Celtic F.C. in European football

Background

The first officially sanctioned European club tournament, the European Champion Clubs' Cup, was launched in 1955. Conceived by Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'Équipe, as a competition for winners of the European national football leagues, it is considered the most prestigious European football competition. Hibernian were amongst the 16 sides invited to take part in the tournament's first season, and they became the first British club to participate in European club competition. Rangers took part in the tournament the following season as champions of Scotland. The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was also established at the same time, and in 1960 Hibernian became the first Scottish club to participate, eliminating Barcelona en route to the semi-final, where they lost to Roma. The 1960–61 season was also the inaugural year of the European Cup Winners' Cup, with Rangers reaching the final. They were comfortably beaten over two legs by Fiorentina, but were still the first British club to reach a UEFA sanctioned European club final.

First entries into European competition

Celtic's third-place finish in the league the previous season saw them qualify for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1962. Celtic were drawn against Spanish side Valencia in the first round. The first leg in Spain on 24 October 1962 saw Celtic beaten 4–2, having trailed 3–0 at half time. Bobby Carroll scored Celtic's two goals in the second half, becoming the club's first ever European goalscorer. A modicum of pride after the first leg defeat was restored, however, in the return leg in Glasgow, which finished 2–2.

The following season, 1963–64, saw Celtic return to European competition, this time in the European Cup Winners Cup. Celtic belied their mediocre domestic form in Scotland by reaching the semi-final of the tournament, eliminating Basel, Dinamo Zagreb and Slovan Bratislava en route. In Celtic's 5–1 win away against Basel in the first leg of their preliminary round tie on 17 September 1963, John Hughes became the first Scottish player to score a hat-trick in a European tie. The first leg of the semi-final against MTK Budapest took place at Celtic Park, and goals from Jimmy Johnstone and Stevie Chalmers gave Celtic an impressive 3–0 win. Sadly, a combination of tactical naïveté and questionable refereeing saw Celtic slump to a 4–0 defeat in the return leg in Hungary and go out on aggregate.

Season 1964–65 saw Celtic back in the Inter-Cities Fairs cup. First round opponents were Portuguese side Leixões S.C.. The first leg away in Portual was ill-tempered and marred by eccentric referring decisions in a 1–1 draw. Stevie Chalmers and Ian Young were both sent off, albeit controversially. Celtic won the return match in Glasgow 3–0 to progress, although the game was again bad tempered. In the next round Celtic faced Barcelona. The Spaniards won 2–0 at the Nou Camp and held Celtic to a goal-less draw at Parkhead in a series of ties where they were clearly a class above Celtic.

Glory years

Celtic, now with Jock Stein as manager, enjoyed another successful run in Europe in 1965–66, reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup by knocking out Go Ahead Deventer, AGF Aarhus and Dynamo Kyiv. Celtic lost 1–2 on aggregate to Liverpool in the semi-final, although a last minute Bobby Lennox "goal" was controversially disallowed in the second leg at Anfield which would have seen Celtic win the tie via the recently implemented away goals rule.

Celtic's European Cup campaign in 1966–67 was their first ever participation in Europe's premier club tournament. Zürich and Nantes were comfortably disposed of in the first two rounds (5–0 and 6–2 on aggregate respectively). The quarter-final in March 1967 pitched Celtic against Yugoslav champions Vojvodina. The Yugoslav side won the first leg in Novi Sad 1–0, while the return match in Glasgow proved to be a fraught affair. The Yugoslavs defended resolutely and threatened on the counter-attack, but Celtic levelled the tie on aggregate in the second half with a goal by Stevie Chalmers. Celtic pressed for a winner, but Vojvodina defended well and the tie looked like a play-off in neutral Rotterdam would be required. In the final minute, however, Billy McNeill headed in a Charlie Gallacher cross to see Celtic progress to the semi-final. Celtic now faced Czechoslovakian side, Dukla Prague. This time the first leg of the tie took place in Glasgow, with Celtic winning 3–1 courtesy of goals from Jimmy Johnstone and a Willie Wallace brace. In respect of his opponents' quality, Stein set up Celtic to be ultra-defensive for the second leg and forsake – temporarily – their philosophy of attacking football. The tactics worked as Celtic secured a 0–0 draw to put them in the final. Stein, however, was almost apologetic about the manner of Celtic's success in that game and he felt uncomfortable in later years discussing the matter.

The final saw Celtic play Inter Milan, with the match taking place at the Estádio Nacional on the outskirts of Lisbon on 25 May 1967. Celtic fell a goal behind after only seven minutes, Jim Craig adjudged to have fouled Renato Cappellini in the penalty box and Sandro Mazzola converting the resultant penalty. Celtic swept into constant attack after that, but found Inter goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti in outstanding form. With 63 minutes played, after incessant pressure Celtic finally equalised when Tommy Gemmell scored with a powerful 25-yard shot. The balance of play remained constant, with Inter defending deeply against sustained Celtic attacking. With about five minutes remaining, a long-range shot from Bobby Murdoch was diverted by Stevie Chalmers past a wrong-footed Sarti. It proved to be the winning goal and thus Celtic became the first British team, and the first from outside Spain, Portugal or Italy, to win the competition. Celtic remain the only Scottish club to have reached the final.

