Inter take note: 5 times Celtic impressed on the road in Europe
Published:
Inter Milan go into Thursday’s Europa League second-leg encounter as firm favourites for victory at the San Siro, but they would be wise to heed a few warnings from history.
Celtic may not boast the best record on the road on the continent but there have been a couple of instances where the Bhoys have sprung a surprise away from home.
Here are five of our more recent favourites – Inter Milan fans you have been warned.
1. Liverpool 0 – 2 Celtic – 2002/03
Celtic had it all to do at Anfield after Emile Heskey’s first-half goal had cancelled out Henrik Larsson’s early opener for the Hoops in the 1-1 first-leg draw of this UEFA Cup quarter-final at Parkhead.
A first-half free-kick from Alan Thompson sent them on their way before John Hartson, who had missed a penalty if the first game, fired home a second half rocket to real the Bhoys progress.
2.Barcelona 0 – 0 Celtic – 2003/04
A year before Barcelona beat Arsenal in the Champions League final the Hoops sent them packing in the UEFA Cup with a hard-fought draw at the Nou Camp sealing their progress.
The night belonged to David Marshall, now goalkeeper at Cardiff, who was just a rookie at the time but still kept a Barca team containing Luis Enrique, Ronaldinho and Luis Garcia at bay.
3. Rapid Vienna 3-3 Celtic – 2009/10
Though the result may have had little bearing on the group with Rapid and Celtic both already out, the Bhoys nevertheless put in a battling performance to recover from 3-0 down.
Two goals from Nikica Jelavic and another from Hamdi Salihi had put the Vienna side three-up within 21 minutes. But a Marc-Antoine Fortune brace and an injury time leveller from Paul McGowan ensured the Hoops did not finish last in the pool.
Check out highlights from the game right here.
4. Udinese 1 – 1 Celtic – 2011/12
Proof that Celtic are capable of causing a scare in Italy came during this clash with the Zebrette in the final round of group fixtures from the competition in 2011.
Udinese had to avoid defeat to progress, but went behind to a deserved Celtic goal from Gary Hooper on 29 minutes that had the Bhoys dreaming.
The pivotal moment came in first-half injury time with the evergreen Antonio Di Natale levelling the scores before the break. Udinese held out in the second 45 but Celtic left with their heads held high.
5. Spartak Moscow 2-3 Celtic – 2012/13
Though everyone remembers Celtic’s famous 2-1 win over Barcelona at Parkhead, the far more significant win came in Moscow against Spartak.
Hooper gave the Bhoys an early lead but opposite number Emmanuel Emenike hit back with a goal either side of half-time to put the Russians in front.
Celtic came roaring back though, with the equaliser coming via an own goal from Dmitri Kombarov before Georgios Samaras scored the winner with nine minutes remaining.
All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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