Celtic on this Day – ‘Then the French went down three one each time’

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The Celtic Star

·7 December 2024

Celtic on this Day – ‘Then the French went down three one each time’

Celtic on this Day – European Cup progression on the road to Lisbon as French Champions Nantes tip Hoops for European glory and a share of the points 25 years later at Tannadice…

Celtic against French Champions Nantes in the European Cup match at Celtic Park on 7 December 1966. Photo The Celtic Wiki

7 December 1966

Bobby Lennox scores for Celtic against French Champions Nantes in the European Cup match at Celtic Park on 7 December 1966. Photo The Celtic Wiki

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Celtic 3-1 Nantes. Heading into the second leg of Jock Stein side’s European Cup second round adventure, Celtic were 29 games unbeaten across Scottish Division One, Scottish League Cup, Glasgow Cup and on the continent at the halfway point of our most spectacular season in the club’s 137-year history.

Prior to the second meeting between the Scottish and French champions, Stein’s men had won 3-1 the week prior in Nantes. Jinky netted early on at Paradise in the second leg hampering any chances of an unlikely Nantes comeback. The French side arrived in Glasgow on the Monday night and trained at Barrowfield on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s clash.

Despite ‘the Canaries’ equalising shortly before half-time, identical finishes courtesy of Chalmers and Lennox secured a comprehensive victory for Celtic who glitteringly won 6-2 on aggregate. Interestingly, Georgin’s leveller for Nantes was the first goal scored by an opposition side in a European match at Celtic Park since 1962, when Valencia drew 2-2.

Post-match, the Nantes players were full of praise for Stein’s classy Celts — midfielder Jacques Simon tipped Celtic to be the eventual winners of the tournament. Of course, the soon-to-be Lisbon Lions would face arguably their trickiest tie en route to Lisbon in the quarter-final versus FK Vojvodina.

Press cutting – Celtic against French Champions Nantes in the European Cup match at Celtic Park on 7 December 1966. Photo The Celtic Wiki

7 December 1991

Dundee Utd v Celtic match ticket, 7 December 1991.

Dundee United 1-1 Celtic, Liam Brady’s men were aiming for a hat-trick of victories in the league against Jim McLean’s Tangerines. Out early of the UEFA Cup following a humiliating away performance in Switzerland against Neuchatel Xamax, and exiting the Scottish League Cup versus Airdrieonians, the League was a prime focus despite for majority of the season trailing Rangers.

Dundee Utd v Celtic, 7 December 1991. Chris Morris scored for Celtic in a 1-1 draw. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Chris Morris scored the opening goal at Tannadice through quality combination play from Collins and Coyne. However, Brian Welsh’ header from six yards out beating Gordon Marshall changed the tide of the game. A third of Dundee United’s results in the 1991/1992 campaign had been draw’s and this was one to add to the long list. Celtic, like so often under Brady and in the 90s, couldn’t find a crucial winner.

Conor Spence