2012-09-19: Celtic 0-0 Benfica, European Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2012 – 2013 | Champions League | 2012-13 Pictures

Trivia

• Champions League 2012-13 Match day 1
• First Champions League group game for four years.
• Lots of injuries so many out (e.g. Stokes, Samaras, Ledley etc). Some surprises in team this match.
• A total of 12 Celtic players made their Champions League debuts against Benfica tonight. #learningcurve
• Kris Commons: "What a incredible atmosphere!! Remember that for the rest of my life. Thank you fans…….best in the world" (via twitter)
• Barcelona 3-2 Spartak Moscow in other match.
• Celtic still not ever won opening match of Champions League group stages.
• Celtic financial results out showed loss of £7m for first six months of year, but this was before sale of Ki and squad clear out.
• Sevco (Zombie Rangers) were playing in the Ramsden Cup, and were knocked out on penalties by Division 2 side Queen of the South the night before. Ramsden Cup is the Scottish Challenge Cup for teams below the SPL! Ramsdens is a pawnbrokers (quite apt for the Huns), it's not the chip shop chain! OldCo knocked out by the Queen. Newco knocked out by The Queens…
• Olympic silver medallist and Celtic fan, Michael Jamieson takes a well deserved bow at Paradise.
• Hillsborough enquiries report details on death of 96 Liverpool fans in 1989 revealed last week, blaming the police and organisers and NOT the fans. YNWA song dedicated to them prior to kick off. (RIP to the 96, and our congratulations to the "Justice for the 96" on the success of their long campaign).

Review

(by Elliott the Tim of KDS)
Can't say I'm thrilled. We battled away and that is to our credit. Our ball retention is rubbish, that we already know I guess. We done OK against a decent side, the lack of clear chances did frustrate me. I guess we have been spoiled in the past, but I generally expect to see us win our home games in the CL. I reckon our chances of qualification are now very slim, well slimmer than before.

Positives for me :

Scott Brown – the drive in our side. Reckon we would have been well beaten without him tonight.

Kelvin Wilson – outstanding. Absolutely awesome tonight.

Wanyama – that performance showed his development, a rock of a player.

Clean sheet is very pleasing, a point isn't bad, but to have had any chance to progress we had to win tonight.

Negatives:

Izzaguire – I don't even need to say anything. Woeful as he has been for months.

Miku – worked hard, but feck me would it trouble him to at least contest for a ball in the air ? He also doesn't hold the ball in well enough despite his good first touch

Forrest – one trick pony. Doesn't have the tricks or flicks, constantly just knocks the ball passed the defender and runs. It wasn't working at all tonight, he had to try something different but instead constantly gave the ball away. Put him against a defender with pace and he is hopeless.

Corners – how many fecking times is Commons going to float a ball into the box only for it to be easily cleared so frustrating how ineffective we are from set plays.

Overall ? Not bad, but it wasn't great. Did we have a single shot on target ? The team is young, and we will learn.

Teams

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)
• Audio Report: Paradise Report

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –
• 2012-13 Winners

Stats

Celtic v Benfica

Possession
52% v 48%
90mins

Shots
5 v 5

On target
3 v 2

Corners
9 v 10

Fouls
14 v 17

Articles

Bullish Neil Lennon encouraged by Celtic’s Champions League start

The Scotsman

By STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Published on Thursday 20 September 2012 00:49

NEIL Lennon last night accentuated the positives from Celtic’s return to the Champions League as he insisted qualification from Group G remains firmly within the capabilities of his team.

The SPL title holders were forced to settle for a point against Benfica at Parkhead in a goalless draw which largely failed to live up to the build-up and expectations surrounding their first appearance at this stage of the tournament for four years.

But Lennon was anything but downbeat afterwards, reflecting with pride and satisfaction in the efforts of a team in which only captain Scott Brown had any previous experience of Champions League group stage football.

• Read the full match report here

The Celtic manager accepts that he will now need to oversee a least one positive result away from home in the remainder of the campaign but that has not diminished his optimism.

