6th May 1970 – The Day Celtic Lost The Greatest Prize | OneFootball

55 years ago today, on 6 May 1970, a hugely significant Celtic moment took place. Despite this, it is one that is only occasionally discussed…

The event seems to occupy the same place in Celtic’s story as does the Korean War in world history. This lasted for years, involved troops from around the world and played a role in causing the Cold War. Yet it is seldom remembered, and has been referred to as the ‘Forgotten War’.

‘Celtic’s ‘Forgotten Final’

When it comes to Celtic’s history, the same might be said of the 1970 European Cup Final. Coming only three years after the Bhoys’ greatest day in Lisbon, this match in Milan might be styled as Celtic’s ‘Forgotten Final’.

This is the story of Celtic’s second European Cup Final, a tale of big wins, disappointments, complacency – and even a coin toss.

After success in Lisbon in 1967, the Bhoys enjoyed a mixed European record. In the following season, their hopes of defending their title fell at the first hurdle with defeat from Dynamo Kiev. This was the last time that the Lisbon Lions XI started a game together, and the only time they ever lost.

The next season showed improvement as the Bhoys got to the quarter-finals, although this time lost out to AC Milan. This particular campaign had started under unusual and political circumstances. Celtic had been drawn to face Hungarian champions Ferencvaros; club chairman Robert Kelly refused to do so in protest at the Soviet Union’s military action in Czechoslovakia, which forced UEFA to redo the draw.

By the start of the 1969-70 season, Celtic’s domestic record was one of total dominance. The Bhoys were already four-in-a-row League champions and within five years they would have celebrated nine successive titles.

They enjoyed similar domestic cup success. The Celts had won four consecutive League Cups, and their 1969 Scottish Cup win was part of the Bhoys’ second Treble-winning campaign.

These achievements continued in 1969-70. Celtic won their fifth successive League Cup, thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory over St Johnstone in October 1969. In fact, this was the second time in 1969 that the Bhoys had won the League Cup; a fire at Hampden Park in 1968 had forced the date of the previous season’s final to be moved.

Aberdeen 3-1 Celtic. Scottish Cup Final, 1970, 11 April 1970. The Scorcher’s front page.

Although the Bhoys were defeated in the 1970 Scottish Cup Final – losing 3-1 to Aberdeen in a very controversial match – they also claimed the Glasgow Cup, albeit that the final was not actually played until the start of the 1970-71 season.

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The European Cup 1969-70

The one competition that remained was the European Cup. Celtic’s continental campaign began in September 1969, and it involved a trip to Switzerland to face Basel.

This trip brought happy memories for the Hoops; Basel were the first team that Celtic beat in European football, with a 10-1 aggregate score in the Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1963.

Given this previous victory, Celtic were expected to have no problems in disposing of the Swiss side, although it did not prove as simple as expected. The first leg involved a packed stadium in Switzerland, with fans watching Celtic dominate but failing to score. In the end, it finished 0-0, but the Bhoys were confident of addressing this back in Glasgow.

Any nerves that the Celts might have had were very quickly dispelled. Within 65 seconds, Harry Hood put the home team ahead, and after this they had control of the game. However, they faced a Basel ‘keeper in inspired form and it took until the 65th minute for a Tommy Gemmell strike to seal victory.

Celtic were through to the next round. And this would prove to be a much more difficult encounter, with a very unusual ending to the tie.

Celtic 3 Benfica 0, European Cup, 12 November 1969. Celtic View feature on the game.

“Benfica were fed to the Lions!”

The Hoops were drawn to face Portuguese side Benfica. Although they were a top team, it looked at first as though Celtic would have no problems. The first leg – in November 1969 – was held in Glasgow’s east end. Quite simply, it was an outstanding Celtic performance, a real treat for the fans.

The near 75,000 supporters who crammed into Celtic Park cheered within two minutes as Tommy Gemmell continued his fine scoring record in Europe. 12 minutes later, Stevie Chalmers doubled the Bhoys lead, and a huge score looked to be in prospect.

Minutes later, John Hughes thought he had made it 3-0, although the goal was disallowed. Instead, Celtic had to wait until the 70th minute when Harry Hood made it three, and gave the Bhoys a massive lead to take to Portugal. One newspaper headline summed up Celtic’s dominance – and alluded to the club’s European history – by saying “Benfica were fed to the Lions!”

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Benfica v Celtic 1969, AT MAYS flight to Lisbon on Wednesday 26 November 1969. £33 return.

