| Matches: 2012 – 2013 | Champions League |
Trivia
- Celtic having won the league in 2011-12 enter Champions League qualifiers!
- Celtic have to go through two sets of qualifiers for the group stages
- First time in Group Stages for four years.
- Celtic qualify for last round of sixteen, going through the group stages, for third time. Remarkable as were fourth seed in the group.
- Celtic win two away matches in a row for first time in European competitions since 2003/04. We end up winning three in a row away (Spartak & two qualifiers).
- Celtic facing Spartak who had ex-Celt (and record transfer) Aiden McGeady in their squad.
- Celtic beat Barcelona, their side ranked as one of the greatest ever, and it was their first loss all season (they’d only dropped two points in their domestic league all season).
- Celtic finally record our first ever away match victory in a European group stage match (3-2 away to Spartak).
- Samaras creates Celtic record by scoring in 5 European away matches in a row! Yet he’s poor in domestic matches!
- Scott Brown announced to have degenerative hip injury and was to play less games but saved for European games (missed Barcelona 2-1 victory though).
- Celtic’s 5-0 agg defeat v Juventus was our worst aggregate defeat in Europe to date, but don’t take too much out of it. We did play well in the games.
Matches
2012
| Date | Competition | Home Team | Score | Score | Away Team | Report | Pictures | Notes |
| AUG | ||||||||
| 1st |
European Cup |
Celtic |
2 |
1 |
HJK Helsinki |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 1st Leg Qualifying Round 3 |
| 8th |
European Cup |
HJK Helsinki |
0 |
2 |
Celtic |
Report | Pictures | KO: 18:00 (UK time) 2nd Leg Qualifying Round 3 |
| 21st |
European Cup |
Helsingborgs |
0 |
2 |
Celtic |
Report |
Pictures |
KO: 19:45 (UK time); 1st Leg Play-off |
| 29th |
European Cup |
Celtic |
2 |
0 |
Helsingborgs |
Report |
Pictures |
KO: 19:45; 2nd Leg Play-off |
| SEP | ||||||||
| 19th |
European Cup |
Celtic |
0 |
0 |
Benfica |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 |
| OCT | ||||||||
| 2nd |
European Cup |
Spartak Moscow |
2 |
3 |
Celtic |
Report | Pictures | KO: 17:00; First ever away victory away in Group Stages |
| 23rd |
European Cup |
Barcelona |
2 |
1 |
Celtic |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 |
| NOV |
||||||||
| 7th |
European Cup |
Celtic |
2 |
1 |
Barcelona |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 |
| 20th |
European Cup |
Benfica |
2 |
1 |
Celtic |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 |
| DEC |
||||||||
| 5th |
European Cup |
Celtic |
2 |
1 |
Spartak Moscow |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45; Celtic qualify for KO stages of European Cup! |
2013
| Date | Competition | Home Team | Score | Score | Away Team | Report | Pictures | Notes |
| FEB | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 12th |
European Cup |
Celtic |
0 |
3 |
Juventus |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45; Round of 16 (1st leg) |
| MAR | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 6th |
European Cup |
Juventus |
2 |
0 |
Celtic |
Report | Pictures | KO: 19:45 Round of 16 (2nd leg) |
Champions League Review
Qualifiers
The Champions League is where it’s at we’d all agree. It’s where the money, glory and prestige is concentrated now, and a prolonged absence is a sign of weakness (just ask any Liverpool fans).
Celtic had the added pressure that with the financial loss of matches v Rangers, it was increasingly vital to qualify after four years away. We had to show we could make it and live out with of the ‘Armageddon’ scenario been painted by sore Hun sympathisers in the media. Remarkably there was a strong show of support from other clubs in Scotland hoping we’d make it through to give the domestic game a boost! Sadly all the rest were practically out of Europe already (final two ko’ed next day despite a surprisingly close thing for Hearts v Liverpool) .
The bad news was that we had two sets of qualifiers to get through. The good news was that, unlike the previous time, we were going through the relatively easier ‘Champions’ route and were seeded (so we hoped we could avoid meeting another side like Braga).