“There are a lot of positives to take from tonight although,

ideally, you would like to win your home games,” said Lennon. “It makes things a little bit more difficult for us but it’s not insurmountable. We look forward with a lot of confidence.

“I haven’t set the team any targets. What I did say to them was that if they were not going to win the game, then don’t lose it. We have gained a point already.

“We will now have to get something away from home in at least one of the games, which is always a tall order with our record in the competition on the road. But this is a different team and capable of getting some results away from home.

“Tonight was their first test of Champions League football and the majority of them passed it. It was a fair result. We didn’t work their goalkeeper as much as I would have liked.

“Having said that, I was very pleased with the team’s performance. There was a very good tempo and a very good shape to us. We were committed and played with real zest and no fear against a class side.

“So it’s a decent start for us. It could have been better, it could have been worse. We are learning as we go along. The players have sampled it now, they’ve had a feel of it.

“There were 10 guys out there making their Champions League debuts against a very experienced Champions League side, so I’m very proud of the team tonight. I always thought we could compete in this group and I hope we will get a little bit more respect now from the footballing world. Benfica went into the game as heavy favourites but you couldn’t really call it tonight.”

Lennon suffered a blow early yesterday, when Gary Hooper was declared unfit to start the match because of an ankle injury, leaving him even more gratified by the final outcome. He added: “We are immensely hampered by the lack of striking options. My leading goalscorer [Hooper] was ruled out of the starting line-up this morning, and we were already without Georgios Samaras. We are hoping he [Samaras] will be fit for Spartak Moscow away in a couple of weeks, because he’s a huge plus for us.

“But I was delighted with Miku, I have to say. I thought he led the line very, very well. For his home competitive debut, in that environment, he showed what a good player he is.

“It shows that we have a bit of depth in the squad to compete at this level. We were without Samaras, Joe Ledley and Beram Kayal, who are all tremendous players and will be back soon. Allied to that, Miku and Lassad will be further down the line in terms of fitness and Efe Ambrose will come in.

“I think we might have lost that game this time last year. That’s four clean sheets in Europe this season now and we haven’t lost a game in Europe since Atletico Madrid beat us here last year.

“Maybe our final ball at times lacked that little bit of cutting edge tonight, because we worked the ball into good areas. But there were some great individual performances.

“Charlie Mulgrew had a fantastic game. Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson were excellent, while Victor Wanyama and Scott Brown did well in midfield. In the second half, Brown was colossal for us.

“He just gives the team real drive. There were moments in the second half when he saw the danger and covered the ground really quickly with some tremendous tackles, nipping Benfica’s counter-attacks in the bud. He has matured and blossomed into the captaincy.

“He recovered very quickly from the game against St Johnstone at the weekend, which is very pleasing, and finished the game strongly tonight. We’ll wait and see how he is in the next couple of days.”

England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence was present at Parkhead last night to see Celtic ’keeper Fraser Forster keep another clean sheet which can only enhance his international ambitions.

“I knew Ray was coming tonight but I didn’t relay that to Fraser before the game,” smiled Lennon. “I wanted to make sure he concentrated on his game. Whatever he did, he did very well.

“He was composed, assured and made a decent save in the second half. He has made a huge difference to us defensively.”

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus was frustrated that he had to settle for a draw last night.

Champions League Group G: Celtic 0 – 0 Benfica

The Scotsman

By STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Published on Wednesday 19 September 2012 21:58

CELTIC found themselves acting out a familiar script on their return to Champions League group phase action as they endured an evening of frustration which has already lengthened the odds on their prospects of further progress in the tournament.

Referee: N Rizzoli (Ita)

Attendance: 60,000

Just as in their previous six appearances in this stage of European football’s elite competition, Celtic were unable to mark Matchday One with a victory. The point secured from a largely undistinguished goalless draw was a just outcome, but one which was more welcome for a Benfica side whose strategy was generally devised to avoid defeat. The Lisbon club did so for the first time in four visits to Celtic Park, a rivalry stretching back to the 1969-70 season, and left the Scottish champions fully aware that they will not be able to rely on their home form alone in this campaign if they hope to reach the last 16.

