5 November 2008, Celtic 1-1 Man Utd
Goalkeeper Ben Foster of Manchester United attempts the save as Scott McDonald of Celtic shoots and scores the opening goal of the game during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Manchester United at Celtic Park on November 5, 2008. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
It had only been two years earlier when Shunsuke Nakamura scored that iconic free-kick past Edwin Van Der Sar in the Man Utd net. Gordon Strachan was looking to replicate a similar type of performance and result to the one he got that night. Strachan nearly got it as Scott McDonald’s delightful lob over Ben Foster looked like it was going to be well worthy of winning the match for Celtic. However, a late header from Ryan Giggs levelled the match.
After the encounter Alex Ferguson said that, “we [Man Utd] would love to have an atmosphere like that, but…” and then Ferguson did not close with his statement. In later years, former England internationalist Ben Foster said that night at Paradise was the best atmosphere he had ever played in. Overall, the 2008/2009 Champions League campaign was a sore one and despite gaining five points, Celtic finished bottom of their group which included Man Utd, Aalborg and Villareal.
Celtic 3-1 Anderlecht – on the next page…
