On this day 23 years ago, Celtic beat Juventus 4-3 in a crazy European night at Paradise…
Celtic lost to Rosenborg in Trondheim
The Italians were visiting Celtic Park with the comforts of knowing they had already progressed to the knockout stages. On the other hand, the Hoops having been beaten by Rosenborg in Trondheim the week previously, had to defeat Juventus and hope that results went their way in the other group stage clash with Porto and Rosenborg.
Invariably, Celtic dropped down to the UEFA Cup as a result of their Champions League exit and went onto face Spanish side Valencia.
Martin O’Neill’s side created history by reaching a record number of points (9) for a team who did not go onto progress out of the traditional four club group stage. This record has since been beaten.
Away Day Misery for Celtic
Meanwhile, it was the away games that done for Celtic. Winning their trio of home matches including successive 1-0 victories versus Porto, and then Rosenborg seemed to set up trips to Portugal followed by Norway with some confidence. However, such as the pattern in the 21st century for a number of Celtic teams, it was the monumental collapse in both sets of winnable fixtures away from home that diminished the chances of qualification. Notably, an injustice in Turin for Celtic’s opening Champions League match did not help matters either.
On the match itself, the consequences of results not going Celtic’s way in the group was cruel, but Martin O’Neill’s magnificent Celts went out in style.
An Incredible Night in Paradise
Allesandro Del Piero opened the scoring and silenced the electric Celtic Park crowd with a top-drawer reversed free-kick into Rab Douglas’s top right-hand corner. Five minutes later, Celtic equalised, in typical Lubo style he twisted and turned Paramatti before providing a beautiful cross onto the head of Joos Valgaeren who bulleted home.
On the stroke of half-time Chris Sutton edged Celtic in front rising highest above everyone else from a corner. Lubo provided his second assist of the match. However, just after the restart David Trezeguet’s low driven shot was too powerful for Douglas and topsy turvy affair back to all-square.
French referee Giles Veissiere awarded Celtic a spot kick only minutes later, when several Juve players were grappling onto the jerseys of their opposition counterparts. When Henrik stepped up to face Carini, there would only be one winner. 3-2.
The fourth Celtic goal was the pick of the bunch
The fourth Celtic goal was the pick of the bunch. Lubo’s free kick-was met with an Italian defender’s headed clearance which fell to Chris Sutton who iconically volleyed the ball into the under side of the bar, a goal that has been watched on repeat by Celtic supporters across the globe for the last 23 years.
Drama did not stop there, Trezeguet made it 4-3, and Marcello Lippi thought his side snatched an equaliser with the last kick of the ball, but Iuliano was adjudged to have been in an offside position from Pavel Nedved’s inviting cross.
The relief at full-time was palpable, but it was quickly followed by disappointment when news had reached of Porto’s win over Rosenborg confirming the Hoops departure from the Champions League.
“Everybody’s sick really, but we can be proud of ourselves”
Post-match, Chris Sutton described that, “everybody’s sick really, but we can be proud of ourselves for the result we got, although at the end it wasn’t enough. I think we can look back and think we’re a bit unlucky, but it’s one of those things.”
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill echoed the sentiments of the Englishman saying, “the only disappointment tonight was the Porto result. But that shouldn’t spoil the performance from us. It was magnificent from start to finish; the players were absolutely outstanding.”
O’Neill’s starting XI 23 years to the day; Douglas, Balde, Mjallby, Valgaeren, Agathe, Lennon, Lambert, Moravcik, Petta, Larsson, Sutton.
Juventus starting XI at Celtic Park on 31 October 2001; Carini, Iuliano, Zenoni, Paramatti, Birindelli, Nedved, Maresca, Davids, Del Piero, Amoruso.
Conor Spence