Neil Lennon’s side badly lacked a cutting edge, with an injury sustained by Gary Hooper restricting their most prolific striker to a place among the substitutes. Celtic threatened only in fits and starts, leaving Benfica to create the more clear-cut chances on the counter attack with Fraser Forster again proving his worth in goal for the home team.

The visit to face Spartak Moscow in Russia in a fortnight is now a fixture in which Celtic must at least attempt to earn another point before they go into the daunting double-header against Barcelona. Lennon’s burning desire for his team to make their presence felt in the tournament this season was personified in the adrenaline-fuelled start his players made to the match.

The reshuffled Benfica defence, without the experienced duo of Maxi Pereira and Luisao through suspension, were still trying to settle into the contest when Celtic carved out their first opening. Kris Commons, deployed in a floating role behind central striker Nicolas ‘Miku’ Fedor, latched onto a lay-off from the recent Venezuelan signing but saw his powerful shot charged down before it could test Benfica goalkeeper Artur. Lennon’s response to the absence of Georgios Samaras, so influential in Celtic’s qualifying round successes against HJK Helsinki and Helsingborgs, was to field Charlie Mulgrew in the wide left position. The early signs were promising from the versatile Mulgrew as he surged forward to force the first of a couple of early corner kicks, one of which flashed across the Benfica six-yard box without a home player able to get the vital touch required.

But that early encouragement for the home support soon began to dissipate, Benfica effectively slowing the pace of the contest down and taking the sting out of much of their hosts’ work. It led to a largely frustrating first half for Celtic who were unable to impose themselves in the attacking third of the pitch. Victor Wanyama, among those who had started most brightly in the home ranks, saw his approach compromised when he received the first caution of the evening after just 21 minutes for a late challenge on Enzo Perez.

Along with captain Scott Brown, the presence of Wanyama in central midfield was pivotal to Celtic’s hopes of limiting the influence Benfica’s techincally-gifted captain Pablo Aimar could have on proceedings. The 32-year-old playmaker, one of five Argentinian players in the Benfica starting line-up, was the most advanced of the visiting midfield as he looked to support lone striker Rodrigo. Much of the play from both sides, however, lacked fluency and conviction. Celtic broke out of the scrappy pattern briefly when Commons linked up smartly with Miku once again, but the striker’s final ball saw a decent move fizzle out inside the penalty area.

Benfica gave every impression of a team who would be content to leave Glasgow with a goalless draw, but they did threaten to plunder the lead in the 32nd minute when a long diagonal ball caught the Celtic defence on their heels. Rodrigo was left one-on-one with Fraser Forster but the big English goalkeeper reacted swiftly to rush out and block the shot.

Whenever they did secure possession in midfield, Benfica appeared keen to target Celtic left-back Emilio Izaguirre. The Honduran international was caught out on more than one occasion, eventually picking up a booking when he left himself with little option but to foul Eduardo Salvio in order to halt a dangerous situation for Celtic.

From the subsequent free-kick, the ball broke to Ezequiel Garay whose miscued shot well over the top of Forster’s goal simply summed up the mediocre standard of much of the play.

Celtic sought to heighten the tempo at the start of the second half with Commons continuing to look their most likely source of a breakthrough. His well delivered free-kick from the left, after Izaguirre had been crudely halted by Salvio, caused confusion in the Benfica defence. The ball was cleared as far as Adam Matthews whose shot was deflected behind for a corner.

But Lennon’s men still struggled to place their resilient opponents under any sustained pressure. There was a heart-stopping moment for the Celtic fans when Kelvin Wilson seemed to be far too casual in his approach to cutting out a Rodrigo thrust into the penalty area, but the big defender’s confidence was justified as he played his way out of trouble.

