Celtic Challenge Games – Blue and White Cup
A young and inexperienced Celtic side faced the might of the great Real Madrid in this fund-raising challenge mathc at Celtic Park on Monday September 10th 1962.
The game was the idea of Glasgow businessman and Celtic supporter Max Benjamin who wanted to raise money for the Jewish National Fund Charitable Trust and the rehabilitation of refugee woman and children from Europe and north Africa. It was a major coup to attract Madrid and all their stars to Glasgow and a crowd of 72,000 packed Parkhead to see the likes of Puskas, di Stefano and Gento.
In contrast to their superstar opponents Celtic were a mostly youthful side and the Bhoys team that lined up against the European gioants was: Haffey, MacKay, Kennedy, Crerand, McNeill, Price, Lennox (Chalmers), Gallagher, Hughes (Carroll), Jackson, Brogan (Byrne).
Puskas and Amancio netted in the first-half to give Madrid a comfortable lead at the interval but despite the gulf in class Celtic had impressed. In the second-half the Bhoys grew in confidance and were unlucky to go further behind on the hour mark through a Gento counter. Stevie Chalmers hit a quick reply and was then unlucky to have a nother goal chalked off late on as the Hoops put their illustrious visitors under pressure.
The 3-1 defeat was greeted like a victory by a support not used to such spirit and invention from Celtic. Indeed the young Hoops were called out for a lap of honour on a night which would raise £10,000 for chairty and give the Celtic fans a taste of European nights to come.