As Celts prepare to play a competitive fixture in Bologna for the first time tonight, it might be worth recalling a match which took place in the same stadium almost sixty years ago, and which directly changed the course of our club’s history…
The semi-final line-up for the European Cup of 1966/67 saw Celtic paired with Czech champions Dukla Prague, whilst in the other half of the draw Inter Milan faced the Bulgarian title-holders CSKA Red Flag, better known today as CSKA Sofia.
Like Dukla, CSKA were the ‘army’ team from their country, at that time part of the Eastern Bloc or Iron Curtain. The Italians were hot favourites to win the new trophy, having eliminated six-time winners and current holders Real Madrid in the last-eight.
CSKA had knocked out, Linfield, one of the Irish representatives, at the same stage, whilst Dukla had prevailed over Ajax and their young superstar Johann Cruyff, conquerors of Liverpool.
The five matches which eventually comprised the semi-final round took place over four successive midweeks in April and early May 1967, a second-half Willie Wallace double adding to an earlier Jimmy Johnstone strike setting Celts up for a 3-1 win in Glasgow.
Inter then faced the Bulgarians in the San Siro seven days later, that tie very much in the balance after CSKA fought back from an opening goal by Inter’s fabulous attacking full-back Giacinto Facchetti to secure a 1-1 draw.
Celtic duly qualified for the final in Lisbon with a hard-fought goalless draw in Prague, whilst 24 hours later in Sofia’s Vasil Levski national stadium, favourites Inter again took the lead through Facchetti before being pegged back for a second 1-1 draw.
The play-off was scheduled for Graz in neutral Austria but the story goes that the Italians offered CSKA a greater proportion of gate receipts if they agreed to move the match to Bologna, which they duly did. There, in the Stadio Comunale, later renamed the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and where Celtic will run out tonight, an early goal from striker Renato Cappellino finally secured victory for Inter. And the rest is history.
That weekend, Inter coach Helenio Herrera sat in the Ibrox stand to watch his final opponents Celtic secure a second successive Scottish title and an unprecedented domestic quadruple with a 2-2 draw, courtesy of a Jinky double.
Inter themselves were chasing a treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup but they would end the season with nothing as Celts effectively ended the trophy-laden era of La Grande Inter with victory in the Portuguese capital.
Of course, had the Bulgarians prevailed in Bologna, then the greatest day in our then 80-year-old history would have seen Celtic take on CSKA Red Flag in Lisbon. Not quite got the same ring to it as Celtic v Inter Milan, does it?
My late and much-missed friend Pat Woods was one of the Celtic supporters lucky enough to have been in Estadio Nacional to see Jock Stein’s team make history. He often spoke of the unique spectacle created in that incredible setting in the Lisbon sunshine by the contrast in team colours, the emerald green Hoops beautifully complemented by the classic blue and black stripes of the Nerazzurri.
Thankfully for Pat and the rest of us that single Inter goal in Bologna made that spectacle possible and the events and images of Thursday, 25 May 1967, just like the legendary Celts who triumphed there, remain unparalleled some six decades later.
CSKA Red Flag would undergo a further name change as CSKA September Flag before landing on their current title, CSKA Sofia, future Celt Stan Petrov being one of the stars to represent them in that form.
And Bologna’s Stadio Comunale with its famous arch – originally hosting a statue of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini on horseback – dominating one side of the stadium, would be renamed in honour of Renato Dell’Ara, their chairman of three decades. That period included some of their most successful seasons, including several as Italian champions, so akin perhaps to Celtic Park being known as the Robert Kelly Stadium.
Perhaps ironically, Dell’Ara died suddenly of a heart attack in June 1964, whilst in Milan discussing plans for the unique Serie A play-off between his beloved Bologna and Herrera’s Inter at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico a few days later. The two clubs had finished level on points at the end of the season. Bologna duly honoured their late chairman by beating Inter 2-0 in Rome, and that remains their last Scudetto to this day.
If you know your history…
PS – Above article was written on the plane en route to Bologna this morning…
Matt Corr
Follow Matt on X @Boola_vogue
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