GOALS
AND
GLORY
FOR
TOP-FORM CELTIC
was a real backs-to-the-wall
display by the Hoops, and it
looked as though they were
going to get the job done,
Unfortunately, in added
time at the end of the match,
Diamentino headed home
from a corner and ensured
the match went into
extra-time, No further
scoring took place in the
extra 30 minutes and so the
tie finished 3-3 on aggregate,
HEADS OR TAILS
In the days before penalty
shoot-outs, European ties
were decided by the toss of
a coin. The two managers,
captains and the referee
retired to a quiet room to
decide the match. Billy
McNeill called 'Heads!'
The Dutch referee's
two-and-a-half guilder
piece fell heads up, but that
was only to decide the call for the real toss. Cesar
called 'Heads!' again and he was successful again -
Celtic were through to the next round. That same
week, Galatasaray put out Spartak Trnava, and in the
Cup-Winners' Cup Roma eliminated PSV Eindhoven
by the same method, Celtic however, despite
'winning' were far from happy about the procedure,
stated their dissatisfaction to UEFA and the wheels
were set in motion to introduce penalty shoot-outs at
all stages of European competition, a more dramatic
and fairer way of deciding a tie.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Celtic faced Italian side Fiorentina in the quarter-final,
and they recorded another 3-0 first-leg victory at
Celtic Park, However, in the return leg, there was to
be no repeat of what had happened in Lisbon and
despite losing 1-0 on the night, the Hoops progressed
to the semi-final of the competition, They faced Leeds
United in a 'Battle of Britain', and much of the English
press believed that it would be Leeds who'd emerge
triumphant. In the event, Jock Stein's side proved
their superiority, winning the first-leg at Eiland
Road 1-0 thanks to a George Connelly goal. Then, in
the return leg at Hampden, in front of an incredible,
European record crowd of 136,505, Celtic won 2-1
to reach the European Cup final, That proved to
be a disappointment. Facing Feyenoord in the San
Siro Stadium, Celtic took the lead through Tommy
Gemmell, but that goal was cancelled out two
minutes later, The final went to extra-time and was
heading for a replay when the Dutch side struck
with just four minutes remaining to win the match
2-1,
AND ANOTHER THING
Celtic and Benfica have since met on three
subsequent occasions in the UEFA Champions
League - in 2006/07,2007/08 and 2012/13. On
the first two occasions, the games were 'tied' on
aggregate although, because it was a group format,
the winners only received three points. In the first
meeting, Celtic won 3-0 at home, but lost by the
same scoreline in the Estadio da Luz. And the same
thing happened the following season. A1-0 win
for the Hoops at Celtic Park, courtesy of an Aiden
McGeady goal, was replicated with a 1-0 defeat in
Lisbon. In the most recent clashes, in 2012/13, the
tie at Celtic Park finished goal-less, with Benfica
won the match in Lisbon.
European Cup Picture Special
Picture» b. u.
