Celtic went into tonight’s UEFA Champions League opener against Aalborg BK with the weight of Scottish expectation on their shoulders.
A great couple of years for Scottish football, that included Celtic’s back-to-back progression through to the last 16 of the CL and Rangers UEFA Cup Final appearance last season, has left the nation expectant of more success.
The Gers shock exit from European competition last month has left all the attention squarely on the green half of Glasgow.
It was imperative that Celtic got off to a winning start tonight, as one look at their away record of one draw in 17 away ties is appalling. Home wins over Manchester United 1-0 and AC Milan 2-1 in the last two years show the strength of their home form, which is up there with the very best in Europe.
Celtic missing a first half penalty wasn’t the best way to go about it however. Barry Robson squandering the golden chance on the half hour mark.
The fact the half time score line was 0-0 was quite unbelievable. There were plenty of chances at both ends, with Aab stretching the home side towards the end of the first half. 60,000 inside Parkhead were getting restless.
The second half started as open as the first ended, with Celtic pushing for the opener but leaving themselves vulnerable at the back.
Neither side could break the deadlock but that wasn’t the major talking point. Aalborg’s Michael Beauchamp was sent off late on in a case of mistaken identity! All three officials have to take the wrap for this one. How do you send off the wrong player?
The 0-0 draw is a massive blow for Celtic who must still face Manchester United and Villarreal at home. Aalborg will see this as their chance to turn over Celtic in the return match, and they now have a chance to snatch a UEFA Cup place.
Elsewhere in Group E, Manchester United struggled at home to Villarreal in another 0-0 draw. Another disappointing result for Sir Alex Ferguson on the back of Saturday's 2-1 loss at Anfield. United won't be too worried however, especially not after seeing Celtic faulter at home.
In Group F, Fiorentina were probably not expected to win in Lyon but then neither were Rangers last season when the Scots shocked the French 3-0. Viola were 2-0 up at halftime thanks to a double from Alberto Gilardino. You can never count out the French though, and late goals from Frederic Piquionne and Karim Benzema saved Lyon’s blushes.
Bayern Munich celebrated their return to the CL after a season in the UEFA Cup with a hard fought win. Daniel Van Buyten’s first half goal enough to see off Steaua Bucharest.
FC Porto got off to a flyer in Group G at home to last season’s quarterfinalists Fenerbahce. Goals from Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzales saw the Portuguese side lead 2-0 after just 14 minutes. The Turks responded before half time with a goal from Daniel Guiza, but Porto finished the job off with a 90th minute Lino strike.
Arsenal wouldn’t have been looking forward to their trip to Ukraine, and the hosts proved tough opposition. Dynamo Kiev thought they’d taken a notable scalp thanks to Ismael Bangoura’s second half penalty but it was William Gallas’ night as captain fantastic with a 88th minute equalizer.
Finally to Group H, the so called "Group of Death".
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos gave Madrid an early lead at home to BATE Borisov. Ruud Van Nistelrooy doubled the Spaniards lead early in the second half as they cruised to victory.
UEFA Cup Champions Zenit St Petersburg travelled to Turin to face Juventus. The Old Lady of Italian football returning to European competition after a two year absence due to the Italian match fixing scandal. It was to be a sweet comeback too, as Alessandro Del Piero scored the only goal of the game to see off the European Super Cup winners.
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