The toss of a coin in Lisbon, Celtic’s lucky place

Two weeks later and Celtic arrived back in Lisbon, scene of their most famous moment. This time however they were playing at the Estadio da Luz, Benfica’s home venue. With such a strong advantage from the first leg, Celtic expected to ease into the next round. It proved to be a false belief.

On 35 minutes, the great Eusebio gave the home team hope, and then a second goal was added just before the interval. With 45 minutes still to play, the Portuguese believed they now had the advantage. However, the second 45 minutes came and went without an equaliser. It seemed Celtic were through, but three minutes of injury time were added and Benfica scored with the final kick.

Extra-time was played but there was no further scoring. In those days, penalties were not used, and so instead the fate of the game came down to a coin toss! Billy McNeill twice correctly chose ‘Heads’ (the first time to be allowed to toss the coin, and the second to decide the winner). Celtic then marched on.

Celtic won but protested and as a result penalties were introduced by UEFA

Despite the club’s happiness at reaching the European Cup quarter-finals, the Bhoys were not pleased at how it happened. Celtic protested that football games should not be decided in this manner, and the following year, penalties were introduced to settle tied games. This would later cost the Celts in Europe; the Bhoys’ first penalty shootout saw them lose the European Cup semi-final to Inter Milan in 1972.

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Celtic 3-0 Fiorentina, 4 March 1970. Billy McNeill, Bertie Auld, Tommy Gemmell and Bobby Murdoch celebrate at full time. Photo The Celtic Wiki

In the 1970 quarter-finals, Celtic were once more drawn at home for the first leg. This time their opponents would be Italian side Fiorentina. The Serie A side desperately hoped to reach what would be their second European Cup Final; they offered the huge sum of £1500 per player to win this tie.

The home leg took place on 4 March 1970. Pre-match, their manager boasted that his side were technically better than Celtic. To say the least, this proved to be incorrect. Celtic dominated from the very start and within 30 minutes, Bertie Auld – the eventual man-of-the-match – gave the Hoops the lead. A Carpenetti own-goal at the start of the second half doubled this before Stevie Chalmers scored in the 89th minute.

Match ticket Fiorentina v Celtic, 1970

Job done in Florence

Once again, Celtic had a 3-0 first leg advantage. However, after the Benfica experience, Celtic were still wary when they travelled to Italy two weeks later. In this fixture, they proved they had learned their lessons. Despite trailing 1-0 at half-time, Celtic’s defence was much more assured in the second half. Although they lost 1-0, the Bhoys were through 3-1 on aggregate.

Tommy Callachan in Florence. Fiorentina 1-0 Celtic, European Cup quarter final, second leg. 18 March 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Interestingly, Celtic’s victory made them the first British team to beat an Italian team over two legs in European senior competition. Jock Stein suggested these previous lack of victories were down to terrible refereeing, and bemoaned the match official in the Fiorentina game. No matter, Celtic were in the semis.

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The Battle of Britain

This match proved to be a massive tie. Indeed, pre-match newspaper arrogance even assumed that whoever won the semi would be the automatic tournament winners. Celtic were pitched against Leeds United. Inevitably, this was styled as the Battle of Britain. The English media expected England’s top side to easily dispose of the Scots.

Celtic players walk out for the Leeds Utd v Celtic European Cup semi-final first leg on 1st April 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Both fixtures did prove to be Titanic battles. This time, Celtic were away in the first leg and so travelled to Elland Road on 1 April 1970. The Bhoys were in good spirits; three days beforehand, a 0-0 draw at Tynecastle had given them the point they needed to clinch their fifth successive title.

Thousands of Celts went south to England, cramming into the away and home ends. Despite English anticipation of victory, the home crowd was stunned when the Celts took the lead after only 40 seconds, with George Connelly knocking home the ball.

The remainder of the game – almost still the entire 90 minutes! – was an epic affair. Both sides pressed and could easily have scored at different times, but Celtic were clearly the superior team, a fact acknowledged afterwards even by Leeds captain Billy Bremner. And Jimmy Johnstone later said he thought this had been his finest European game in the Hoops.

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Celtic v Leeds United, European Cup semi-final 2nd leg, Hampden Park, 15 April 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The stage was set for a massive second leg at Hampden

The stage was set for a massive second leg, but it would not take place in Glasgow’s east end. Celtic had chosen to switch the match to Hampden Park as it would mean a bigger crowd could attend. In the end, there were 136,505 fans officially at the game, although it is believed thousands more gained entry. This remains the record crowd in a UEFA competition.