While only seen as an attacking force in flashes, Benfica brought some rare high quality to the contest when Aimar and Rodrigo linked up brilliantly to set up an opening for Nicolas Gaitan was deflected wide. Aimar curled the corner from the left into the near post where Garay’s crouching header forced a fine save from Forster. It was a reminder of the danger Benfica could pose and which was hardly lessened when they replaced the tiring Aimar with their leading striker Oscar Cardozo, whose place among the substitutes had been something of a surprise.

Celtic bolstered their own attacking options with the introduction of Hooper in the 66th minute. Izaguirre was the man to make way, Mulgrew dropping into the left-back role. Commons moved into the wide-left midfield position, leaving Hooper to partner Miku up front.

As Celtic’s search for a goal became more frantic, they had a loud but wildly optimistic appeal for a penalty turned down with nine minutes remaining when Forrest tumbled inside the area under a challenge from Melgarejo.

But it could have been worse for Celtic in the closing moments, Cardozo heading an Almeida cross narrowly over as Benfica sensed a chance to sneak away with all three points.

Celtic: Forster, Matthews, Lustig (Rogne 63), Wilson, Izaguirre (Hooper 66); Forrest, Brown, Wanyama, Mulgrew; Commons; Fedor. Subs: Zaluska, Ambrose, Lassad, Slane, Watt.

Benfica: Artur, Almeida, Garay, Jardel, Melgarejo; Gaitan (Nolito 83), Matic, Aimar (Cardozo 63), Salvio, Perez; Rodrigo (Cesar 70). Subs: Lopes, Lima, Vitor, Gomes.

Peter Lawwell catches ‘whiff of paranoia’ as he rejects Rangers EBT complaints

The Scotsman

By STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Published on Wednesday 19 September 2012 00:00

CELTIC chief executive Peter Lawwell has dismissed complaints from Rangers of uneven treatment from the Scottish Premier League over the use of Employee Benefit Trust schemes.

On the day Celtic announced a pre-tax loss of more than £7 million for the last financial year, Lawwell also scoffed at suggestions he now enjoys an improper degree of power in Scottish football.

Rangers chief executive Charles Green last week claimed “powerful representatives” from SPL clubs were “hell bent on inflicting as much damage as possible” on the Ibrox club in the wake of their descent into liquidation and Third Division football.

As an SPL independent commission prepares to consider the case of alleged illegal registration of players by Rangers as part of an EBT scheme from 2001 to 2010, with stripping of SPL titles one of the potential sanctions if found guilty, manager Ally McCoist also hit out at the SPL’s decision to clear Celtic’s use of an EBT to pay Brazilian midfielder Juninho in 2004. But in a wide-ranging media briefing, Lawwell – who also admitted Celtic had effectively gambled on making their £7m loss to regain the SPL title – robustly defended both Celtic’s position and his own role in the administration of the game, which sees him sit on the SFA’s Professional Game Board.

“It’s absolutely straightforward,” said Lawwell. “We know we operated one single EBT. HMRC know how we operated that EBT. The football authorities know how we operated that. We’ve no case to answer. I don’t know how Rangers operated their EBT. HMRC know. The football authorities know and there appears to be a tribunal and a commission set up. So it’s straightforward. In some quarters, people have tried to drag us into the debate. But it’s nothing to do with us. It’s a red herring. It’s my understanding that it’s not about EBTs, it’s about dual contracts but, again, I don’t know how they [Rangers] operated it and I can’t comment. But I know how we operated it and so do the football authorities, so I think it’s quite straightforward and there should be no muddying of the waters.

“There is a whiff of paranoia around somewhere. I don’t have an undue or inappropriate influence on Scottish football. There is nothing covert in terms of what is happening.