As champions of Europe, Celtic competed in the Intercontinental Cup against South American champions Racing Club of Argentina. Both sides won their respective home games and the series went to a deciding game played in Montevideo, Uruguay. The first two matches, however, were marred by the Argentinians' incessant foul play and spitting, and Celtic goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson was struck on the head by an object thrown by Racing Club fans in the second match in Buenos Aires. The third match degenerated into a shambles as the Celtic players lost their composure and discipline. Six players were sent off – four from Celtic and two from Racing Club – with Racing scoring the only goal to win the cup in a match described by Reuters as a "bar room brawl".

The following two seasons in the European Cup were a disappointment for Celtic; going out to Dynamo Kyiv in the first round in their defence of the trophy in the autumn of 1967, then reaching the quarter-finals the following season only to lose their home leg against AC Milan, having achieved a credible no-scoring draw in the first game in Italy. Earlier in the season, Celtic set off a controversy in the wake of the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. At chairman Robert Kelly's behest, the club sent UEFA a telegram condemning the military action and expressing concern that any team from Western Europe having to play a tie in an Eastern Bloc country. Celtic's stance received support from other clubs throughout Western Europe, although others such as Leeds United publicly criticised Celtic's intervention. In response, UEFA redid the draw for the first round of the European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup to avoid pairing Eastern European sides with clubs from the West. This elicited a furious response from clubs and football authorities in the East, the majority of whom withdrew in protest.

Celtic reached the European Cup final again in 1970. Celtic knocked out Basel in the first round, then defeated Portuguese side Benfica 3–0 at Parkhead in the first leg of the second round. Celtic's performance was impressive, and they were unfortunate not to score more. Benfica rallied in the return match and put Celtic under intense pressure from the start. John Fallon was outstanding in goal for Celtic and with the game nearing its end had limited the score to 2–0 for the Portuguese side. Diamantino, however, scored direct from a free-kick in the final minute to level the tie on aggregate and force extra-time. No further goals were scored in the additional 30 minutes, and the tie was decided by the toss of a coin. Captain Billy McNeill successfully called, and Celtic progressed to the quarter-finals. Italian champions Fiorentina were then knocked out 3–1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals saw Celtic drawn against English champions Leeds United. This was the first occasion that the reigning champions of England and Scotland had played each other in a fully competitive European tie. The first leg took place at Elland Road, with a goal in the opening minute from George Connelly giving Celtic a 1–0 lead to take back to Glasgow for the second leg. The return match was played at Hampden Park on 15 April 1970 in front of 136,505 spectators, a record attendance for a competitive European club tie that stands to this day. In 14 minutes, Billy Bremner scored from long range to level the tie on aggregate. Celtic kept their composure though, and equalised two minutes into the second half though a John Hughes header. Jimmy Johnstone had a particularly outstanding match and his mazy run set up Bobby Murdoch to score with a powerful shot, sealing a 2–1 win for Celtic on the night and their progression to the final.

The final took place on 6 May 1970 at the San Siro in Milan against Dutch side Feyenoord. Celtic were overwhelming favourites, but despite Tommy Gemmell opening the scoring after 30 minutes, they were comprehensively outplayed by the Dutch side. Feyenoord manager Ernst Happel ensured Jimmy Johnstone was double marked at all times, while the midfield trio of Franz Hasil, Willem van Hanegem and Wim Jansen dominated their Celtic counterparts. Rinus Israël quickly equalised from a free kick, but Celtic managed to hold on at 1–1 to force extra time. With just two minutes of extra-time remaining, a long free-kick from the Feyenoord half was sent towards the Celtic penalty area. Billy McNeil stumbled and misjudged the ball, and as he tried to recover he appeared to punch the ball away. Before the referee had a chance to award a penalty, Ove Kindvall reacted quickly and took the ball round his man before chipping it over goalkeeper Evan Williams to seal a 2–1 win for Feyenoord.

Celtic reached the semi-final of the European Cup in 1972, with Inter Milan their opponents. The tie remained goal-less after the end of both games and 30 minutes of extra time in the second leg in Glasgow. As such, the tie went to penalty kicks to find a winner, the first time a European Cup tie was decided in this manner. Inter Milan's Sandro Mazzola took the first penalty kick and scored. Dixie Deans took the next penalty, Celtic's first, but fired his shot over the crossbar. The Italians scored all of their remaining penalties to eliminate Celtic.

