Photo Of The Day: Celtic’s Swiss Nightmare, France Aren’t The Only Ones

Today’s photo of the day comes less than 24 hours after France’s shock Euro 2020 exit at the hands of Switzerland. The world champions led 3-1, before being pegged back and ultimately losing 5-4 on penalties. It truly was a Swiss nightmare for the French, but they aren’t the only ones to experience such misfortune…

Celtic’s Swiss nightmare occurred in the summer of 2002. Although, it was ultimately a blessing in disguise. Indeed, the Hoops beat Basel 3-1 at Paradise in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying play off, but then suffered a cruel 2-0 defeat in the return fixture. Despite a 3-3 aggregate scoreline, Celtic exited the competition on away goals – a rule that has been abolished ahead of the 2021/22 season – but then embarked on an incredible UEFA Cup run, which culminated in a historic Final in Seville!

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

1 Comment

  1. Jim O'Rourke on

    I was in basel for the game on the combined addrossan garryowen-cavendish 7-1 clubs
    Great trip and Celtic rewarded all that went with a Seville ticket were unlucky to lose but it gave us Seville so was worth it. HH