“It’s been extraordinary what has happened to Scottish football and what has happened to one of its biggest clubs. So that leads to a number of dynamics and a number of accusations or people looking to blame others. My job is to do the best for Celtic and maximise the potential of Celtic. That’s my sole concern. Well, not my sole concern, perhaps, because I would love the game here to develop and, as part of the PGB at the SFA, I have a responsibility for the rest of the game. That sort of input, hopefully, will help.”

Reaching the Champions League for the first time in four seasons, with their opening Group G fixture against Benfica taking place at Parkhead tonight, has allowed Celtic to ride the financial storm created by Rangers’ crisis and the subsequent fall in domestic TV and sponsorship revenues.

Lawwell is satisfied with Celtic’s current position and believes the state of their relationship with the Ibrox club is now of lesser significance. “We said months ago that we had our own plans, our own strategy for particular outcomes,” added Lawwell. “We are keeping to that. We are coping well. Our supporters have re-engaged with the club. Our season ticket sales have been fantastic, taking account of the economic conditions. The three home Champions League games are sold out.

“So we are doing okay and I’d rather just concentrate on us. In terms of Rangers at the moment, we would be saying that we would give them the same amount of respect we would any other club in Scottish football.

“We would give them that respect and not interfere with their affairs or business. We would expect that same respect back. We are just getting on with it. I think there‘s less relevance now. When Celtic and Rangers were in the SPL, I said before that for two clubs who were so highly competitive that the relationship was good.

“The relevance of that now, with Rangers in the third division and Celtic in the SPL, is probably less so but we would give them at this particular time as much respect as we give any other club and we would like to see that reciprocated.”

While the annual accounts released by Celtic yesterday show a debt of £2.77 million, an increase on the £530,000 figure 12 months earlier, the recent sale of South Korean midfielder Ki Sung Yueng to Swansea City for £5.5 million and Champions League qualification effectively means the club are now well in credit at the bank.

“It is difficult to forecast and there are stock market rules,” said Lawwell. “But I think you can safefly assume, by doing the numbers, we would be in funds at the moment. The prospect of remaining that way is there. We have a duty to re-invest that at the right time going forward.

“Five or six years ago, we were maybe ahead of the curve. We saw that we could no longer compete with the big markets in Europe in terms of transfer fees and wage inflation. So we set about this new strategy.

“We could have eliminated the loss we have just posted by selling players in January. We had interest in one or two and we could have reduced our wage bill. However, we decided not to do that to go on and win the league and we were able to make that decision because of the financial strength we’ve built up over the years. Our debt level is really manageable.

“It’s about the importance of the Champions League and also player trading – finding good, undervalued talent and developing your own and giving them a stage. If they want to stay – fantastic – but if they want to move on to England or elsewhere, the path is there. That model has been built over the last five or six years and we’re beginning to see the green shoots of that policy. We have a good foundation today. There are huge challenges ahead for Scottish football, but we’re in good shape to face them.”

Lawwell, meanwhile, also cast doubt on any imminent prospect of league reconstruction in Scottish football, despite the ongoing efforts of SFA chief executive Stewart Regan to implement a new set-up.

“There’s nothing on the table at the moment,” said Lawwell. “I guess there is a body, or a group within the game who would like to see that, but there’s nothing on the table for anybody to consider at the moment.

“If anybody can show what is the benefit of any kind of league reconstruction then, clearly, we will sit down and listen to them. At the moment we would be saying that, if there is a will for a pyramid structure or a new distribution model, in principle we would support that because others would like it.

“But will it change the game or get more Scottish clubs into Europe? No. Is it going to grow the GDP or benefit the national team? No. So, in principle, fine. But is it going to make any difference?

“Not really, I don’t see it. But if somebody can come up with something, then fine. But it has to be more radical than the sort of discussions happening now. I think there has maybe been a lot of attention given to that and energy given to that which might have been better focused somewhere else.”

BBC
By Alasdair Lamont BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

Celtic were left to rue a pedestrian performance as their return to the Champions League group stages ended in goalless stalemate against Benfica.

The scoreline tells an accurate tale in that neither side did enough to really trouble the opposition goalkeeper.

