How Celtic Stunned Barcelona, The Greatest Team In The World
Celtic failed to make it to the last 16 of the Europa League this season, but more than 13 years ago they had beaten Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League in one of the most famous nights in the club’s history.
Two weeks earlier, the Hoops were just seconds away from holding the Catalan giants to a draw only for Jordi Alba to sneak in at the far post in the 94th minute to secure a 2-1 win.
In the build-up to the game at Camp Nou, midfielder Joe Ledley recalled manager Neil Lennon gathering the players to together on the pitch, thinking someone was in trouble.
Ledley said: "He picked the ball up and said ‘everyone have a good look at this football’. He put it down and said ‘because tomorrow night you won't be seeing it’."
Lennon's jokey approach "made a lot of the lads relax, just keeping it as normal as possible", according to defender Kelvin Wilson, one of the heroes from that unforgettable autumnal night.
Although Tito Vilanova had replaced the all-conquering Pep Guardiola as head coach at the start of the 2012/13 season, Barca were still widely regarded as one of the best teams in the world – if not the greatest of all time.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta headed to Glasgow hoping for a fourth successive Group G victory which would have sent them through to the knockout stage with two games to spare.
But, they reckoned without the determination of the Scottish champions, despite the absence of skipper Scott Brown and top scorer Gary Hooper.
Roared on by a decibel-defying crowd at Celtic Park, Victor Wanyama got above Alba to head home Charlie Mulgrew’s first-half corner to put the Bhoys ahead.
With seven minutes remaining, substitute Tony Watt capitalised on an error from Javier Mascherano to race through and beat keeper Victor Valdes to extend Celtic's lead.
Although Messi pulled one back with a close-range finish at the start of injury time, Celtic held on and eventually made it through to the last 16 where they were well beaten by Juventus.
So, how did Celtic achieve mission impossible on November 7, 2012 – a date etched in Hoops folklore?
Gambling.com sat down with four of the heroes from that night: Ledley, Mulgrew, Kelvin Wilson and Efe Ambrose to discuss how they planned Barca’s downfall.
Set-Piece The Key To Unlocking Barca Defence
Ledley said: "The script was back post. I think Jordi Alba was always at the back post and that was our plan. Charlie's left foot, which we've seen throughout his career, had a delivery which was second to none. And for big Victor to arrive at the back post and tower against Alba. So we worked on that."
Ambrose remembers Lennon telling the team "that we're not going to have the ball", but the defender felt they had one big advantage over the skilful visitors.
He said: "When you look at the Barcelona team, then you just feel like you can go out and crush them because of the size they are. So that's what's going through our minds. We just look at them like, wow, ‘these guys are like not big, so we can put the ball in the air, they can’t stop us or do anything’."
Getting Around The Corner Problem
Although Wilson admitted the "main source of a goal for us would probably be through a set-piece", the problem was getting the opportunity to deliver a dead-ball into the box.
Ledley said: "Me and (right-back) Adam Matthews were talking the day before the game, and Lenny [Neil Lennon] was saying about getting a corner. And I turned to Adam and said: "How the hell are we gonna get a corner against these?"
The same thought had crossed the mind of Mulgrew, who had been working on delivering the perfect corner during training sessions.
He said: "To be honest with you, when we were doing it I was wondering how are we gonna get a corner here, especially five minutes into the game when I've not had a kick for the first five or 10 minutes, and you're wondering 'how are we getting a corner?'
"People talk about the 12th man at Celtic Park with the fans, and for me that's the way it's summed up. We got a throw-in in our own half in the first 10 minutes and the whole place erupts.
"They got behind us and all of a sudden you think you're doing well, but you've only really got a throw-in in your half."
Corner Routine Hit And Miss In Training
Perfecting the pin-point cross for Wanyama did not always go to plan at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training ground, but it could not have gone any better on the night in question.
"I remember doing it in training and it wasn't as often as I'd have liked," said Mulgrew. "It wasn’t bang-on all the time. He [Wanyama] would always miss a few or not get it quite precise.
"On the night, and when I look back now, you get one chance to put that ball in that area.
"If I had to think like that, I don't think I would have got it in that area, but at the time when you get the corner you're just thinking ‘right, let's just focus for this moment and just hang it up, hang it up at the back there and see what comes of it’.
"And what helps is the fans don't know that's what you're doing, so there's no pressure there. You just put a ball in and they don't understand where you're trying to put it.
"So, when it left my foot and I realised it was going in the area, I thought it's there. And then I knew that big Victor would get above Jordi Alba - there was no contest there and then the ball would hit the net. To think that we've scored the goal was an amazing feeling."
Barca had 83.6% possession that evening, but Celtic extended their lead by taking advantage of a blunder from former Liverpool midfielder Mascherano, who failed to deal with a long punt from the exceptional Fraser Forster.
Watt’s angled drive from inside the area sent the home fans into raptures and effectively sealed Celtic’s one and only victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.
Ledley said: "Sometimes in those games you need a bit of luck and we had that, especially with Mascherano sort of missing that judgment of the bounce.
"Tony's come on and we needed fresh legs. You could see a lot of us players are running on empty and he's gone through and what a finish it was to make it 2-0.
"And the roar, I’ve never heard a roar like it."
Celtic Park has experienced some incredible European nights over the years, but that evening against Barcelona would be hard to beat.