A further European Cup semi-final was reached in 1974, this time against Atlético Madrid. The tie against the Spaniards was acrimonious. Atlético were managed by Juan Carlos Lorenzo, who had coached Argentina at the 1966 FIFA World Cup where his players were branded "animals" by England manager Alf Ramsey. In the first leg at Parkhead, the Atlético players continually kicked and hacked their opponents. Three Atlético players were sent off, but their incessant foul play made it impossible, indeed physically dangerous, for Celtic to play their normal game. The match finished 0–0, and the sour evening was completed with a punch-up between the two sets of players as they made their way up the tunnel at full-time. In the buildup for the second leg in Spain, Jimmy Johnstone received a death threat over the hotel phone and a hate campaign from the Spanish media prevented the Celtic players from relaxing or training effectively. Atlético won the match 2–0, winning the tie on aggregate and progressing to the final against Bayern Munich where the Spanish side lost 4–0 after a replay.

Decline

The mid-to-late 1970s saw a decline in Celtic's European achievements, with first-round exits in the European Cup against Olympiacos in 1974 and in the UEFA Cup against Wisła Kraków in 1976. In between these very brief campaigns, Celtic reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in season 1975–76, but disappointingly were knocked out by the relatively unimpressive East German side, Sachsenring Zwickau. The tie is best remembered for the bizarre situation where young Roy Aitken had to be 'adopted' by Celtic in order to be allowed to enter East Germany to play the away leg. At only 17 years old, the authorities there did not consider him to be an adult. Celtic's last European campaign under Jock Stein was again very short, a second round exit against Wacker Innsbruck in the 1977–78 European Cup.

However, in 1979–80, under former player and new manager Billy McNeill, they reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Celtic were drawn against Real Madrid, and goals from George McCluskey and Johnny Doyle gave Celtic a 2–0 win in the first leg at Parkhead. Goalkeeper Peter Latchford had an excellent match, and in particular his saves from England striker Laurie Cunningham and Spanish star Santillana were crucial in helping Celtic keep a clean sheet. The return leg took place two weeks later at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in front of approximately 120,000 fans. Johnny Doyle missed an excellent chance to score early in the first half, and then just before half-time Santillana pulled a goal back for Real. Uli Stielike levelled the tie in the second half with a powerful volley past Latchford, before Juanito added a third near the end to send Celtic out 3–2 on aggregate.

False starts

Celtic's first European campaign of the decade ended inauspiciously in October 1980 when they were knocked out at the first round stage of the European Cup Winners' Cup on away goals by Politehnica Timișoara. The following season saw the club take part in the European Cup. Murdo MacLeod's left foot drive past Dino Zoff gave Celtic a 1–0 win in the first leg of the first round tie against Juventus, however the Italians won the return match 2–0 in Turin to eliminate Celtic.

Ajax were Celtic's first round European Cup opponents in September 1982. The first leg in Glasgow saw Ajax twice take the lead through goals from Jesper Olsen and Søren Lerby, but Celtic responded with strikes from Charlie Nicholas and Frank McGarvey to draw 2–2 on the night. Celtic went into the second leg as underdogs, but an outstanding Charlie Nicholas goal and a last minute winner from George McCluskey saw the club progress 3–2 on aggregate. Nicholas has since described his goal in Amsterdam as being "probably my all-time favourite". Celtic were unable to keep up their winning form in the next round, and went out of Europe 3–2 on aggregate to Real Sociedad, largely due to poor defending.

The 1983–84 season saw Celtic competing in the UEFA Cup. After a straightforward 5–1 aggregate win over AGF Aarhus in September 1983, Celtic were then drawn against Sporting Lisbon in the second round. The first leg away in Lisbon on 19 October saw Celtic start brightly but fade very quickly, and were fortunate to lose only 2–0. Manager Davie Hay admitted Celtic were "lucky" to not concede more goals, although he insisted that whilst they were in an "awkward position" to salavage the tie, it was not "impossible". Celtic's response two weeks later in the return match in Glasgow saw them produce a performance described by The Herald as "quite brilliant". Tommy Burns ran the show for Celtic and opened the scoring on 17 minutes with a headed goal. Shortly before half-time, Tom McAdam levelled the tie with a powerful shot. On half-time, Brian McClair took a pass from Frank McGarvey, ran 30 yards before shooting in to put Celtic ahead on aggregate. Further goals in the second half from Murdo MacLeod and McGarvey sealed an emphatic 5–0 win on the night, and progression to the third round. Having replaced Billy McNeill as manager in the summer, Davie Hay described the win as "the best performance since I took over". Celtic's next opponents were Nottingham Forest, and a scoreless draw away in the first leg put them in a strong position. Celtic dominated the match, with Forest manager Brian Clough acknowledging that Celtic "played really well" and had been "the best team on the night". The second leg, however, proved to be an anti-climax for Celtic as Forest outplayed them, easing to a 2–1 win on the night to eliminate the Scots.

The Rapid Vienna affair and fall-out

Celtic began their 1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign against Belgian side K.A.A. Gent. A 1–0 loss away in the first leg, was recovered comfortably in the return match at Parkhead. Frank McGarvey levelled the tie before half-time with a close-range shot after the Belgian goalkeeper failed to hold onto a Brian McClair shot. McGarvey put Celtic ahead with another goal early in the second half, before Paul McStay sealed a 3–0 win with a header on 89 minutes.

