Advertisement
Celtic's Giorgos Samaras (left), Efe Ambrose (centre) and Mikael Lustig. Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Barcelona v Celtic, Champions League Tuesday

As well as the game at the Camp Nou, Man Utd and Chelsea were both in action.

Celtic were in Barcelona for an intriguing European Cup showdown at the Camp Nou while we’ll also kept an eye on all the rest of the night’s action with Manchester United hosting Braga and Chelsea in Donetsk.

Get in contact in the usual ways. Email adrian@thescore.ie, find us on Facebook, tweet @thescore_ie or leave a comment below.

Full-time results:

FC Nordsjaelland 1 Juventus 1

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Chelsea 1

BATE Borisov 0 Valencia 3

Lille 0 Bayern Munich 1

Full-time: Spartak Moscow 2   Benfica 1

Barcelona 2 Celtic 1

Galatasaray 1 Cluj 1

Manchester United 3 Braga 2

Well hello there. Fancy meeting you here, wandering Las Ramblas? Let’s get down to business shall we?

TV3 are concentrating on Manchester United’s routine meeting with Braga at Old Trafford but we’ll focus on Celtic’s trip to the Nou Camp, okay?

Don’t worry though… we’ll keep an eye on all the action including John Terry’s night out in Donetsk.

So let’s have the team news then.

Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, Evans, Büttner, Carrick, Cleverley, Fletcher, Kagawa, Rooney, Hernández, Van Persie

Subs: Johnstone, Ferdinand, Anderson, Giggs, Nani, Young, Welbeck

Braga: Beto, Nuno André Coelho, Elderson, Paulo Vinícius, Ruben Amorim, Rúben Micael, Leandro Salino, Custódio, Alan, Hugo Viana, Éder

Subs: Quim, Baiano Aníbal, Capela, Mossoró, Hélder Barbosa, Michel, Zé Luis.

Celtic: Forster, Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Izaguirre, Mulgrew, Brown, Wanyama, Ledley, Samaras, Hooper

Subs: Załuska, Matthews, Rogne, Commons, Kayal, Fedor, Forrest

Barcelona: Víctor Valdés, Adriano, Bartra, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Iniesta, Song, Alexis Sánchez, Messi, Pedro Rodríguez

Subs: Pinto, Montoya, Fàbregas, Dos Santos, Sergi Roberto, Villa, Tello.

Check out more line-ups here

Early contender for comment of the night from one reader below:  ’The missus is from Barcelona and I’m a Celtic fan, loser sleeps on the sofa, I hope to god it’s not too cold tonight ;). Hail hail.’

I’d get the hot water bottle out of the attic if I was you, my friend.

Elsewhere this evening the other game in the group has already been played out and it looks like good news for the Bhoys.

Neil Lennon on facing the best player in the world, Neil Lennon: “People have tried [to stop him] for seven or eight years and come unstuck. I’m trying to concentrate on what we’re doing rather than Barcelona.”

Sky have got Billy Connolly to narrate a nice, sepia-tinted VT featuring Neil Lennon going through old photos at Celtic Park and then addressing his young side in the locker room. It’s pretty good but this is the second time they’ve played it out since 7pm. I haven’t seen Citizen Kane twice in my life.

Let’s have those predictions/tips/betting advice then? Anyone fancy Celtic?  They’re 25-1 to win while Messi is 3-1 to score three. Mad, Ted.

And we’re off… This could be a long night.

GOAL! Manchester United 0 Braga 0 Deary me. A shout at the other end of the office indicates that Braga have gone one up at Old Trafford after 90 seconds. Alex Ferguson won’t have even popped in his first Wrigleys of the night. The goal came when Hugo Viana floated in a cross and Alan — great name — rose highest to head home. The home defence should have been a lot stronger though.

GOAL! Goal! Shakhtar 1-0 Chelsea (Teixeira, 3). And the goals are flying in; the Blues are now trailing in the Ukraine. From the Guardian’s liveblog:

David Luiz cut out a pass from Rakitskiy intended for Willian and gave away a throw. Chelsea didn’t get organised with any particular haste and when the throw came in to the left of the box, Willian cut inside, claimed for a handball when he moved it across the area and it was intercepted by Terry and fell to Alex Teixeira who steered it across Cech and into the keeper’s right-hand corner.

Barca could be ahead already too by the way. Alexis got in behind after some early Celtic ball-watching but he dragged the shot left and wide.

GOAL! Barcelona 0 Celtic 1 (Mashcerano og 18′) Charlie Mulgrew drops in a wicked cross to the six-yard line from a free kick and the little Argentine turns it in under pressure from Samaras. Cue bellies flopping out of hooped jerseys in the stands as the travelling fans go nuts.

GOAL! Manchester United 0 Braga 2 Alan 20′ What the hell is going on? The Portuguese are gone two up through the same goalscorer.

Idea for a band name: the dubious goals panel. UEFA have given that Celtic goal to Samaras.

GOAL Manchester United 1 Braga 2 Hernandez 26′ And they’re back in it. RVP spun a little Zidane roulette on the edge of the box. He was fouled as he did but the ref waved played on as Kagawa picked up the loose ball. The forward then dinked an inviting ball to the back post which the Mexican striker nodded in.