Fraser Forster kept out efforts from Benfica's Rodrigo and Ezequiel Garay.

Artur's biggest concern came from a Kris Commons shot from inside his own half, with the visiting defence coping well against Celtic's attack.
Play media

The enormous and highly vocal home fans must have expected more from their side, especially as they made the kind of lively start manager Neil Lennon had demanded of them.

They might have been in front inside five minutes from a Commons corner, but neither Victor Wanyama nor Charlie Mulgrew could smuggle the ball over the line.

Maintaining that high tempo looked key to Celtic's chances of success, but it was all too quickly allowed to dip as the game developed into a rather insipid midfield battle.

It was fully 32 minutes into the match before either keeper had a save to make, and on that occasion it was Forster.

Rodrigo galloped into the box looking to latch onto a beautifully weighted pass over the top of the Celtic defence by Enzo Perez, but Forster was quick to race off his line and block the striker's shot.
Nicolas Gaitan and Scott Brown

Celtic captain Brown battled hard in midfield

The lack of excitement at the other end was such that good work from Miku to earn a corner was met with thunderous applause, as was a bone-crunching Kelvin Wilson challenge when Benfica threatened on the breakaway.

Lennon must have asked his players to step up their efforts at the interval and Commons was unfortunate to see a goal-bound shot blocked by Garay a couple of minutes after the restart.

Shortly afterwards, following a weak punch by Artur from a Commons free-kick, Adam Matthews also saw a strike from the edge of the box deflected behind for a corner.

Wilson had been taking a few chances at the back for Celtic and was hugely fortunate to get away with some ponderous defending under pressure from Rodrigo.

Benfica had only very sporadically suggested they could hurt Celtic, but when Rodrigo and Pablo Aimar linked to set up Nicolas Gaitan after an hour, it was the Celtic defence breathing a sigh of relief as the shot from 10 yards was deflected wide.

Forster was then forced to push the ball wide as Garay glanced a header goalwards from the corner kick.
Play media

With 15 minutes remaining, Celtic had Thomas Rogne to thank as he dived to put his body in the way of a point-blank drive from Gaitan before, moments later, Commons almost caught Artur out with a shot from inside his own half.

Commons and Scott Brown were the only Celtic outfield players who could justifiably be content with their performances, with too many others unwilling or unable to go beyond the workmanlike.

The home side howled for a penalty with nine minutes left as James Forrest tumbled under the challenge of Garay, but Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli was unimpressed.

And though Celtic huffed and puffed their way towards the Benfica goal during the closing stages, a victory never looked likely.

The two sides trail Group G leaders Barcelona, who had to come from behind to beat Spartak Moscow 3-2, and with a trip to Moscow to come on 2 October, Celtic will have to improve considerably if they have genuine designs on making the knockout phase.

Live Text Commentary
90:00 +3:29 Full time

Full Time The referee signals the end of the game.
90:00 +0:56 Booking

Booking Zanaki Bruno Cesar receives a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
90:00 +0:48

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Zanaki Bruno Cesar.
90:00 +2:16

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Victor Wanyama by Eduardo Salvio. Free kick taken by Charlie Mulgrew.
90:00 +0:56

Direct free kick taken by Kris Commons.
90:00 +0:56 Booking

Booking Manuel Agudo Nolito is given a yellow card.
90:00 +0:48

Unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Manuel Agudo Nolito results in a free kick.
88:49

Guilherme Artur Moraes takes the direct free kick.
88:49 Booking

Booking Caution for Scott Brown.
88:43

Unfair challenge on Nemanja Matic by Scott Brown results in a free kick.
87:42

Short corner worked by Zanaki Bruno Cesar.
86:52

Manuel Agudo Nolito takes the inswinging corner, clearance by Victor Wanyama.
85:47

Charlie Mulgrew delivers the ball, Guilherme Artur Moraes makes a save.
84:49

Unfair challenge on Scott Brown by Eduardo Salvio results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Fraser Forster.
83:34