Celtic then found themselves embroiled in a series of controversial matches in the second round against Rapid Wien. Celtic lost the first leg 1–3 in Vienna, but despite rough-house tactics from the Austrians, it was only Celtic's Alan McInally who found himself red-carded. The return match at Parkhead was an even more bad-tempered affair as Celtic raced to a 3–0 lead with goals from Brian McClair, Murdo MacLeod and Tommy Burns, all in spite of Rapid's foul play. The match erupted near the end when Burns was punched by Reinhard Kienast. In the ensuing chaos, coins and at least one bottle were thrown onto the pitch by some Celtic fans. None appeared to hit anybody, but one of the Rapid Wien players, Rudi Weinhofer, was carried off the pitch with his head swathed in bandages. The match finished 3–0, with Celtic winning the tie 4–3 on aggregate.

Rapid, however, appealed, citing the alleged injury to their player. The initial appeal was dismissed by UEFA, but a second appeal from the club was upheld and a replay was ordered to take place at least 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Glasgow. The Celtic board acquiesced to this decision in spite of considered opinion that Celtic should withdraw from the tournament on principle. As such, the match at Parkhead was declared void and a third match was held in Manchester at Old Trafford. Celtic lost 0–1, the goal coming on 18 minutes when after Roy Aitken had hit the post with an effort for Celtic, Rapid immediately caught Celtic on the break to score the only goal of the game. Worse, two Celtic fans assaulted Rapid Wien players; one fan running onto the pitch and accosting the goalkeeper during the game, whilst at full-time another Rapid player was kicked by a fan. UEFA fined Celtic and ordered their next home European tie to take place behind closed doors.

The repercussions from the Rapid Wien ties followed Celtic into the 1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign. The first round saw them pitted against old foes Atlético Madrid. Mo Johnston's headed goal from a Davie Provan cross and Pat Bonner's late penalty save from Rubio secured a 1–1 draw away in Madrid, putting Celtic in a good position to win the tie. The second leg in Glasgow, however, was played in front of an empty stadium as punishment for the fans' behaviour the previous season in the replayed game against Rapid. In the unreal atmosphere of playing behind closed doors, Celtic toiled and lost 2–1 for another early European exit.

Years in the wilderness

The club's League title win in 1986 saw them qualify for the European Cup in 1986–87, where Celtic eliminated Shamrock Rovers 3–0 on aggregate in the first round. The next round saw Celtic take on Soviet champions Dynamo Kyiv, a side comprising a large number of players in their national side. A hard-fought 1–1 draw in the first leg at Parkhead did not bode well for the return match in Kiev. Oleh Blokhin's free-kick in the second leg gave the Soviet's an early lead, but Mark McGhee levelled the tie shortly after half-time. Dynamo regained the led later on in the second half, but Celtic continued to press. A late third goal from Dynamo, however, saw them clinch the tie.

Early exits in Europe continued as the decade progressed. Borussia Dortmund eliminated Celtic in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1987, while Werder Bremen eliminated Celtic from the European Cup at the second round stage in 1988. In September 1989, Celtic's new Polish striker Dariusz Dziekanowski scored four goals at Parkhead in the second leg of a first round European Cup Winners Cup encounter with Partizan Belgrade, but the team still went out of the competition under the away goals rule.

On 23 October 1991, in the first leg of the second round of the UEFA Cup, Celtic lost 5–1 to Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax as Egyptian striker Hossam Hassan ran amok against the Celtic defence by scoring four goals, one of the worst European defeats in the club's history. In the return leg at Celtic Park, Celtic could only manage a 1–0 victory and crashed out of the tournament 5–2 on aggregate.

Liam Brady was struggling as Celtic manager in September 1992, but enjoyed a brief respite in the first round of the UEFA Cup. Celtic recovered from a 2–0 first leg defeat away at Cologne in the UEFA Cup to win the return match in Glasgow 3–0, midfielder John Collins scoring the decisive third goal seven minutes from time. Celtic were drawn against another German side in the next round, Borussia Dortmund. In the first leg away in Dortmund, Celtic turned in a good performance; Paul McStay and John Collins were excellent and constantly troubled the Dortmund defence. Celtic came close to scoring after hitting the crossbar, and were unlucky to lose 1–0. Gerry Creaney levelled the tie on aggregate with a first half goal in Glasgow. Dortmund, however, took control in the second half, scored twice and sent Celtic out 3–1 on aggregate.

