2000/01- UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF
FIRST LEG
AUGUST 8,2001 -AJAX1-3 CELTIC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF
SECOND LEG
AUGUST 22,2001 -CELTIC 0-1 AJAX
2013/U UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
GROUP STAGES
OCTOBER 22,2013-CELTIC 2-1 AJAX
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
GROUP STAGES
NOVEMBER 6,2013-AJAX 1-0 CELTIC
OTHER DUTCH DATES
MARTIN O'Neill's second season in charge saw his side
drawn against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League
play-offs, with the Hoops bidding to reach the group
stages of the competition for the first time.
And on a wonderful night in Amsterdam, Celtic secured an
impressive 3-1 victory over their Dutch opponents. Bobby Petta
opened the scoring after just six minutes, and 13 minutes later,
Didier Agathe doubled Celtic's lead. Shota Averladze pulled a goal
back for the home side, but it wasn't enough to take the shine off
what proved to be Celtic's evening. Chris Sutton headed home a
third shortly after the restart and dreams of UEFA Champions
League qualification suddenly became a reality.
In the return leg, Wamberto netted the only goal of the game
but it wasn't enough to turn around the tie in Ajax's favour,
and it was Celtic who progressed to the group stages of the
competition, where they would face Juventus, Porto and
Rosenborg.
CELTIC and Ajax were drawn together in the group stages of the 2013/14
UEFA Champions League, and both meetings saw the home side emerge
triumphant.
The Hoops won the first game at Paradise, thanks to goals from James Forrest and
Beram Kayal. Forrest opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time from the penalty
spot, and eight minutes later, Kayal doubled the lead. Celtic were reduced to 10 men in
the last couple of minutes, and Lasse Schone reduced the deficit with a last-gasp goal.
However, the Hoops stood firm to take all three points.
In the corresponding game in the Amsterdam ArenA, a single goal from Schone six
minutes into the second-half proved to be the only goal of the game, and enough to
confirm Ajax in third place, with Celtic propping up the group.
CELTIC'S first competitive meeting with a team from The Netherlands came in the
1965/66 European Cup-Winners' Cup when they were drawn against Go Ahead
Deventer in the first round.
The Hoops won the first leg in Holland 6-0, with Bobby Lennox hitting a hat-trick,
although the second leg was a closer affair, Joe McBride's goal the only one on the
night, when Jim Craig made his debut for the Hoops. Five years later, in May 1970,
Celtic took part in their second European Cup final, facing Feyenoord in Milan's
San Siro Stadium. There was to be no repeat of the '67 triumph as the Hoops lost
2-1 after extra-time to a Feyenoord side which included a man who would later
become Celtic manager, Wim Jansen.
And in 2010/11Celtic faced FC Utrecht at the play-off stage of the UEFA Europa
League. The first leg in Glasgow saw the Hoops win 2-0 thanks to goals from Efrain
Juarez and Georgios Samaras, but the return leg in Holland was a disaster for Celtic
as they were beaten 4-0 and knocked out of the competition.
25
