Celtic v Barcelona – The Twelfth Man

A Celtic fans personal and unforgettable experience at paradise. Great read :icon_mrgreen:

Celtic v Barcelona – The Twelfth Man

“Football without fans is nothing”. I never really understood the true meaning of Jock Steins famous quote until the night of the 7th of November 2012. Around the world Celtic Football Club are hailed as giants of the sport. Whether it be in Benidorm or Baghdad, you are certain to find the famous green and white jersey in all corners of the globe. The east end of Glasgow holds one of the most feared arenas in the footballing world, after one trip to this marvellous stadium you will find out why Celtic fans claim to be the ‘greatest’ in the world.

On a simply magical night in Glasgow, I was lucky enough to witness a moment of football history. A game which will be spoken about in Scotland for as long as football is played and one which the grandchildren of 60,000 people should expect to hear endless stories about in the future.

After enjoying the build up with the local essentials of a can of Irn Bru and a steak pie, I headed to the stadium with an hour to spare. The usual Saturday afternoon league game would see fans still finding their seats ten minutes into the game, however the stadium was filling up by 7pm, just under an hour before kick-off. I was standing in block 112 directly next to the famous Green Brigade, offering the best seat in the house for the fanatical support shown by Celtic’s most hardcore fans. From the pattern on the seats it was clear that another display (known as a Tifo) was planned, with what looked like a giant 125, celebrating the clubs 125th year anniversary.

Kick off approached, and a rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. This was followed by the now extremely familiar Champions League theme music, and the unveiling of the Green Brigades latest work of art.

The atmosphere which was created is difficult to do justice with words alone; this was noise far above anything I have ever experienced. It was so loud that a UEFA steward was offering out earplugs, an offer which was perhaps unsurprisingly universally rejected. Celtic Park, known as paradise to many, at its best is football heaven, who in their right mind would want to block that noise out?

The last time the club beat Barcelona was in 2003 when Martin O’Neill guided the hoops to the UEFA cup final. But this team was no Barca of 2003. This was a team labelled by pundits, modern day professionals and footballing legends as the greatest team to have ever played the game. Barcelona started slowly. Perhaps many of these players haven’t played in a stadium that creates so much noise or it was just a poor start from the Spaniards, either way passes were misplaced that would normally have had pinpoint accuracy, and despite Messi going close with a lobbed attempt, after 20 minutes the game was still level. Although the Catalans got off to a poor start, Celtic did not seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity Barca were offering them. Until, out of nowhere, they scored.

A whipped corner from Mulgrew allowed Victor Wanyama to head it by the beaten Valdes. The ground erupted in joy and relief creating an even crazier atmosphere, if that was even possible. It lead to the stadium singing an extended version of ‘The Celtic Symphony’, which is certainly one of the greatest football chants I have ever heard live. Perhaps my favourite thing about the attitude of Scottish football supporters is how seriously they take their role as the ‘twelfth man’. If the side are winning or losing, they take it upon themselves to improve their own performance. There is none of the booing or hurling abuse for a misplaced pass, just pure, unquestioning love for the team.

So with the Bhoys leading at half time, the last 16 of the Champions League was beckoning. Celtic were 45 minutes away from defeating what is said by many to being the greatest club ever. The fans were certainly relishing the prospect of a European giant killing, helping to ensure that the entire stadium was alive with noise. The singing continued throughout the break, with the fact that the players weren’t actually on the pitch not having any impact on the atmosphere.

Celtic ran out for the second half attacking the towering Green Brigade, as if the inspiration of reaching the last 16 was not enough, they were now faced by the Ultras bouncing up and down, waving flags and singing non-stop.

81 minutes on the clock, and the time for beautiful football has passed. A long ball into the box missed the despairing head of the Argentinian defender Mascherano, winding up at the feet of substitute 18-year-old Tony Watt. For the first time all night, Parkhead fell silent. Then the biggest moment of Watts young life was about to take place. He buried the ball into the corner of the net leaving the keeper helpless to make it 2-0. If Celtic park had a roof, it would have flown off. The place went mental. A fan that must have been at least 80 years old hurled his walking stick to the side and jumped up and down in a way you suspected he had not done for decades. That’s what football can do. It can provide you with moments of such joy that for a moment you forget who you are. You are not an individual, but a collective unit. Fans tumbled to the ground over seats, fell to their knees to praise whichever spiritual being they had been praying to before, and strangers embraced. It’s likely that many of the people who celebrated that goal together will never see each other again, but it doesn’t matter. They were part of one of the most glorious moments in the history of the club.

The 90th minute saw the 4-time Ballon D’or winner, Lionel Messi grab one back. The final few seconds of the match was extremely frantic with fans attempting to pressure the Dutch ref into blowing his whistle. It proved to work. A second of silence. Had that really happened? And then, bedlam. The only way to do justice to the celebrations is to compare them to an erupting green and white volcano. I have never seen joy on this scale, nor do I expect to ever see anything like it again.

Ahead of Barcelona’s semi final to Bayern Munich last season, Andres Iniesta had this to say. “There are many questions about whether we will find it intimidating but after Celtic I don’t fear anywhere. If you go play at a full Celtic Park on a Champions League night then you can play anywhere. The fans create a crazy atmosphere like nothing I have ever heard – I doubt even the Allianz Arena can compare with that.”

 

Good game then aye?

 

To the day I die, I will whole heartedly regret the fact that I was unable to go to this game. Watching it still gives me goosebumps.

 

I'll regret it as well mate, a had the opportunity to get a ticket as well :-(

 

I got goosebumps reading that. I always have a tear in my eye when I watch that game back. One of the greatest nights of my life. Atmosphere was awe-inspiring.