Under new Head Coach Wim Jansen, Celtic had to negotiate two qualifying rounds to qualify for the first round proper of the 1997–98 UEFA Cup. Welsh Inter Cabel-Tel were comfortably disposed of 8–0 on aggregate, but the next qualifying round against Tirol Innsbruck proved more difficult. An abysmal first leg performance in Austria was salvaged only by a late Alan Stubbs free kick, Celtic losing 2–1 on the night but netting a valuable away goal. The return match in Glasgow was an exciting see-saw affair. Celtic twice took the lead in the first half, only for Innsbruck to equalise on each occasion, their second goal an own goal by Henrik Larsson just before half-time. Goals in the second half from Simon Donnelly and Craig Burley put Celtic ahead on aggregate, but Gernot Krinner's header on 82 minutes levelled the tie on aggregate and gave the Austrians the advantage because of the away goals rule. But Celtic responded with three minutes to go, Wieghorst showed excellent skill in the penalty box to control Donnelly's knockdown before shooting in. With the match going into injury time and the tie poised on a knife-edge, Larsson went on a mazy run forward before passing to Burley who scored from close range to clinch a 6–3 win on the night to progress on aggregate. Celtic were then drawn against Liverpool in the first round proper.

Celtic went into the first leg in Glasgow as massive underdogs, and the match seemed to be going as expected when 17 year old Michael Owen put the English side ahead on 6 minutes. Celtic continued to struggle during the opening 20 minutes, but began to find form as the first half progressed. The start of the second half saw Celtic pushing forward more and they equalised on 53 minutes. Jackie McNamara raced down the right wing, played a one-two with Craig Burley, then volleyed a powerful shot past David James. Simon Donnelly hit the post on 62 minutes, then a minute later the referee ignored what appeared to be a blatant foul on him in the penalty box. Celtic continued to press forward, and on 73 minutes were awarded a penalty when Larsson fell on being challenged by David James in the penalty box. Donnelly converted the resultant spot kick to put Celtic ahead. With full-time approaching, Steven McManaman picked the ball from inside his own half, dribbled 70 yards to the edge of the Celtic penalty box and curled a shot in to level the match at 2–2. The return match at Anfield produced fewer chances and no goals, seeing Liverpool knock out Celtic on away goals.

Celtic's league title win in 1998 gave the club their first opportunity to compete in the rebranded UEFA Champions League in 1998–99. Two qualifying rounds had first to be negotiated, however. St Patrick's Athletic were knocked out, but Celtic were then paired up against a strong Croatia Zagreb side comprising several players who had helped Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup. The first leg took place in Glasgow amidst a row between Celtic players and the club bosses over bonuses. A Darren Jackson goal gave Celtic a 1–0 win to take over to Zagreb, but an insipid second leg performance in match dominated by Robert Prosinečki saw Celtic beaten 3–0 to go out on aggregate. Only a fine showing from Jonathan Gould in goal saved Celtic from a more emphatic defeat. The club dropped into the UEFA Cup. Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães were defeated 2–1 in both legs in the first round, but Celtic crashed out in the second round against Zürich 5–3 on aggregate as a public row between captain Paul Lambert and managing director Jock Brown raged behind the scenes.

Regaining respect

New Celtic manager Martin O'Neill's first European tie was a qualifying tie for the UEFA Cup against Jeunesse Esch in August 2000. Having won the first game in Luxembourg 4–0, Celtic went on to ease to a 7–0 win in the return match in Glasgow. The match is notable for Mark Burchill's three goals scored in the space of three minutes, the quickest hat-trick in the history of a UEFA club competition. Celtic went on to eliminate HJK Helsinki in the first round proper, before going out 3–2 on aggregate in the next round to Bordeaux.

Having won the league title in 2001, Martin O'Neill's side then played Ajax in the Netherlands in the first leg of the qualifier tie for the Champions League on 8 August 2001. Celtic turned in an outstanding performance. First-half goals from Dutch winger Bobby Petta and Didier Agathe gave the Scottish champions a 2–1 lead at half-time. Chris Sutton added a third in the second half with a powerful header to give Celtic an impressive 3–1 win. A nervy second leg performance at Parkhead saw Celtic lose 0–1 on the night but progress to the group stages on aggregate; their first involvement in the Champions League group stages since the redevelopment of the tournament in the 1990s.

Celtic made their debut in the group stages of the Champions League on 18 September 2001, losing 2–3 to Juventus in Turin. Celtic had recovered from a 2–0 deficit to level the match at 2–2, but lost a third goal near the end from a controversial penalty. Celtic recovered from that set-back to win their next two home matches against Porto and Rosenborg, but lost the away matches against the same opposition. Celtic's final group match was against Juventus at Parkhead on 31 October 2001. A Chris Sutton brace and an outstanding performance from Ľubomír Moravčík helped Celtic to a famous 4–3 win. Despite finishing the group with nine points, however, Celtic failed to qualify for the next round and were demoted to the UEFA Cup. They were drawn against Valencia, where in the first leg in Spain, the club had goalkeeper Rab Douglas to thank for keeping the score to a manageable 0–1 defeat. The second leg in Glasgow saw Henrik Larsson scoring to give Celtic a 1–0 win after 90 minutes to level the tie on aggregate. As no goals were scored during extra-time, the tie went to penalty-kicks, where Celtic lost, suffering elimination.

