Celtic go marching on in Europe

Bill Shankly once declared: “If you are first you are first.  If you are second you are nothing.”  Truer words may never have been spoken, yet European football’s current system does not reflect that statement.

Each year, the Champions League contains teams that did not win their respective nation’s top flight the previous season.  For example, the most recent Group G of the competition consisted of Barcelona, Benfica, Celtic and Spartak Moscow, with only one of these teams wearing the crown of their country.  That team was Celtic, who, despite being one only league winners in the group, were underdogs in terms of qualifying.

But qualify is exactly what Neil Lennon’s side did, recording a remarkable victory at home to Barcelona in the process and also being devastatingly unlucky not to take anything back from the Nou Camp.  A dramatic late winner against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday evening saw Celtic progress at the expense of Benfica, who could only manage a draw at Barcelona.  With the score at 1-1, Kris Commons stepped up to convert an 80^th minute penalty that sent Celtic Park into raptures, earning the club a place in the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time since 2008.

With the downfall of their bitter rivals Rangers highlighting the dire state of Scottish football, Celtic’s presence in the knockout stages provides a statement that they are as competitive as ever.

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