Foul by Scott Brown on Zanaki Bruno Cesar, free kick awarded. Lorenzo Melgarejo takes the free kick.
82:28

Gary Hooper challenges Andre Almeida unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Guilherme Artur Moraes.
81:36

Thomas Rogne restarts play with the free kick.
81:36 Substitution

Substitution (Benfica) makes a substitution, with Manuel Agudo Nolito coming on for Nicolas Gaitan.
81:36

Scott Brown fouled by Zanaki Bruno Cesar, the ref awards a free kick.
80:26

The ball is delivered by Kris Commons, Andre Almeida makes a clearance.
77:51

Corner taken by Kris Commons from the right by-line, Thomas Rogne gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Guilherme Artur Moraes. Direct free kick taken by Guilherme Artur Moraes.
77:21

Outswinging corner taken left-footed by Kris Commons from the left by-line, clearance by Ezequiel Garay.
75:30

Kris Commons takes a shot. Guilherme Artur Moraes makes a save.
74:17

Nicolas Gaitan takes a shot. Thomas Rogne gets a block in. Short corner taken by Zanaki Bruno Cesar, clearance by Kelvin Wilson.
73:35

Shot by Zanaki Bruno Cesar from a long way out goes over the net.
71:21

Ezequiel Garay challenges Nicolas Fedor Miku unfairly and gives away a free kick. Adam Matthews restarts play with the free kick.
70:39

Eduardo Salvio has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the right-hand post.
69:16

Nicolas Gaitan takes the free kick.
69:16 Substitution

Substitution Zanaki Bruno Cesar comes on in place of Moreno Rodrigo.
69:16

Foul by Scott Brown on Oscar Cardozo, free kick awarded.
68:39

Shot from just outside the area by Kris Commons misses to the right of the target.
67:34

Kris Commons takes a short corner.
67:16

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Kris Commons, save by Guilherme Artur Moraes.
66:42

Inswinging corner taken by Kris Commons from the right by-line, Ezequiel Garay makes a clearance.
65:35 Substitution

Substitution Gary Hooper joins the action as a substitute, replacing Emilio Izaguirre.
64:01

Kris Commons delivers the ball, save made by Guilherme Artur Moraes.
63:28

Unfair challenge on Thomas Rogne by Oscar Cardozo results in a free kick. Fraser Forster restarts play with the free kick.
62:37 Substitution

Substitution Thomas Rogne replaces Mikael Lustig.
62:12 Substitution

Substitution Oscar Cardozo is brought on as a substitute for Pablo Aimar.
61:34

Outswinging corner taken by Pablo Aimar from the left by-line, clearance made by Mikael Lustig.
61:01

Corner taken right-footed by Pablo Aimar from the left by-line, save by Fraser Forster.
60:41

Pablo Aimar decides to take a short corner, clearance by Nicolas Fedor Miku.
60:17

Nicolas Gaitan takes a shot. Blocked by Scott Brown.
56:40

Victor Wanyama takes the free kick.
56:40 Booking

Booking Pablo Aimar receives a caution.
56:35

Pablo Aimar challenges Victor Wanyama unfairly and gives away a free kick.
54:43

Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Kris Commons.
53:41

Foul by Eduardo Salvio on Emilio Izaguirre, free kick awarded. Kris Commons crosses the ball in from the free kick, Guilherme Artur Moraes makes a save.
53:41

Free kick awarded for a foul by Eduardo Salvio on Emilio Izaguirre. Kris Commons restarts play with the free kick.
52:51

Unfair challenge on Kris Commons by Pablo Aimar results in a free kick. Kris Commons takes the direct free kick.
52:00

James Forrest sends in a cross, clearance made by Vieira Jardel.
50:37

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Vieira Jardel by Nicolas Fedor Miku. Guilherme Artur Moraes takes the direct free kick.
49:07

Inswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Nicolas Gaitan, Unfair challenge on Kelvin Wilson by Moreno Rodrigo results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Fraser Forster.
48:19

