Celtic face AZ Alkmaar in a huge Europa League qualifier tonight, therefore today’s photo of the day looks back to a recent meeting with Dutch opposition. On Tuesday 22 October 2013, Celtic Park rocked to its foundations as the Bhoys dispatched of Ajax 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
There had been ill feeling between the clubs after some Ajax fans smashed the train station at Glasgow Central, though worse would follow in the reverse fixture and subsequent meetings over the next few years.
Ajax claim to be the originators of total football, a system employed by Johan Cruyff, who took the style to Barcelona. However, it was Celtic’s Lisbon Lions who revolutionised the game with relentless attack and pushing the full backs forward. From there the ideas were developed by others and culminated in the rounded approach of Ajax’s total football.
The Green Brigade Ultras played on that historical theme with an incredible display spanning two tiers. It read “Original total football”, “Class of 67”, with an image of the Lisbon Lions in the middle.
A European night against Dutch opposition… pic.twitter.com/ZG8nRU3csQ
— Liam Kelly (@cfcliamk96) August 18, 2021
The atmosphere was electric that night as Celtic recorded a fantastic win, but it was ultimately a disappointing European campaign.
