I had not felt so excited for a Celtic game since they
played Juventus in the first leg of the last 16 stage in the Champions League.
And much like that game, Italian opposition had swiftly capitalised on
defensive frailties and nullified all sense of hope, dream, and excitement in a
rebound.
Up until that point, there had not been a single thing Celtic had done wrong. The marketing focus behind the game was immense. “The Spirit of 67. We Meet Again” was simple yet so effective. It struck the perfect balance of acknowledgement of our history and respect for our opponents. There was no egotistical prophecy of a repeat outcome, there was no pompous overtones behind it. The mutual respect between both clubs was evidenced in an occasion where no one could highlight negative behaviour between the two sets of supporters. A number of Inter fans flocked to the Celtic Superstore not far from the ground before the game and purchased memorabilia. I’m sure they were looking forward to immersing themselves in the occasion as much as the game itself.
Celtic Park on a European night has become something known and appreciated across the world of football. The fact that this was a Europa League knockout tie didn’t diminish the excitement and passion of those inside the ground. The presence of the surviving Lisbon Lions only served to increase the noise before kick-off. As they formed a guard of honour for the Class of 2015, eyes would turn towards the south east corner of the ground. The Green Brigade, not for the first time, stepped up to the big occasion and produced a fantastic pre-match display.
Ronny Deila is slowly cultivating his own legend amongst the clubs history. His team has been enjoying an immense run of form of late. After a difficult start to the season, he is finally moulding the team into image of his philosophy. I wrote prior to the League Cup semi-final encounter against Rangers that a win in that game would be an ideal tonic ahead of this encounter. It copper fastened the unity and belief amongst the players and the support that Celtic are in heading in the right direction under the Norwegian. It won’t be long before his famous fist pumps after an important victory will become part of Celtic folklore much like Martin O’Neills gravity defying leaps and Neil Lennon’s passion on the sideline.
However, some things don’t change overnight, over weeks or indeed months. Celtics history of questionable defending on the big occasion came roaring back into focus as the back four of starting the game tentatively. Sensing their opponent’s lack of urgency, Inter pounced. It only came to mind hours before kick-off that Roberto Mancini had signed Xherdan Shaqiri from Bayern Munich weeks previously. I am huge fan of the Swiss International and believe he is someone that Brendan Rodgers should have signed for Liverpool last summer. And it was diminutive attacker who reaped the reward. Some quick passing lured the defence out of their box and left space behind for Shaqiri. His first time volley lacked enough power to truly threaten Craig Gordon in goal. However Gordon, in what must be the first mistake he has made all season, pushed the ball straight back to Shaqiri who swept in and put Inter ahead.
Immediately, memories of Juventus came flooding back. Once again, within minutes of the kick-off, Celtic had shot themselves in the foot. The opening 3 minutes of the game had been good. They had been pressing the ball and moving well. The atmosphere was electric. Shaqiri knew all too well the effect of the goal by slowly coming to a standstill in his celebration and repressing most of the joy he felt at scoring his first goal for the club. Celtic Park had been silenced. The buzz was gone, the passion was gone. Inter had turned up to play and scored a priceless away goal. In the minutes after the opening goal, I sensed the players lacked their initial confidence all of a sudden. Defensively, it seemed like they didn’t want see the ball come towards them at all. They would often find themselves making the wrong choice when under any sort of pressure. It only served to make matters worse.
A corner in the 13th minute was swung out to Shaqiri outside the box. He played what seemed like a poor ball back in looking for Rodrigo Palacio. Emilio Izaguirre beat him to it, only to inexplicably mishit his clearance off Virgil Van Dijk. The rebound fell to Palacio who struck low under Gordon to make it 2-0. Another self-inflicted wound from Celtic was punished emphatically by Inter. And not even 15 minutes had passed. All hope seemed lost. The Hoops would now have to gamble in order to get back into the game. With two crimes against defending to their name, that prospect of leaving the defence open to counter attack did not sit well with me. I simply tweeted “Up In Smoke”. I cursed both goals without ever throwing the laptop across the room. Unfortunately I had prior experience of such Italian devastation.