In a repeat of the first leg, it was the away side that opened the scoring. After 14 minutes, Bremner put his side on level terms. Any further goal from Leeds would give them an away goals advantage, so Celtic now walked a tightrope. By half-time, the sides still could not be separated, but within two minutes of the re-start, John Hughes made it 1-1 on the night.

Hughes had missed the 1967 final was desperate to play in such a match. His goal put Celtic on the way, and then four minutes later, Bobby Murdoch made it 2-1 to the Celtic, meaning 3-1 on aggregate. Despite chances at each end, there was no further scoring. Celtic had won this all-British battle, and were on their way to Italy for the European Cup Final.

Bertie Auld and Bobby Murdoch celebrate Celtic’s 2-1 win on the night, 3-1 on aggregate in the European Cup semi-final at Hampden Park against Leeds United on 15 April 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

In this game, their opponents would be the Dutch side Feyenoord. They had reached the final after beating KR Reykjavik, AC Milan, Vorwarts Berlin and then Legia Warsaw. Although teams from the Netherlands would go on to enjoy European Cup dominance, this had not yet started. So in a reverse of the 1967 experience, Celtic went into the final as heavy favourites.

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The big day arrived – 6 May 1970

By the time the big day arrived – on 6 May 1970 – the Scottish League season was finished. Celtic therefore warmed up for the match with some low-key friendlies, facing Stenhousemuir and Fraserburgh in a charity match. Neither of these would provide suitable preparation for the challenge which was to come.

Celtic supporters at 1970 European Cup Final against Feyenoord in the San Siro, Milan on 6 May 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Celtic – backed by huge numbers of fans – made the Italy trip. They hoped, and perhaps even expected, to return to Scotland victorious. But before the match even began, there were huge problems. Local strikes in Milan meant that the game was in serious jeopardy; this did not just threaten to stop the final, flights and hotels were in chaos too. In the end a compromise was reached and the fixture went ahead.

Tommy Gemmell opened the scoring

The game was played in the famous San Siro stadium. When it began, it quickly became evident that Celtic hopes of a comfortable 90 minutes were not to be; Feyenoord showed from the very start their willingness to attack and their technical proficiency. Despite this, it was the Celts that took the lead. On 29 minutes, Tommy Gemmell added to his Lisbon goal, this time giving his team the advantage.

Tommy Gemmell celebrates his goal at 1970 European Cup Final against Feyenoord in the San Siro, Milan on 6 May 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

This goal makes Gemmell part of a small and elite group of players to have scored in more than one European Cup or Champions League Final. He was also the first British player to do so, and since then both Phil Neal and Gareth Bale have repeated this feat.

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Any prospect that this goal would allow the Celts to consolidate their position were almost immediately dashed. Within two minutes, Rinus Israel of Feyenoord had headed home an equaliser, and the Dutch side continued to be relentless in their pursuit of another goal. Remarkably, this was the first time the Dutch side had scored away from the Netherlands during the entire campaign.

John Hughes came agonisingly close

In the remainder of the 90 minutes, both sides pressed at times, although the Dutchmen had the upper hand. Nevertheless, when full-time arrived, it remained 1-1. Extra time was needed; this almost saw Celtic take the lead but John Hughes could not convert a good chance.

1970 European Cup Final against Feyenoord in the San Siro, Milan on 6 May 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

As the minutes ran down, Celtic struggled to keep their opponents at bay. With little time remaining, there was hope that the match would finish a draw, necessitating a replay later in the week. Had this happened, it was believed Celtic would have approached the game with a much better and effective attitude.

But then, these hopes came to an end. With only four minutes to play, Billy McNeill handled the ball in the box. Before a penalty could be awarded, Feyenoord’s Swedish forward Kindvall knocked home to put his side in front.

Just like in Lisbon, the scoreline read 2-1, and once more, it was the underdogs who were leading. Celtic did not have the energy to overcome this; dreams of a second European Cup came to a crashing conclusion. The simple reality was that Celtic underestimated a very talented Dutch team.

Interestingly, in later years, many players voiced these opinions. It was suggested by many of the squad that Jock Stein – the 1967 mastermind – had been responsible, failing to appreciate how capable that Feyenoord were, or the danger they posed. Although he may not have publicly stated this, the manager did blame himself for that day’s failure.

“The serpent of complacency had entered Paradise.”

The iconic Celtic history book, ‘The glory and the dream’ by Tom Campbell and Pat Woods sums the situation up when it says “The serpent of complacency had entered Paradise.” Celtic had gone to Lisbon without being given a chance and fought for glory. But in Milan, an expectation of victory meant the reverse had happened, and Dutch teams went on to win four consecutive European Cups.

