Classicisme
To tie in with tonight's glamour game, we
devote this week's Classic Game selection to
one of Celtic's European dates with destiny
when the course of the club's history was
dramatically changed with the cross of a ball
and the flick of a head.
We travel back in the Celtic time machine to
1967 when Vojvodina came to Glasgow
defending a lead from the first leg in the
European Cup quarter-final and almost killed
of the burgeoning legend that was to flourish
as the Lions of Lisbon.
JOE SULLIVAN looks back on a fight to the last.
IT'S well-documented that
only two teams beat Celtic
in competitive action as
the Bhoys railroaded to
triumph in season 1966/67.
Dundee United were the
Scottish culprits, a feat they
managed twice (both games
ended 3-2), and on the
continental arena a European
Cup quarter-final trip to
Yugoslavia yielded a very tight
1-0 reverse in Novi Sad.
This was one of only five
occasions that season when the
Celts failed to find the net and
the others were of course all
0-0 draws.
The Celts cautiously adopted
an untypical defensive stance
for the first-leg but one lapse
allowed Stanic to score just
when it looked like the
visitors had frustrated
Vojvodina and the 30,000
Yugoslavians in the home
crowd.
The stage was set then for an
all-or-nothing offensive on the
Yugoslavians at Paradise and
75,000 rolled up on a spring
evening to witness Celtic
reach the semi-finals in
nail-biting fashion.
The visitors gave as good as
they got and with barely five
minutes gone Pusibric sclaffed
a glorious chance to change
the tie and the course of
history and Celtic lived to
battle on.
page 44
Jock Stein's tactical switches
for the second 45 saved the
day though and the Celtic
pressure increased relentlessly
as in the 58th minute Stevie
Chalmers beat the heroic
Pantelic in the Vojvodina goal
from a vital Tommy Gemmell
cross.
Wave after wave of attack
came to nothing though and a
play-off in Rotterdam looked
decidedly on the cards.
As the last few second ticked
away, Celtic won a corner on
the right and Charlie
Gallagher booked his place in
the Celtic history books by
flighting over a precise cross
for the head of Billy McNeill
and the skipper has certainly
never scored a more important
goal.
The final whistle sounded
through the din as the Celts
celebrated and the terracings
erupted into bedlam - the rest
as they say is history.
Do you have a Classic
Celtic Game? Write in with
your choice, telling us why the
game is special for you.
Anyone chosen will win gift
vouchers for the Celtic
Superstore. Please include your
name, address and/or e-mail
address and a daytime phone
number. Send to:
Glory Days, Celtic View,
PO Box 2413, Glasgow,
G40 3YB.
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