First up was Finnish side Helsinki. In truth, there’s little to say. Sadly the omens looked poor after we went behind in the first match which was an away leg only to pull it back and win 2-1, something that brought us much needed self confidence. Notably, Samaras had now scored in three away ties in the European Cup qualifiers for us, so strangely he may struggle to score too often at home in the SPL but away in Europe he was finding his feet!
An easy home win put us through to play Swedish side Helsingborgs. For the more eagle eyed, they’ll have noted the significance of this match-up, as they are Henrik Larsson’s home side. Divided loyalties for him, but it was vital to win. Expecting a tougher set of matches, we actually won 4-0 in aggregate with two goals in each match. They just weren’t at the races. No penalties, few scares but some great play set us up nicely. The Swedes may have felt hard done in the first game but no goals in two matches v four in reply is unarguable. The results also got the monkey off our back to be able to win away matches in the European Cup, although winning away in the group stages is admittedly a different thing altogether.
Group Stages
The group stages were to be something different. Many things had moved on in the fast changing football world, yet remarkably after four years out we were paired with sides we’d already met regularly:
Group G
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Spartak Moscow (Russia)
- Celtic
We were inevitably in Pot 4 for the draw (just missing out on Pot 3) and relative to some of the other groups this was fair enough. Importantly, these games proved to be great warm ups. The summer friendlies were poor, and the matches gave us an aim and challenge that forced everyone to focus on what was best on the pitch. Coming from behind, amending tactics for injured players, rotating the squad, bleeding youngsters and simply playing abroad competitively was better preparation than a routine friendly. It was good all round, even allowing for the fact that there were still obvious gaps and flaws to our game still to sort out. Better to find out now than later.
Important, in advance we acknowledged the fact that we had a weaker squad than the rest. The question for us came down to a line from a previous Celtic player. During the European Championships, Ireland were pitifully bad against the opposition, losing all three games badly but the fans were praised to the rafters for their camaraderie and support. However, Roy Keane ever the battler made a telling criticism: “They want to see the team winning – let’s not kid ourselves, we’re a small country, we’re up against it, but let’s not just go along for the sing-song every now and again.” This applies to Celtic as much as Ireland. We have great fans and we will enjoy ourselves but let’s go and have a proper go at it, and go along for more than the sing-song. Anything less would have been a travesty and insult to our past great players.
Opening up against Benfica (with whom we seemed to be repeatedly paired with) was quite a nervy affair. A no goals affair was little to write about and Celtic were under the cosh for much of the match. However coming out of this game unscathed was important. The mass of this squad has never played at this level, and the psychology needed to succeed here is a big step up. Dropping points at home is disappointing but reservations need to be made for our team and their relative experience.
The Spartak away game was to be another damage limitation match. Surprise across Europe as Spartak showed their quality in their last match by taking Barcelona to the brink away only to capitulate late on. At their home we were not favourites. The greatest annoyance was the number of times we had to repeatedly hear about our inability to win away matches in the European competition group stages. Well, we’d already won two games in Europe this season, so why not extend that run?
The omens were against Celtic, yet ours was a team without the pressure as expectations were low (i.e. Celtic to finish bottom!). Yet this turned into one of the most special performances by a Celtic side for many years. Having squandered an early lead, it seemed like old times and it was good while it lasted! But then the side was galvanised and fought and played like they’d never done before turning over Spartak with an incredible late winner from Samaras, 3-2 win!
Our first ever away victory in the group stages, and we’d finally got that monkey off our backs. More importantly, we were now second in the group and we’d fought for the respect needed to deserve a place in Europe after Xmas be it in either cup.
Barcelona away was to be a difficult task, and unsurprisingly Barcelona dominated. Yet what was to stun everyone, Samaras scored to put Celtic in front and make us hope. An equaliser cruelly dashed that hope, yet we were hanging on. No denying that we were inferior to this majestic team yet we were still in it at one each, but then in the 93rd minute Barcelona found their winner. Our heads were high but what an achievement it would have been to grab a point at the Camp Nou against that side.