IMAGO / ANP ROTTERDAM – Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers and Joe Hart look at a photo of Wim Jansen. Jansen has also been Celtic s coach. During a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz in De Kuip, Scottish Celtic FC looks ahead to the first match in the group stage of the Champions League against Feyenoord. ANP OLAF KRAAK – VI ANP Sport

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Decades later, there was one significant reason to recall this final. In 1997, Wim Jansen was appointed to be Celtic’s manager. He was one of Feyenoord’s heroes in that 1970 match. The Celtic fans were certainly willing to forget his earlier impact when he led the Bhoys to the title in 1998, doing so for the first time in a decade, and stopping Rangers’ pursuit of ten-in-a-row.

After the final, Celtic went on a tour of the USA and Canada, facing notable sides such as Manchester United, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bari. However, nothing could shake the disappointment that remained from the match in Milan. This proved to be the start of the dismantling of this squad, and the Lisbon Lions. Within two years, seven of the 1967 XI had moved on.

It was time to build a new set of Celtic heroes

It was time to build a new set of Celtic heroes. The Bhoys would go on to reach two more European Cup semi-finals, losing out on penalties to Inter Milan in 1972 and then in a controversial and violent game against Atletico Madrid in 1974. However, since 1970, Celtic have not reached the European Cup Final (or Champions League) although did get to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003.

Henrik Larsson scores for Celtic in Seville. Photo Celtic FC

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All of this means that Celtic have played three European finals in their history. Understandably, Lisbon remains the main focus of the club’s attention – a look at the Celtic Park statues and names of stands is obvious evidence. The 2003 Seville run is also a fond memory in the minds of the fans, and often referred to, especially when celebrating heroes of the time such as Henrik Larsson.

Celtic fans in Milan in 1970 for the European Cup Final on 6 May, against Dutch side Feyenoord.

However, the 1970 European Cup Final generally has none of this. Given that the Bhoys did not win, and given its closeness to 1967, this is perhaps to be expected. However, Celtic are one of a small number of clubs to have reached two European Cup or Champions League Finals, and it deserves more of a place within Celtic folklore.

To have lost was obviously disappointing, but in the fullness of Celtic history, remembering all achievements and events is important. The club song includes the line that “we don’t care if we win, lose or draw”; such a sentiment is never more apt than when thinking of Celtic and the 1970 European Cup Final.

Matthew Marr

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1970 European Cup quotes

‘It will stick in my mind forever that after the game the Celtic players were extremely good sportsmen and, together with their supporters, they gave us a standing ovation when we were receiving the cup.’  Eddy Pieters Graafland, goalkeeper for Feyenoord in the 1970 final.

“That defeat in 1970 took a lot out of the club and took a lot out of the self-belief and everything else. We never quite got back to that level again.”  Billy McNeill on losing the European Cup Final in 1970, speaking in 1998.

Celtic dejection after the 1970 European Cup Final against Feyenoord in the San Siro, Milan on 6 May 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki

‘I hit the ball against the goalkeeper. It was just one of those things but I reckon when I did that, that was me finished at Celtic. Jock Stein was like that: he tended to blame you for things. Within a year I had left the club.’ John Hughes on missing a goal-scoring oppurtunity in extra-time of the 1970 European Cup Final with the score at 1-1.

“I remember how upset we were. What a chance we’d blown to win it a second time in just three years. We went into that Final as favourites. We even scored first, although Feyenoord equalised shortly afterwards. Then the match went into extra time and they scored again near the end. We were only two minutes away from forcing a replay and, had we got one, I’m sure Big Jock as well as all the players would have been right up for it. But we just didn’t play well enough. Some people reckoned we were overconfident after beating Leeds United in the semi-final. I never understood that. When you get to the Final of the European Cup, there’s no room for complacency. Credit to Feyenoord – they turned out to be better than we’d expected.” Bobby Lennox

“Feyenoord are a first class team in every way. We didn’t spot a single weakness.” Sean Fallon (27 April 1970)

Matthew Marr

If you want to learn more about Celtic history, follow Hail Hail History on Twitter/X. You can also take part in a FREE Celtic history walking tour. Visit celticwalkingtours.wordpress.com for more information.

Click on cover to order a hardback copy

Matthew’s debut Celtic book titled ‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ was published by Celtic Star Books last year and is available to order HERE. This brilliant book is also available on Amazon Kindle for just £3.49 and includes all photo sections that appear in the hardback edition.

Matthew Marr with his debut Celtic book, Glory to their name, which tells the story of Celtic’s first ever title win. Photo The Celtic Star

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books.

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