Impact in Europe

Celtic's European campaign in 2002–03 began somewhat inauspiciously when they were beaten by Basel on away goals in a qualifier tie for the Champions League. Celtic dropped into the UEFA Cup, and in the first round eased to a 10–1 aggregate win over Lithuanian minnows Sūduva Marijampolė. In the next round, Celtic were paired with Blackburn Rovers, managed by former Rangers player-manager Graeme Souness. Celtic were poor in the first leg at Parkhead, but a Henrik Larsson goal five minutes from full-time secured a crucial 1–0 win on the night and a narrow lead to take down to Ewood Park. In the build-up to the return match, Blackburn captain Gary Flitcroft made public that Souness had commented in the dressing room after the first game that Blackburn were the better side and should have won: "That was men against boys." In the second leg, Celtic showed much more composure and scored after 14 minutes through Larsson. Celtic controlled the game after that and Chris Sutton scored another goal for Celtic in the second half, with Celtic winning 2–0 on the night and 3–0 on aggregate. Celtic's third round UEFA cup opponents were Celta de Vigo. In a first-leg overshadowed by eccentric referreing, Henrik Larsson scored the only goal of the game in Glasgow. The return match in Spain was won 2–1 by Celta, levelling the aggregate score at 2–2, but John Hartson's away goal won the tie for Celtic. This was the first time ever that Celtic had knocked out a Spanish club in European competition, and also the first time in 23 years that Celtic had remained in European competition beyond Christmas.

German Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart were Celtic's fourth round opponents in the Spring of 2003. Celtic came from behind to win the first leg 3–1 at Parkhead, while in the second leg, despite Celtic going up 2–0 early, a comeback from Stuttgart saw the Bundesliga side win 3–2 on the night, although Celtic would progress 5–4 on aggregate. The quarter-finals saw another English Premier League opponent for Celtic, this time Liverpool. The first leg took place at Celtic Park on 13 March 2003, ending 1–1 through a first-minute Larsson goal; the away goal, however, gave Liverpool an advantage entering their home tie at Anfield. In the first leg, Liverpool player El Hadji Diouf spat at a Celtic supporter, and was later fined £5,000 at Glasgow's Sheriff Court for the incident. The return match at Anfield took place the following week. Two minutes from half-time, Celtic were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Alan Thompson struck a low shot past Jerzy Dudek from the set piece, with the ball going under the defensive wall which had jumped up and appeared to distract the Liverpool goalkeeper. Celtic sealed a 2–0 victory on 82 minutes when John Hartson played a one-two with Larsson, then drove a swerving shot from 25 yards out into the top-right corner of Dudek's goal.

Celtic's first European semi-final since the early 1970s saw them paired against Portuguese side Boavista. Celtic drew 1–1 in the first game at Parkhead, but a Henrik Larsson goal in the 80th minute of the return match in Portugal won the tie and ensured Celtic's progress to the UEFA Cup Final.

Around 80,000 Celtic fans travelled to watch the club compete in the UEFA Cup Final, held in Seville on 21 May 2003. Played in humid weather, the first half was a somewhat stoic affair, but Porto scored just before half-time when Derlei netted Dmitri Alenichev's parried shot. Celtic levelled two minutes into the second half when Henrik Larsson headed Didier Agathe's cross from the right past goalkeeper Vitor Baiai. Porto regained the lead five minutes later when Deco's angled pass to Alenichev saw the Russian score. Again Celtic rallied, with Larsson scoring with another header, this time from an Alan Thompson corner. Celtic were however being frustrated by the referee's over-indulgence of Porto's time-wasting and their players' persistent feigning of injury. With the game tied at 2–2 on 90 minutes, the final went into extra time. Bobo Baldé was sent off on 95 minutes after his second yellow card. On 112 minutes Derlei reacted quickest to a Rab Douglas block and rounded Jackie McNamara to make it 3–2. Porto managed to hang to win the UEFA Cup. Nonetheless, the exemplary conduct of the thousands of travelling Celtic supporters received widespread praise from the people of Seville and the fans were awarded prestigious Fair Play Awards from both FIFA and UEFA "for their extraordinarily loyal and sporting behaviour".