The players had done us proud with some surprising stellar performances from the defence who were much maligned in the past season. It was quite a turnaround. It was the kind of performance we’d thought that was long gone. Lennon deserved a lot of praise as he’d got tactics and personnel right. Much was going in our favour and this was a gentle step back, but to be disappointed to lose to Barcelona at this time was an advance over being relieved to not have been hammered there as had been the case for most others.
Against what has been described as possibly one of the best sides ever in football, the current Barcelona side had amassed numerous titles and had the exceptional genius of Lionel Messi in their ranks. For our side who had struggled to even match up against top tier sides in the summer, the two matches had already been written off. Hell, bookies had been giving odds of 45-1 against a Celtic win in the Camp Nou. Yet remarkably we stood our ground. In what was undoubtedly our finest European performance.
Remarkably, the defence having been much maligned over the past season and beyond gave a really exceptional performance. Commentators even stated it was the finest performance by an away side at Camp Nou all season. Our support was heart broken yet so uplifted by the performance it was wonderful. The plaudits were in from all (okay almost all) and we were in fine form.
Football can be cruel but at the halfway stage we were in the driving seat and had played now in the two toughest away group games. Could we make the KO stages of the European Cup? It was achievable at this point.
The match was being played in the anniversary week of the club’s founding 125 years previously, a commemoration event held the night before. The club with the assistance of the Green Brigade prepared and organised one of the finest Tifo displays at a football match ever, celebrating the club’s 125th anniversary. It was incredible.
As for the game we were all in hope, yet things were to turn magical. Dumb founding every one, Celtic created one of the greatest shocks in club football that calendar year. We won two one! A powerful header by Wanyama from a corner gave us the lead with Tony Watt scoring after picking up a the ball from a long kick out, losing his man to then bury the shot! We were two nil up. Football great Messi scored a consolation in injury time to give Celtic a nervy end, but the team held on. The atmosphere was incredible, the defence played out of its skin, and Forster in goals had some incredible saves. Hell, Forster even made the front page of a Spanish newspaper for his performance, ‘The Great Wall’ they dubbed him.
The big winner was the club and the support. Over all the years, nothing but nothing has even come close (not even Seville) to the global exposure that the club won after the victory. The praise covered the fans as much as the performance and result. The club made headlines all over the world and were top billing in many papers. The Celtic team cost a fraction of the Barcelona side, and we’d out thought and out played them. Many were measuring this as our greatest victory since Lisbon, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration although still ranks very highly.
Attention must turn to Lennon. Rightly he deserved criticism in previous seasons for tactics and results in key matches. It was a damn steep learning curve and he’d conquered it. This European campaign had buried numerous concerns and he deserved the respect from it. With relatively limited options (financially) to his peers in European competition, his staff had to gauge how to tackle the opposition. As the Barcelona matches showed he and his team had managed those tasks. They’d managed to formulate and apply tactics that were not simply dull ten men behind the ball extreme cattancio defending. It was great to watch, and received praise even from esteemed football tactics analyst Jonathan Wilson.
However, in this tournament things can change overnight, and needing a score draw against Benfica to guarantee qualification, we sadly lost two one. The result masks the reality of the encounter as we were second best by a mile. Samaras was amazingly scoring in European matches with another header in this match yet struggling in the SPL. You can work that out yourselves why. Ironically we were playing with returning players but they were out of sorts (e.g. Scott Brown and Hooper) and Lennon’s gamble didn’t pay off. We couldn’t get onto gear for attacks, and we were under the cosh for much of the time. Another irony was that Benfica were playing a now little used formation of 424 which was famously used by the Lisbon Lions to defeat Inter Milan in Lisbon to lift the European Cup. This time it was Celtic ripped apart from that.
It was gutting but as ever we don’t do things easily at Celtic and at least it was going to make the final day interesting with ourselves and Benfica to fight out for second place.
If Benfica won v Barcelona away they’d go through. Anything else and we won, we go through. If both finish equal points, head to head meant Benfica squeeze through. In truth, neither had it easy. Barcelona away is a mission impossible for many teams but Spartak for Celtic was really no easy game either on paper. The second to third slots could have ended up easily in a different way and all would have been fair. Painfully we were to lose two of our lynchpins from the midfield for the crunch game in Brown (operation) and Wanyama (yellow card tally). Nothing for anyone to take for granted.
