Celtic will encounter mixed emotions when the dust eventually settles on a match which will live long in the memory of anybody who was fortunate enough to witness it. So much for the Europa League being the poor relation of continental football.
Ronny Deila’s men will take heart from their ability to roar back into this tie from Internazionale’s apparently unassailable two-goal lead after just 13 first-leg minutes. Celtic played their part in an enthralling, breathless spectacle which finished with scenes of celebration as John Guidetti snatched the last of six goals in stoppage time. Even after that, there was time for a stunning Craig Gordon save from an Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick.
Because of away goals and an upcoming encounter on their own patch, the reality remains that it is Roberto Mancini and his players who are in pole position to progress to the last 16. For the first time this season, Celtic’s generous defending was not masked by wonderful goalkeeping; hence advantage Inter.
Still, at the end of such an epic game it almost seems churlish to speak of such matters. These 95 minutes should be appreciated in isolation. The teams left the field like bloodied heavyweight boxers. Never mind 3-3, this could easily have ended 6-6.
“That was an unbelievable match in an unbelievable atmosphere,” said Deila, having caught his breath. “I am so proud of the boys. It is so hard to get back into these games, especially against Italian teams.” As to what happens next, Deila insisted his team can score at San Siro. “But we have to defend better,” was the important caveat.
Mancini claimed “a good result” but had an add-on of his own. “Maybe when you see the start of the game, it is not a good one. Maybe at 2-0 up, some of the players thought it would be an easier match than it actually was.”
Celtic’s challenge was obvious. The leap between domestic contests against the likes of St Johnstone to performing against a Serie A side, whatever the supposed decline in Italian standards, could never be a straightforward one.
Inter lie a disappointing 10th in their own league but this remains a club with resources to dwarf that of Celtic’s. Mancini, needless to say, did not move to Milan to operate in the nether regions of the transfer market or at a club with no aspirations of glory.
The specific allure of Inter, added to a break from the monotony of the Scottish Premier League, contributed to a sold-out Celtic Park for the first time in 14 months. Such a setting is rightly recognised as one of the most iconic in Europe. The pre-match atmosphere represented that of a Champions League game; thankfully what followed was to stay on that theme.
The home rearguard was glaringly culpable as Inter grabbed a fourth-minute lead. Shaqiri was allowed to latch all too easily on to a pass from Zdravko Kuzmanovic. Even then, Gordon may regret diving to save an initial Shaqiri shot which looked to be flying wide. The Swiss forward slotted home the rebound, Gordon having knocked the ball back into his path.
The second goal came nine minutes later from more woeful Celtic defending. Shaqiri lofted the ball back into the penalty area after a corner was pinged out to him by Kuzmanovic. Rodrigo Palacio had time and space to slam the ball past Gordon.
Tie over? Not so. What followed may have surprised even the most ardent of Celtic’s followers. It also proved the atmosphere at this old ground can rattle even high-calibre opposition. Stuart Armstrong, making his home debut, collected an Adam Matthews cut-back before producing a low finish in the 24th minute.
A minute later, in Celtic’s very next attack, Matthews looked to feed Armstrong again; while the midfielder was credited in some quarters with another goal from close range, Inter’s Hugo Campagnaro had deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper. Suddenly, stunningly, it was game on.
The madness of this first half was not over. Palacio capitalised on a serious Gordon mistake, the goalkeeper diving to collect a long pass from Gary Medel but only succeeding in letting the ball slip through his fingers. Palacio duly restored Inter’s lead right on half-time.
Deila was in no mood to point fingers, saying of Gordon later: “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
There was perhaps an inevitability about the tamer start to the second period. Inter had reverted to stubborn Italian type before Gary Mackay-Steven stole in and should have levelled the score. Instead, Juan Pablo Carrizo used his feet to save the winger’s tame effort. This came during Celtic’s most impressive and intelligent spell of the game, with Armstrong especially prominent.
Just when Inter’s new-found obduracy seemed to halt Celtic momentum, Guidetti hooked home his first goal since November. Mancini, who managed the striker at Manchester City, afforded himself a rueful smile. Parity seemed perfectly appropriate.