Grabbing an early two goal lead would transform anyone’s confidence. Inter may not be the fearsome Italian giants they once were, but once going 2-0 ahead, they moved the ball across the field efficiently and almost effortlessly. A young Celtic side under the stewardship of a young manager, looked completely lost. Whenever they did get the ball, they couldn’t find space for an incisive pass behind the Inter defence. The one half chance of note was a cross from Stuart Armstrong that floated over Leigh Griffiths. It was a rare moment of territory and threat from Celtic in the opening twenty minutes. They struggled to hold onto the ball and would gift possession back to the Italians. All signs pointed to a long night ahead for Celtic fans across the world.
That was until the Celtic defence, of all players, strung together a couple of passes and brought the ball forward. The quality of these passes laboured between suicidal and hospital passes but the ball somehow found its way to Adam Matthews on the right flank. The Welshman broke forward and engineered a quick one-two with Stefan Johansen. Matthews suddenly found himself in space behind the defence. It was a time for clear heads and the right decision. And he played a lovely short pass across goal behind the onrushing Griffiths and Inter defenders for the late arriving Armstrong to slam the ball low and hard into the net. Less than 70 seconds later, Matthews made a short throw in to Johansen who hooked the ball high into the Inter 6 yard box. Armstrong forced enough pressure on Campagnaro to knock the ball into his own goal past Juan Pablo Carrizo.
Cue pandemonium.
It took a little more than a minute but Celtic were suddenly level. Paradise had come alive. And despite my vocal cords best efforts, I had not given my father a heart attack with my delirious celebrations. This was football. This was Celtic. What seemed like an insurmountable lead so early on was swept aside. Now it was those in Green and White who seemed rejuvenated. Their two goals not only transformed them but rattled Inter to a shambles. It was Celtic who dominated possession and territory as they looked for a third goal. Doubts remained about the defence but with Celtic retaining possession more effectively and advancing into the final third more frequently, it gave them more time to reorganise and set up for Inter counter attacks. The referee for the game was allowing a standard of physical challenge enough reprimanded in the modern game to go unnoticed and thus allowed a tempo to excite and enthral those in the stadium and watching at home.
Moments before the half-time whistle, the pendulum swung again. Celtic were anyone’s bet to score a third goal first. Yet Gordon, in what was probably the second mistake he had made all season, decided to grasp upon a hopeless long ball that Inter played from deep. Unfortunately for the Hoops No.1, the ball skidded up on the surface and its pace took it out of reach of his hands. He only served to stop its momentum long enough for Palacio to have a simple tap in to make it 3-2. Inter had miraculously made it to half-time with the lead. Now they had the sanctuary of the half-time break to reorganise and set up to nullify a Celtic comeback. Celtic now had to retrieve another deficit. However, they had belief, they had the ability and they had a defiant home crowd to roar them on. It was a rollercoaster first half that left my head dizzy. It truly was remarkable my laptop was unscathed.
The pace, understandably slowed down in the second half. Inter were happy to take their time in possession when moving forward. It was only when Celtic pushed forward late on did they create any real chances of note. Not without vital last ditch interventions from Jason Denayer & Van Dijk in the middle and saves, albeit nervy, from Gordon kept the deficit at the minimum. At the other end, Celtic found themselves at times in possession with plenty of territory only for the final pass to be lacking. They would also inexplicably start attempting long balls from deep in the hope of a fortuitous bounce or knock on for someone to pounce upon. This was frustrating as they had enjoyed more success with swift short passing and movement off the ball. This was Deila’s philosophy, one that had now slowly begun to take shape. This was not the time to abandon it. It also allowed Inter to dictate the tempo of the game. Celtic had the pace and energy to press Inter high and force mistakes.