Celtic never do things the easy way anyhow as said, and when the news came our that Barcelona were to rest their key players with Messi benched, confidence slumped (they actually put out a next to second string side for the game). Spartak surprised everyone with a spirited start with attacking options. Celtic seemed poor. The Celtic side was weak with players not at their best (we’d even drawn with lowly Abroath in the cup the previous weekend!). Izaguirre was still not all there and similar with the recovering Brown.
It was all over we all thought as the second half saw poor displays from both sides with the Spartak goalkeeper thwarting our efforts. Both Celtic and Benfica were tied in their matches and so on group points in total, therefore head to head, Benfica were to win second place. Neither game was going anywhere, but then into the box stepped Samaras who invited a defender onto him to foul him and he duly did so, penalty! We’ve had a torrent time with penalties and up stepped Commons to thump the ball hitting the underside but thankfully going into the net! It will give you a jump in your heart rate even after viewing knowing the result.
We held on and took the second place as Benfica failed to defeat the second string Barcelona team. We’d achieved the near impossible and qualified to the KO stages of the European Cup for the third time. This was a dream. The players had come of age and the supporters were lapping it up.
A wag from ITV twitter had written us off from the start, well he didn’t half look a muppet now!
Armageddon? Not in Scottish football. A windfall payment of was awarded to each team in the SPL from our qualification apparently (although later denied).
Must add that Celtic were a very clean side amassing only a handful of yellow cards and foul tallies despite being forced to play a generally conservative style in a number of matches. Some tried to bemoan our methods but Celtic did not play a negative formation and rather we moved well between defence and counter attacks. Renowned tactics analyst Jonathan Wilson even praised us for our style for our play (in the match v Barcelona at home), swatting away criticism. The fouls stats clearly showed that Celtic pushed to play the Celtic way where possible, whilst Spartak for example were quite brutal at times.
KO Stages
The draw for the ‘Round of 16’ paired Celtic with Juventus. After so many years and matches it was now the norm to see us paired with old foes in the Champions League and it’s a measure of Celtic’s success from our number of runs that we can speak as such. Juventus were our first ever opponents in the Champions League group stages back in 2001, and the two group games against them were crackers, with the 3-2 defeat away being a bugbear following the loss to the late wrongly awarded penalty. Juventus though make rivalries very easily.
Juventus were on a high after storming their group which included trouncing European Cup holders Chelsea and heading their domestic league comfortably. They were one of the top in form sides in Europe, so this was going to be no little easier than the challenge from Barcelona sadly. In his usual wonderful way UEFA President Michel Platini (and former Juventus player) said: “If we look at the Champions League draw, it’s clear that Juventus is already in quarter-finals”! Grand or what?
However, Platini was proved right as Celtic collapsed three nil to Juventus at home in the first leg. Problem was poor refereeing, and an inability to convert our chances. Biggest error was playing Efe Ambrose after he’d just returned from Africa after celebrating winning the Africa Cup of Nations 48h earlier. He cost us two goals. The referee also allowed Juventus to get away with so much gamesmanship it was ridiculous. Even many Juve fans thought we should have got a penalty. On one corner there were even four of our players being illegally held back despite the referee being right amongst them. Juventus are fast becoming a bete noir for many fans.
Effectively the great European run was now over, with the away leg to play for if only to go through the motions, and it was no disgrace to lose away to Juventus. The two nil defeat was only disappointing as despite a few close calls we did not manage to convert any chances to take something away from the game. Ah well. Still proud of them all.
To apply Roy Keane’s quote from last summer to Celtic: “… let’s not just go along for the sing-song every now and again“, we definitely did more than just a sing-song.
It was a great proud European campaign that was predicted to show little yet yielded pure gold for the players, their coaches and the fans of the club.
Articles
Tie might be over but Celtic can derive value from defeat
Roger Mitchell
Friday 15 February 2013 Let’s not be too critical.
The Herald
Let’s not be too critical.