Celtic qualified for the Champions League in 2003–04, but again could only finish third in the group stages and therefore dropped into the UEFA Cup. After a straightforward aggregate win over FK Teplice, Celtic were drawn against Barcelona in the round of 16. A dramatic first leg in Glasgow saw Celtic win 1–0 through an Alan Thompson goal, but goalkeeper Rab Douglas and Barcelona's Thiago Motta were sent off during half-time for fighting in the tunnel. The return match in Spain saw Celtic fielding 19-year-old reserve goalkeeper David Marshall in place of Douglas and young defender John Kennedy standing in for Bobo Baldé, who was also suspended. Celtic found themselves under a sustained barrage of pressure, but the two youngsters turned in outstanding performances. Marshall pulled off outstanding saves from Luis Enrique and Luis García, while Kennedy made a number of great tackles to keep Barcelona at bay. Celtic held out for a scoreless draw on the night to win on aggregate and progress to the quarter-finals. Celtic's run in Europe was finally ended in the next round by another Spanish side, Villarreal, losing 3–1 on aggregate. The club went straight into the group stages for the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, but finished bottom of their group on five points, one point behind Shakhtar Donetsk who qualified for the UEFA Cup spot, and behind Barcelona and AC Milan who progressed to the next stage of the Champions League. This was Martin O'Neill's last European campaign with Celtic, with him resigning in May 2005 to care for his ill wife.

Gordon Strachan made an unpromising start as manager of Celtic in the summer of 2005, losing his first match in charge – a Champions League qualifier – 0–5 to Slovakian side Artmedia Bratislava, the club's worst ever European result at that time. Celtic did produce a fight-back in the second leg at Parkhead, but their 4–0 win on the night was not enough to salvage the tie.

The following season though saw Strachan guide Celtic into last 16 of the Champions League for the first time. Celtic secured their progress from the group stages courtesy of Shunsuke Nakamura's 30-yard free-kick against Manchester United in a 1–0 win at Parkhead. The win on the night, and qualification to the last 16, was clinched when Artur Boruc saved Louis Saha's 88th-minute penalty kick. Celtic lost 0–1 in the last 16 round to the eventual winners of the cup, AC Milan, after a goal from Kaká in extra time.

Strachan took Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League again in 2007–08, were they paired up against Barcelona. The first leg was played in Glasgow, and Celtic twice took the lead through goals from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Barry Robson. Barcelona fought back, however, to win 3–2 on the night. In the return match, a goal by Xavi saw Barça win 1–0 in Spain and knock Celtic out 4–2 on aggregate.

Tony Mowbray took charge of Celtic in 2009. Because of the previous season's league position, two qualifying rounds were required to enter the Champions league group stages. After a 1–0 loss to Dynamo Moscow at home, Mowbray lead Celtic to a 2–0 win in Moscow, Georgios Samaras' injury time goal clinching the tie on aggregate and ending a long run of not winning any away games in the Champions League. This was also the first time ever that Celtic had won a European tie after losing the first leg at home. Celtic were then drawn with English side Arsenal, where they would lose the home leg 2–0. In the return leg in the Emirates Stadium, Celtic were holding Arsenal 0–0 until Arsenal striker Eduardo won his club a controversial penalty, which he himself converted. Arsenal went on to win 3–1 win on the night, with Massimo Donati scoring Celtic's only goal in the last minute. Things began to slide after that, however, and Celtic exited the rebranded UEFA Europa League before Christmas despite a promising draw of group opponents.

2010s

Neil Lennon became manager in 2010, but despite winning their home games, Celtic went out of both the Champions League and Europa League at the first hurdles, losing 4–2 on aggregate against both eventual Europa League finalists Braga and Dutch side Utrecht.

Celtic qualified for the Europa League group stages in 2011–12 in bizarre circumstances. Swiss side Sion defeated Celtic 3–1 on aggregate in the qualifying tie. Sion, however, were thrown out of the tournament by UEFA due to them fielding ineligible players in the two games against Celtic. Celtic were thus reinstated, eventually finishing third in Group I, behind Atlético Madrid and Udinese and ahead of Rennes.

As Scottish Champions from 2011–12, Celtic had the opportunity to take part in the 2012–13 Champions League. However, two qualifying rounds had first to be negotiated, which Celtic managed to do with 4–1 and 4–0 aggregate wins over HJK Helsinki and Helsingborgs IF. Celtic, as fourth-ranked seeds, found themselves drawn in Group G with Barcelona, Benfica and Spartak Moscow.

On 2 October 2012, Celtic achieved their first ever away win in the group stages of the Champions League with a 3–2 win in Russia over Spartak Moscow, Georgios Samaras scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute. Celtic's home match with Barcelona in November 2012 coincided with the week of Celtic's 125th Anniversary. As such, an "Ultras"-styled section of the Celtic support called the Green Brigade organised a full stadium pre-match card display (a "tifo") to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary. The display featured a Celtic cross, green and white hoops and "125 Celtic" in written form, with supporters earning the praise of club chairman Peter Lawwell. A memorable night was completed when goals from Victor Wanyama and 18-year-old striker Tony Watt gave Celtic a shock 2–1 win over Barcelona. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster produced an outstanding performance in the game, winning the praise of the Spanish media who nicknamed him "La Gran Muralla" ("The Great Wall").