Celtic did create chances in the 2nd half. Gary Mackay Steven, also enjoying a fine home debut alongside Armstrong, surged forward at one stage only for his energy to betray him at the final moment and his shot was saved easily by Carrizo. Nir Biton, finally delivering upon his potential in the middle of the field, twice attempted shots from distance that worried Carrizo but not enough to cause panic. Griffiths had what seemed like the best chance of the half up to that point when a rare quick passing move saw the ball fall to his feet on the edge of the six yard box. His first time shot was quickly closed down by Carrizo as the Inter lead remained intact.
Deila’s last roll of the dice was a double substitution introducing John Guidetti and Liam Henderson. Guidetti quickly became a fans favourite with his forward play and goal-scoring early in the season. However, he had not scored since November of last year. Henderson, a young prospect from Celtics youth set-up, brought energy and desire which Celtic needed but often found himself committing needless fouls. With the passing turning sloppy and long balls ending up nowhere, another equaliser was proving elusive. I was more concerned at Celtic conceding a fourth, which would be catastrophic ahead of the return leg in Milan.
Four minutes of injury time was signalled. Time enough for one chance. Not a hit and hope but a well worked move that gave a player time and space finish. And that move would materialise. Guidetti held the ball up long enough for support to arrive on the edge of the box. The ball found its way to Henderson. I had criticised him moments previously for a lack of precision in his efforts. Well if he had telepathically read my mind or my tweets, he answered them perfectly with a deft first time pass over the Inter defence. Guidetti, continuing his run off the ball, took it and with his weaker foot, struck a half volley past Carrizo, into the net. There was still enough energy and passion within the fans to lift the roof off Paradise. Enough energy in my celebrations to alert my father upstairs.
It was no more than Celtic deserved. In the face of a club with superior resources and quality at their disposal, and in the face of two deficits, they rallied to the cause and invoked the Spirit of 67. Deila stayed true to his philosophy and his faith in his tactics and indeed his players paid off. We as fans, might well look back on this game and think that Celtic should have won it, especially if we fail to progress after the 2nd leg. However, we will always remember that it served as a timely reminder in the face of billion dollar live football TV deals, that money cannot buy passion. Money cannot buy drama, money cannot bottle the experience of a European night at Celtic Park and sell it. There is still something beautiful in the modern game. Celtic and Inter Milan showed that last Thursday night.
Up until that point, there had not been a single thing Celtic had done wrong. The marketing focus behind the game was immense. “The Spirit of 67. We Meet Again” was simple yet so effective. It struck the perfect balance of acknowledgement of our history and respect for our opponents. There was no egotistical prophecy of a repeat outcome, there was no pompous overtones behind it. The mutual respect between both clubs was evidenced in an occasion where no one could highlight negative behaviour between the two sets of supporters. A number of Inter fans flocked to the Celtic Superstore not far from the ground before the game and purchased memorabilia. I’m sure they were looking forward to immersing themselves in the occasion as much as the game itself.
Celtic Park on a European night has become something known and appreciated across the world of football. The fact that this was a Europa League knockout tie didn’t diminish the excitement and passion of those inside the ground. The presence of the surviving Lisbon Lions only served to increase the noise before kick-off. As they formed a guard of honour for the Class of 2015, eyes would turn towards the south east corner of the ground. The Green Brigade, not for the first time, stepped up to the big occasion and produced a fantastic pre-match display.
Ronny Deila is slowly cultivating his own legend amongst the clubs history. His team has been enjoying an immense run of form of late. After a difficult start to the season, he is finally moulding the team into image of his philosophy. I wrote prior to the League Cup semi-final encounter against Rangers that a win in that game would be an ideal tonic ahead of this encounter. It copper fastened the unity and belief amongst the players and the support that Celtic are in heading in the right direction under the Norwegian. It won’t be long before his famous fist pumps after an important victory will become part of Celtic folklore much like Martin O’Neills gravity defying leaps and Neil Lennon’s passion on the sideline.