Barcelona are tapping the ball about as they do but they haven’t been able to find the killer pass, which they normally do ultimately. We’re 38 minutes in and Celtic are well worth this lead.

As I type, Leo Messi swings in another excellent free kick — it’s his second of the night — which nestles on the roof of the net. He’s getting closer.

Samaras has done his ankle good and proper and has been replaced by James Forrest. We’re moments away from half-time.

GOAL! Barcelona 1 Celtic 1 Iniesta 45′ That was coming. The teams will go in at half-time level after Iniesta and Xavi took the initiative and opened up the Celtic defence with some lovely, crisp passing down them middle.

From the ever excellent OptoJoe: Man United have only ever won ONE CL game after going 2-0 down – which one? Anyone? Anyone.. Bueller?

Yes, that’s right… Juventus in 1999.

Nani is coming on for Kagawa for some reason while this is what Fergie said: “I can’t believe it. One miunte 20 seconds… I think we’ve played some good football. Disappointed with the referee’s performance to be honest with you [...] if we keep playing the football we’re playing… we’ll get back in this game.”

Celtic are playing a bit of ball here. After some nice patterns in them middle of the park, the ball comes to Forrest on the right, he cuts inside and draws a foul. He’ll be the key this half no doubt with Samaras on the bench already. Charlie Mulgrew drills the ball into the wall meanwhile.

GOAL! Shakhtar 2 Chelsea 0 Fernandinho 52′ Wowsers. From UEFA: ‘Luiz Adriano picks up on a loose ball and develops a two on two situation in attack. He finds Fernandinho sprinting to support and as he is layed in, he takes one touch before firing into the bottom corner.’

GOAL! Manchester United 2 Braga 2, Evans 62 Man United may yet repeat that feat of coming from 2-0 down in a Champions League game. The Northern Irish defender has levelled it up at Old Trafford and they’ll have an hour plus Fergietime to find a winner. (Their shaky defence will have to not concede too admittedly)

Barcelona are coming and coming in waves. In the past few moments the likes of Messi and Iniesta have drilled through range-finding shots that have been saved and saved well. But with 67 minutes on the clock you get the impression the La Liga side are starting to turn the screw on what is now a tiring Celtic side. Lennon might want to send on the cavalry.

What a save. Barca carved open the Celts’ defence with Alexis ultimately squaring for Messi — who else — but Fraser Forster saved with a really strong hand from practically point-blank. Excellent stuff.

GOAL! Manchester United 2 Braga 2, Hernandez 75 Alex Ferguson jumps from his bench with his arms shoulder high. Chicarito has put the home side ahead for the first time tonight.

Those three Valencia goals? Roberto Soldado hat-trick. Back here at the Nou Camp, his rival in the Spanish set-up, David Villa, is warming up.

Celtic are currently playing with 10 men as Victor Wanyama was carted off the pitch with what looked like cramp. He’s going to return we’re told. And he’d want to quickly. 84 minutes gone.

GOAL! Shakhtar 2 Chelsea 1 Ivanovic, 88 The Blues pull one back. I’m not watching but UEFA report: ‘Branislav Ivanović drives to the byline who crosses for Eden Hazard but he dummies the ball to allow Oscar to stroke the ball into the net.’

As I type, Celtic hang on in there again when it looked like Alba had barged his way through the green and white cover. There’s less than a minute of normal time on the clock.

As the clock strikes 90, David Villa hits the post with a shot through Wilson’s legs. The fourth officials indicates there’ll be four minutes of added time however.

The whistle has gone at Old Trafford and United have the three points. But they didn’t half make hard work of it.

GOAL! Barcelona 2 Celtic 1, Alba 94′ Heartbreak for Celtic! Alba gets in behind Forrest on the back post to get his studs on a delicious ball in. Typical Barcelona.

Full-time all over Europe. Celtic lose at the death, Man United fight back to win at home to Braga and Chelsea come up short in Donetsk. Here’s that late, late Jordi Alba goal

Alex Ferguson reflects on the hard-fought win at Old TRafford:

It’s been the story of our season at home, really, – starting badly, losing goals, and having to fight back to rescue games. Some of our football was terrific tonight… we created a lot of changes. But it is a concern that we’re losing the goals.

And match winner Hernandez: “He’s improving all the time and he’s got such great enthusiasm for the game — he trains maginificently. He’s got me thinking, I must say it now. He and van Persie and Rooney, and Welbeck… don’t know what I’m going to do with them, to be honest with you!”

Neil Lennon: “We were compact, defended really well, posed a threat. You know when you come here you’re going to be under pressure, and we just needed to see it out and we didn’t do that. I’m bitterly disappointed for the players and immensely proud of them as well.”

As Billo might say: let’s leave it there so. Celtic come within a whisker of an historic point but ultimately come up short at the Camp Nou. They’ll have another pop at Messi et al in a fortnight’s time.

Glazers staying at United for ‘many, many years’

Where’s Stevie? England stars feature in Where’s Wally 25th anniversary poster

Your Voice
Readers Comments
30
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.