Celtic gained considerable credibility for their performance, despite the scoreline Custom byline text: Roger Mitchell
Celtic should be commended for a magnificent and unexpected journey. Cut away all the noise and you are left with significant achievement, pure and simple. The glass is absolutely overflowing.
Without Rangers, Celtic have rescued the 2012/13 Scottish season from the threat of nine months’ worth of meaningless fixtures. The remaining three months will show what it would have been without their European campaign, and I’m not confident. Celtic have no more than two or three cup games left; Rangers have nothing; both will run away with their league titles. The rest have the Scottish Communities League Cup final without an Old Firm club to look forward to, and the possibility of the same in the Scottish Cup.
Contextual targeting label: Sport
Celtic took a Scottish team into the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition and did not look out of place. They beat Barcelona and won in Moscow. For a representative of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League to do that is astonishing. They have shown everyone in football how to run a club in a modern and prudent way. England’s much-vaunted Premier League is a financial basket case, both relatively and absolutely.
Neil Lennon was right to say that the pressure faced in Champions League qualifiers was much more intense than they endured against Juventus this week. Those games in late summer were the difference between paradise and inferno. All those associated with the club sweated blood, yet the team made them look much more routine than they were. This year it went well but it cannot be sustainable that Celtic – and others – are forced to run business models that turn on a couple of games of football. UEFA is delinquent in allowing this state of affairs to exist in countries such as Belgium, Netherlands and Scotland.
On Tuesday, Celtic played very well and gained considerable credibility. In terms of passing, possession and movement, they were surprisingly good. The early goal certainly calmed Italian nerves; without it I think Juventus would have had a good hour of anxious revisionism as Celtic dominated possession. “So they can play? It’s not just defence, setpieces and a kick-and-run counterattack. And this noise is a bit off-putting.”
Antonio Conte acknowledged that he has never experienced an atmosphere like it. A poorly-prepared team could lose a several goals in that arena, he said. Celtic didn’t look out of place. Their tactic in squeezing Andrea Pirlo with Kris Commons worked. The artist was more or less nullified. Juventus received immense praise in Italy, which is telling; it isn’t ever offered when the opposition is without quality and merit.
The fact is that Italian teams are never poorly prepared. Four World Cup wins, several major finals and multi-titled club sides; the Italian school of football is Europe’s most successful. Just ask the Germans. Great tactical study precedes each game. Not just to play well, but to win. Make your talent play; nullify theirs. It is clinical, verging on the cynical. Lets call it professional. It can be forgiven in the face of dollops of class and style.
Gary Hooper wasn’t playing against Clydesdale Bank Premier League defenders on Tuesday and I’m sure he knows the difference now. In most UK teams, the defence will have weaknesses, either individually, or as a collective. Patrick Evra of Manchester United is poor in the air at the back post; it was exploited by Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. Celtic can get caught under the ball; it was exploited. Their defenders think they can dribble more than they should; it was exploited.
And Conte is a workaholic. He was prepared; he knew what colour of boots the Celtic players’ wore.
And so to the angst over wrestling in the area. It is true standards differ from country to country. In Italy it is far worse but, surely, the issue is not black and white. Is it acceptable that a goalkeeper is actively blocked in coming for a ball? It happens all the time to poorly-prepared defences; a point well illustrated by Celtic in Europe this year. Did people expect Juventus to let it happen to them? Hooper was not going to be allowed to obstruct Gianluigi Buffon. We are not in Primary 7. I accept each sees this debate with his or her own eyes. I am more sanguine; I remember that a very soft penalty award against Spartak Moscow opened the way for Celtic to be involved on Tuesday. Fans sense of injustice is always a one-way street.
Either way, Celtic and Lennon should learn and move on. Don’t deal with life as you wish it were but as it is. As they say in the United States to young college football players: “Forget all that; you’re in the NFL now.” The big boys play rough. If you don’t want to play, stay in the SPL.
Finally, what has been a bit lost in this fantastic week is the astounding financial performance of Celtic. Scottish football, even at its best, never vomited vast revenues.
Yet, from significant losses in 2003, Celtic have changed strategy and financial mindset and, within a decade, eliminated that debt and have developed a very substantial asset value in their young squad. Peter Lawwell has made a very big reputation for himself, too.