Celtic’s positive record against Portuguese opposition | OneFootball

Tonight, Celtic host Portuguese side SC Braga in the Europa League. This is the latest in a series of competitive matches involving the Bhoys and teams from Portugal. As part of this, there have been numerous historic and memorable moments – including a famous coin toss!

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Celtic’s first competitive game with a Portuguese team proved to be a very controversial affair. In the 1964-65 Fairs Cup, Celtic beat Leixoes 4-1 on aggregate. The away leg ended in a 1-1 draw, a positive result given that Stevie Chalmers and Ian Young had been sent off – and some Celts claimed of being bitten by their opponents.

The Glasgow leg was equally eventful. The Bhoys claimed a 3-1 win, but had to play for ten men for half of the game owing to an injury to Charlie Gallacher. In addition, a Celtic penalty was delayed for four minutes due to Portuguese protests. And on top of all of this, manager Jimmy McGrory fell down a flight of stairs and missed the second half!

The next time Celtic played a team from Portugal was 1969-70. This was a massive season for the Celts, one that would see them reach their second European Cup Final.

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En route to this, the Bhoys hammered Benfica 3-0 in Glasgow and seemed to be already be through, before losing by the same scoreline in Portgual. Eventually, it took Billy McNeill correctly guessing the coin toss to get through.

This was not a situation that even pleased Celtic, and they complained to UEFA that important games should not be decided on the toss of a coin. The following season, penalty kicks were introduced, and continue to be the main way of separating teams who are otherwise tied. Perhaps it might have been better if Celtic had tossed a coin against Kairat!

Dixie Deans scores for Celtic against Boavista at Celtic Park on 5 November 1975. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Later in the 1970s, another Portuguese team played Celtic, and also created a little piece of club history. In 1975-76, Celtic faced Boavista in the Cup-Winners’ Cup. Overall , it was a simple enough tie with the Bhoys winning 3-1 in Glasgow, after a 0-0 draw in Portugal. The Celtic Park game was memorable: it was the first time the Bhoys wore numbers on their hooped shirts.

Tommy Burns scores for Celtic against Sporting Lisbon at Celtic Park as Celtic overcome a 2-0 deficit with a stunning 5-0 victory on 2nd November 1983. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The following decade came one of Celtic’s most celebrated European games. In 1983-84, Sporting CP came to Glasgow and were hammered 5-0 in the UEFA Cup. It was a truly stunning performance that had fans dreaming of another European trophy. Despite a 2-0 loss in Portugal, Celtic marched on to the next round but lost to Nottingham Forest.

Celtic’s next three Portuguese games brought mixed results. In November 1993, Sporting got their revenge by knocking the Bhoys out the UEFA Cup with a 2-1 aggregate win. Their team included future Celt Jorge Cadete. In 1998-99, it was the Celts’ turn to celebrate in the UEFA Cup as the Bhoys knocked out Vitória de Guimarães.

Celtic’s first Champions League experience came in 2001-02, with a trip to Portgual included in this. The Bhoys performed well in their maiden season, winning all of the home games, including beat Porto. However, unfortunately the Celts lost all the away games too.

PORTO – APRIL 24: Henrik Larsson of Celtic celebrates scoring during the the UEFA Cup Semi-Final between Boavista FC and Glasgow Celtic held on April 24, 2003 at the Bessa Stadium in Porto, Portugal. Celtic won the match 1-0. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Porto and Portugal would again feature in the Celtic story within two years. In 2002-03, Celtic’s European season started badly when they were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Basel. This took them into the UEFA Cup where they would eventually reach the final. A late Henrik Larsson winner in Boavista took Celtic to Seville where they lost to Jose Mourinho’s Porto.

Since the 2003 final, there’s been a consistent‘B’ theme to Celtic’s experience with Portuguese teams. The Bhoys have three times played Benfica (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2012-13), each time doing so in the Champions League. Celtic were undefeated in Glasgow but lost all three away ties.

Celtic v Sporting Braga, 2010. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Tonight will not be the first time that Celtic have faced Braga. The Bhoys took on the team from Portugal’s north-west in a Champions League qualifier in 2010. Despite a 2-1 win in Glasgow, Celtic went out 4-2 on aggregate.

Stevie Chalmers scores the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final. Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1. Lisbon 25 May 1967.

In total, Celtic have played 25 competitive games v Portuguese teams. Overall, the Bhoys’ record is positive; there have been 12 wins, 4 draws and 9 defeats. As a sign of hope for this evening’s game, the home record is even better with 9 wins, 3 draws and no defeats.

Tonight, any win would do to boost Celtic’s European hopes for the season. C’mon Celts!

Matthew Marr