Booked:- Varga, Balde.
Sent Off:- Douglas (during half-time interval!)
Barcelona:-
Valdes, Reiziger (Gerard 64), Puyol, Oleguer, Gabri, Cocu, Xavi, Motta, Ronaldinho (Overmars 88), Luis Garcia (Quaresma 72), Saviola.
Subs Not Used:- Rustu, Marquez, Iniesta, Oscar Lopez.
Sent Off:- Motta (during half-time interval!), Saviola (49). Booked: Reiziger.
Attendance:- 59,539
Referee:- Wolfgang Stark (Germany).
Articles
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Articles
[The following is taken from the next day issue of Barcelona-based sports daily El Mundo Deportivo: ]
"The emotion in the build up to the game was raw. Moved by the massacre in Madrid, the Scottish club showed a model attitude towards Barcelona, its fans and the victims.
The announcer only came into action five minutes before the start of the game when he asked the Celtic support to give an ovation to the Barcelona fans who were there. The response was spectacular.
After this, the announcer said that Celtic's legendary anthem, 'You'll never walk alone' would be dedicated to the victims' families. This was a very clear gesture of solidarity. If it gives you goose pimples to hear that song in any football ground, the feeling yesterday was ten times greater. Sixty thousands Celtic fans belted it out, scarves in the air, turning it into an extremely beautiful song of hope.
Sadly, the impressive quiet that engulfed Celtic Park during the minute's silence was only broken by about ten people you couldn't take anywhere who were sitting in the section occupied by Barcelona fans. What they shouted does not bear repeating."
Elsewhere, the same paper summed the game up by saying the following:
"The Celtic team showed why it's gone 74 games without losing at home. They showed great strength and character and, thanks to the unconditional support of the best fans on the continent, They secured a 1-0 win."
(El Mundo Deportivo 2004-03-12)
Thompson is the toast of Celtic as tempers fray
(Telegraph)
By Roddy Forsyth
11 Mar 2004
Celtic (0) 1 Barcelona (0) 0
A volcanic night in the east end of Glasgow saw Celtic extend their extraordinary unbeaten home run to 74 games in all competitions and add Barcelona's scalp to those of other illustrious victims such as Juventus, Valencia, Porto and Lyon.
However, they accomplished this notable victory in tempestuous circumstances which saw Robert Douglas and Thiago Motta sent off in the tunnel at half-time for a brawl in which they were separated by Frank Rijkaard, the Barcelona manager.
Motta struck Celtic defender Bobo Balde in the face just before the interval. The incident was missed by the German referee who also allowed a nasty foul by Michael Reiziger on Stephen Pearson to go unpunished after the Barca defender had been booked but Rijkaard removed his player before another red card could be provoked.
Amidst this bedlam Barcelona were hustled out of their stride by Celtic. Alan Thompson, the victim of the challenge which saw Saviola sent off, struck what may prove to be a valuable goal on the hour when Henrik Larsson served him an opportunity which was perfection on a plate.
Having tried a 4-5-1 formation against Rangers in the Tennent's Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday only to abandon it for a 4-4-2 arrangement, Martin O'Neill chose to partner Craig Beattie with Larsson in attack.
It was Beattie's first start at Celtic Park and only his second for the senior side, his previous appearance at kick-off being in a CIS Cup tie with Partick Thistle at Firhill. There could scarcely be a greater contrast in status of opponents for the 20-year-old, who had been on Rangers' books as a teenager until he was judged to be surplus to requirements at Ibrox.
This would have been a high-octane fixture in any circumstances but the atmosphere was supercharged in the few minutes before kick-off, first when the stadium announcer asked that the traditional pre-match rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone be dedicated to the victims of the Madrid bombings and the Celtic crowd responded with a spine tingling rendition.
The minute's silence was then observed impeccably by the home support but marred by loud and disgraceful interruptions from the Barcelona contingent, some of whom – according to the visiting media, translating the catcalls – were howling suggestions which were both disgusting and despicable in the context of yesterday's atrocity.
Celtic lived anxiously in the opening moments as Bobo Balde was forced into a saving tackle on Javier Saviola and Ronaldinho struck a drive which was deflected, both at the expense of corner kicks, but fuelled by a support which was both indignant and intense, O'Neill's players were soon in motion towards Victor Valdes' goal.
Pearson struck a brisk shot wide and from a subsequent run by the youngster Henrik Larsson fed Stilian Petrov into position for a clear shooting opportunity only for the Bulgarian to push his effort tamely past.
Against opposition of quality it is impossible to sustain repeated fast-paced assault and, sure enough, Barca began to control stretches of possession around the midway point of the half and Saviola posted a warning when he wriggled free in the box only to screw his effort wide.
Balde, though, had picked this occasion to turn in the performance of his Celtic career and a series of thunderous blocking tackles were augmented by upfield forays of real menace.
A thrilling exchange saw Saviola and Thompson come close at each end but half-time arrived scoreless, an impressive feat by Celtic, given the absence of Chris Sutton and John Hartson.
Then came the explosion in the tunnel involving Douglas and Motta, followed swiftly by Saviola's dismissal for the kick at Thompson. Celtic pressed their advantage to effect when Stilian Petrov struck a cross which Larsson contested with Carlos Puyol. The Swede lingered in the air and headed the ball down for Thompson to bend his body over the line of the shot and place it perfectly beyond Valdes.