Victor Wanyama gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Ezequiel Garay. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Pablo Aimar, clearance by Charlie Mulgrew.
47:45

Kris Commons takes a shot. Blocked by Ezequiel Garay.
46:01

Emilio Izaguirre takes the direct free kick.
46:01 Booking

Booking Nemanja Matic booked.
45:54

Nemanja Matic challenges Nicolas Fedor Miku unfairly and gives away a free kick.
45:01

The game restarts for the second half.
45:00 +0:08 Half time

Half Time The referee calls an end to the first half.
42:26

Free kick awarded for a foul by Kris Commons on Enzo Perez. Pablo Aimar crosses the ball in from the free kick, Fraser Forster makes a save.
40:45

Unfair challenge on Adam Matthews by Nicolas Gaitan results in a free kick. Kris Commons restarts play with the free kick.
39:47

Corner taken by Kris Commons, clearance made by Nicolas Gaitan.
38:40

The referee gives a free kick against Nicolas Gaitan for handball. Direct free kick taken by Mikael Lustig.
37:35

The referee blows for offside. Fraser Forster restarts play with the free kick.
33:49

Pablo Aimar crosses the ball from the free kick right-footed from right wing, clearance made by Scott Brown.
33:49 Booking

Booking Emilio Izaguirre is shown a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
33:34

Emilio Izaguirre gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Eduardo Salvio.
31:40

Moreno Rodrigo takes a shot. Blocked by Fraser Forster.
29:04

Enzo Perez handles the ball and concedes a free kick. Kris Commons takes the free kick.
27:07

Unfair challenge on Kris Commons by Ezequiel Garay results in a free kick. Kris Commons crosses the ball in from the free kick.
26:38

Nicolas Gaitan gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Kris Commons. Direct free kick taken by Victor Wanyama.
25:51

Short corner taken by Pablo Aimar from the left by-line.
24:57

The ball is sent over by Nicolas Fedor Miku, Ezequiel Garay makes a clearance.
20:54

Nicolas Gaitan sends in a cross, save by Fraser Forster.
20:09

Pablo Aimar takes the free kick.
20:09 Booking

Booking The referee shows Victor Wanyama a yellow card.
19:57

Enzo Perez fouled by Victor Wanyama, the ref awards a free kick.
17:21

The referee blows for offside against Nicolas Fedor Miku. Guilherme Artur Moraes takes the free kick.
16:32

The ball is swung over by Nicolas Gaitan, Kris Commons manages to make a clearance.
16:07

Pablo Aimar takes a short corner.
15:33

Victor Wanyama gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Nicolas Gaitan. Direct free kick taken by Pablo Aimar.
14:35

Corner taken short by Pablo Aimar.
14:12

Andre Almeida crosses the ball, clearance by Mikael Lustig.
12:20

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Nicolas Gaitan by Scott Brown. Nemanja Matic takes the free kick.
10:34

Foul by Vieira Jardel on Nicolas Fedor Miku, free kick awarded. Free kick crossed left-footed by Kris Commons from left channel, Ezequiel Garay makes a clearance.
8:14

Ezequiel Garay gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Victor Wanyama. Adam Matthews takes the free kick.
5:14

Scott Brown gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Pablo Aimar. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Pablo Aimar from left channel.
4:32

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre on Andre Almeida, free kick awarded. Guilherme Artur Moraes restarts play with the free kick.
3:49

Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Kris Commons from the right by-line, clearance made by Vieira Jardel.
3:20

Corner taken left-footed by Kris Commons, Lorenzo Melgarejo makes a clearance.
1:27

Drilled left-footed shot by Kris Commons. Ezequiel Garay makes a clearance.
0:56

Free kick awarded for a foul by Moreno Rodrigo on Scott Brown. Mikael Lustig restarts play with the free kick.
0:17

Kris Commons takes a shot from deep inside the box clearing the bar.
0:00

The match begins.