Celtic secured their progress to the knock-out stages of the Champions League on 5 December 2012 with a 2–1 home win over Spartak Moscow, Kris Commons scoring the winning goal in 82 minutes with a penalty. Celtic were drawn against Juventus but succumbed to 5–0 aggregate defeat in the Spring of 2013 to go out of the tournament. Despite the emphatic scoreline over the two legs, Celtic were not outclassed by their Italian opponents in terms of general play but while Juventus defended with a ruthless defiance, Celtic in contrast shipped their goals all far too easily. Despite the result against Juventus, Celtic and Neil Lennon won praise for their Champions League campaign.

Celtic began the 2013–14 season with further Champions League success in their sights. Celtic were drawn with Cliftonville in their first qualifying round and easily disposed of the Northern Irish champions 5–0 on aggregate. They were next drawn with IF Elfsborg and squeezed by with a 1–0 aggregate win, with Kris Commons scoring the only goal in the first leg at Celtic Park. Although favoured to qualify for the group stages with minimal challenge after being drawn with Kazahk champions Shakhter Karagandy, Celtic found themselves losing the first leg in Karagandy 2–0. Celtic returned to Scotland to an electric atmosphere at Celtic Park in the home leg, in what proved to be the high point of their 2013–14 Champions League campaign. They overcame the 2–0 deficit to level the aggregate thanks to goals by Kris Commons and Georgios Samaras. James Forrest completed the comeback for Celtic with a 90th-minute strike, sending Celtic Park into a frenzy.

Thereafter, Celtic found themselves drawn with AC Milan, Ajax and again Barcelona in the group stage. The campaign was dismal, winning only once with a 2–1 home win over Ajax, and slumping to a 6–1 rout away against Barcelona in the final group match. That game saw Celtic concede the most goals they had ever done in a single European tie, and equalled their previous heaviest defeat in Europe, a 5–0 loss to Artmedia Bratislava.

Ronny Deila's first competitive match in charge of Celtic was a Champions League qualifying tie away against KR Reykjavik on 15 July 2014, which ended in a 1–0 win with midfielder Callum McGregor scoring the decisive goal on 84 minutes. Celtic eased to a 4–0 win in the return match in Scotland, but were comprehensively beaten and outplayed in the next qualifying round, losing 6–1 on aggregate to Legia Warsaw. Despite this, Celtic were given a reprieve when it was discovered that Legia had fielded an ineligible player in the second leg, Bartosz Bereszynski coming on as a substitute in the last four minutes. UEFA punished the Polish club by awarding the game a 3–0 to Celtic, levelling the aggregate score at 4–4 and seeing the Scottish champions progress on away goals. Despite this astonishing piece of luck, Celtic failed abjectly to take advantage in the final qualifier against Maribor, losing 2–1 on aggregate to drop down to the Europa League.

Celtic qualified from their Europa League group. Celtic played Inter Milan in the last 16 stage of the Europa League, rallying to draw 3–3 at Parkhead from an early 0–2 deficit in a pulsating encounter, then losing 1–0 in Milan to go out on aggregate despite a highly credible performance.

Celtic began the 2015–16 season again attempting to qualify for the Champions League. They knocked out Stjarnan from Iceland and Qarabağ from Azerbaijan in the early qualifying rounds, but lost 4–3 on aggregate to Swedish side Malmö FF in the final play-off round. This meant for the second successive season, Celtic dropped into the Europa League. Celtic's Europa League campaign was poor and littered with individual errors which contributed to dropped points in every match. Celtic failed to qualify after finishing bottom of their group, and was the first time Celtic went through a group stage of a European competition without recording a single victory.

Records

By competition

Updated as of match played 6 December 2016

While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is recognised as the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, it was not organised by UEFA. Consequently, UEFA do not consider clubs' records in the Fairs Cup to be part of their official European record.

With regard to the above statistics, Celtic's 3–0 home win over Rapid Wien in 1984 was declared void and a replay ordered to take place, which Celtic lost 1–0. In 2011, Celtic played Sion over two legs, drawing 0–0 at home and losing 3–1 away. However, due to Sion fielding ineligible players, Celtic were awarded 3–0 wins by UEFA for each game. In 2014, Legia Warsaw fielded a suspended player in their 2–0 win over Celtic. UEFA again rescinded this result and awarded a 3–0 win to Celtic. In the above statistics, it is the result of the replayed game and the "walkover" results that are included, not the original scores/results.

By season

As of match played 6 December 2016

A ^ The tie finished level on aggregate after both sides won their home games 3–0. Celtic won the tie on the toss of a coin.

B ^ The home leg was initially won 3–0 by Celtic, but UEFA ordered a replay to take place at a neutral ground. The replayed match was held at Old Trafford, Manchester, with Celtic losing 0–1.

C ^ Sion were disqualified for fielding ineligible players in both legs resulting two automatic 3–0 wins.

D ^ UEFA awarded Celtic a 3–0 win due to Legia Warsaw fielding suspended player Bartosz Bereszyński in the second leg. The original match had ended in a 2–0 win for Legia Warsaw.

By country

Updated as of match played 6 December 2016

P - Played; W - Won; D - Drawn; L - Lost

UEFA coefficient

Honours