However, some things don’t change overnight, over weeks or indeed months. Celtics history of questionable defending on the big occasion came roaring back into focus as the back four of starting the game tentatively. Sensing their opponent’s lack of urgency, Inter pounced. It only came to mind hours before kick-off that Roberto Mancini had signed Xherdan Shaqiri from Bayern Munich weeks previously. I am huge fan of the Swiss International and believe he is someone that Brendan Rodgers should have signed for Liverpool last summer. And it was diminutive attacker who reaped the reward. Some quick passing lured the defence out of their box and left space behind for Shaqiri. His first time volley lacked enough power to truly threaten Craig Gordon in goal. However Gordon, in what must be the first mistake he has made all season, pushed the ball straight back to Shaqiri who swept in and put Inter ahead.
Immediately, memories of Juventus came flooding back. Once again, within minutes of the kick-off, Celtic had shot themselves in the foot. The opening 3 minutes of the game had been good. They had been pressing the ball and moving well. The atmosphere was electric. Shaqiri knew all too well the effect of the goal by slowly coming to a standstill in his celebration and repressing most of the joy he felt at scoring his first goal for the club. Celtic Park had been silenced. The buzz was gone, the passion was gone. Inter had turned up to play and scored a priceless away goal. In the minutes after the opening goal, I sensed the players lacked their initial confidence all of a sudden. Defensively, it seemed like they didn’t want see the ball come towards them at all. They would often find themselves making the wrong choice when under any sort of pressure. It only served to make matters worse.
A corner in the 13th minute was swung out to Shaqiri outside the box. He played what seemed like a poor ball back in looking for Rodrigo Palacio. Emilio Izaguirre beat him to it, only to inexplicably mishit his clearance off Virgil Van Dijk. The rebound fell to Palacio who struck low under Gordon to make it 2-0. Another self-inflicted wound from Celtic was punished emphatically by Inter. And not even 15 minutes had passed. All hope seemed lost. The Hoops would now have to gamble in order to get back into the game. With two crimes against defending to their name, that prospect of leaving the defence open to counter attack did not sit well with me. I simply tweeted “Up In Smoke”. I cursed both goals without ever throwing the laptop across the room. Unfortunately I had prior experience of such Italian devastation.
Grabbing an early two goal lead would transform anyone’s confidence. Inter may not be the fearsome Italian giants they once were, but once going 2-0 ahead, they moved the ball across the field efficiently and almost effortlessly. A young Celtic side under the stewardship of a young manager, looked completely lost. Whenever they did get the ball, they couldn’t find space for an incisive pass behind the Inter defence. The one half chance of note was a cross from Stuart Armstrong that floated over Leigh Griffiths. It was a rare moment of territory and threat from Celtic in the opening twenty minutes. They struggled to hold onto the ball and would gift possession back to the Italians. All signs pointed to a long night ahead for Celtic fans across the world.
That was until the Celtic defence, of all players, strung together a couple of passes and brought the ball forward. The quality of these passes laboured between suicidal and hospital passes but the ball somehow found its way to Adam Matthews on the right flank. The Welshman broke forward and engineered a quick one-two with Stefan Johansen. Matthews suddenly found himself in space behind the defence. It was a time for clear heads and the right decision. And he played a lovely short pass across goal behind the onrushing Griffiths and Inter defenders for the late arriving Armstrong to slam the ball low and hard into the net. Less than 70 seconds later, Matthews made a short throw in to Johansen who hooked the ball high into the Inter 6 yard box. Armstrong forced enough pressure on Campagnaro to knock the ball into his own goal past Juan Pablo Carrizo.
Cue pandemonium.
It took a little more than a minute but Celtic were suddenly level. Paradise had come alive. And despite my vocal cords best efforts, I had not given my father a heart attack with my delirious celebrations. This was football. This was Celtic. What seemed like an insurmountable lead so early on was swept aside. Now it was those in Green and White who seemed rejuvenated. Their two goals not only transformed them but rattled Inter to a shambles. It was Celtic who dominated possession and territory as they looked for a third goal. Doubts remained about the defence but with Celtic retaining possession more effectively and advancing into the final third more frequently, it gave them more time to reorganise and set up for Inter counter attacks. The referee for the game was allowing a standard of physical challenge enough reprimanded in the modern game to go unnoticed and thus allowed a tempo to excite and enthral those in the stadium and watching at home.
Moments before the half-time whistle, the pendulum swung again. Celtic were anyone’s bet to score a third goal first. Yet Gordon, in what was probably the second mistake he had made all season, decided to grasp upon a hopeless long ball that Inter played from deep. Unfortunately for the Hoops No.1, the ball skidded up on the surface and its pace took it out of reach of his hands. He only served to stop its momentum long enough for Palacio to have a simple tap in to make it 3-2. Inter had miraculously made it to half-time with the lead. Now they had the sanctuary of the half-time break to reorganise and set up to nullify a Celtic comeback. Celtic now had to retrieve another deficit. However, they had belief, they had the ability and they had a defiant home crowd to roar them on. It was a rollercoaster first half that left my head dizzy. It truly was remarkable my laptop was unscathed.
The pace, understandably slowed down in the second half. Inter were happy to take their time in possession when moving forward. It was only when Celtic pushed forward late on did they create any real chances of note. Not without vital last ditch interventions from Jason Denayer & Van Dijk in the middle and saves, albeit nervy, from Gordon kept the deficit at the minimum. At the other end, Celtic found themselves at times in possession with plenty of territory only for the final pass to be lacking. They would also inexplicably start attempting long balls from deep in the hope of a fortuitous bounce or knock on for someone to pounce upon. This was frustrating as they had enjoyed more success with swift short passing and movement off the ball. This was Deila’s philosophy, one that had now slowly begun to take shape. This was not the time to abandon it. It also allowed Inter to dictate the tempo of the game. Celtic had the pace and energy to press Inter high and force mistakes.
Celtic did create chances in the 2nd half. Gary Mackay Steven, also enjoying a fine home debut alongside Armstrong, surged forward at one stage only for his energy to betray him at the final moment and his shot was saved easily by Carrizo. Nir Biton, finally delivering upon his potential in the middle of the field, twice attempted shots from distance that worried Carrizo but not enough to cause panic. Griffiths had what seemed like the best chance of the half up to that point when a rare quick passing move saw the ball fall to his feet on the edge of the six yard box. His first time shot was quickly closed down by Carrizo as the Inter lead remained intact.
Deila’s last roll of the dice was a double substitution introducing John Guidetti and Liam Henderson. Guidetti quickly became a fans favourite with his forward play and goal-scoring early in the season. However, he had not scored since November of last year. Henderson, a young prospect from Celtics youth set-up, brought energy and desire which Celtic needed but often found himself committing needless fouls. With the passing turning sloppy and long balls ending up nowhere, another equaliser was proving elusive. I was more concerned at Celtic conceding a fourth, which would be catastrophic ahead of the return leg in Milan.
Four minutes of injury time was signalled. Time enough for one chance. Not a hit and hope but a well worked move that gave a player time and space finish. And that move would materialise. Guidetti held the ball up long enough for support to arrive on the edge of the box. The ball found its way to Henderson. I had criticised him moments previously for a lack of precision in his efforts. Well if he had telepathically read my mind or my tweets, he answered them perfectly with a deft first time pass over the Inter defence. Guidetti, continuing his run off the ball, took it and with his weaker foot, struck a half volley past Carrizo, into the net. There was still enough energy and passion within the fans to lift the roof off Paradise. Enough energy in my celebrations to alert my father upstairs.
It was no more than Celtic deserved. In the face of a club with superior resources and quality at their disposal, and in the face of two deficits, they rallied to the cause and invoked the Spirit of 67. Deila stayed true to his philosophy and his faith in his tactics and indeed his players paid off. We as fans, might well look back on this game and think that Celtic should have won it, especially if we fail to progress after the 2nd leg. However, we will always remember that it served as a timely reminder in the face of billion dollar live football TV deals, that money cannot buy passion. Money cannot buy drama, money cannot bottle the experience of a European night at Celtic Park and sell it. There is still something beautiful in the modern game. Celtic and Inter Milan showed that last Thursday night.
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