| Match Pictures | Matches: 1999 – 2000 | 1999-2000 Pictures |
Trivia
- Tosh McKinlay was released from contract and joined Grasshoppers Zurich, then managed by Roy Hodgson, on a short term contract.
- Prior to the game in Lyon their manager, Bernard Lacombe, indulged in some kidology with the press saying that his side would have to win 4-0 at home to take any kind of advantage to Celtic Park to overcome the presence of what would likely be a sell-out Celtic crowd and atmosphere.
- Horror leg break for Larsson after which he was out till the end of the season. It turned things round badly for Barnes and in retrospect can be seen as the major moment that began his downfall.
- Following comments in the Mirror on his autobiography, alleging he had said that West Ham were racist, Berkovic was seeking the help of m’learned friends.
- Celtic flew in to stay at the Hilton in Lyon where Lubo Moravcik conducted the pre-match interviews in French with the media.
- Berkovic was out with a thigh strain. Wieghorst, Petta and Brattbakk were added to the travelling squad
Review
The worst possible thing that could ever have happened to the club. Larsson’s leg break would keep him out to the very last game of the season, and began the fast decline of John Barnes as the Celtic manager (as well as Celtic’s season).
Teams
Lyon:
Coupet, Carteron, Laigle, Bak (Malbranque 53), Violeau, Anderson, Dhorasoo, Vairelles (Caveglia 73), Blanc, Delmotte,Brechet.
Non Used Subs: Devaux, Govou, Linares, Uras, Hugues.
Goals: Blanc 61.
Bookings: Carteron (Lyon)
Celtic:
Gould, McNamara, Stubbs, Tebily, Riseth, Burley, Lambert, Mjallby, Larsson (Burchill 19), Moravcik (Petta 65), Viduka.
Non Used Subs: Kharine, Blinker, Wieghorst, Brattbakk, Petrov.
Bookings: Moravcik, Burley, Burchill
Ref: R Temmink (Holland).
Attendance: 37,500
Articles
- Match Report(see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Olympique Lyonnais | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 1 | 3 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | ||
| Shots on Target | 2 | 1 |
| Corners | 5 | 1 |
| Offside | 2 | 2 |
Articles
Larsson’s shattering blow;Celtic hold Lyon to one-goal victory but injury to top striker overshadows their efforts
The Herald 22/10/1999
Ian Paul
Lyon ……..1 Celtic ……….0
CELTIC kept themselves very much in contention for a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, but at a dreadful cost, a horrific leg break that will put Henrik Larsson out of the side for the rest of the season.
The Swedish striker, who has had his best start to a season since joining Celtic, appeared to catch his studs in the turf as he raced back to tackle Lyon’s Serge Blanc and went down in great pain.
The leg break was very ugly and meant his being strapped up and taken to hospital. The incident, after just 11 minutes, shook the Parkhead bench, but the team rallied well and did more than just hold out . . . they could have gone ahead before Blanc hit the Lyon goal in 63 minutes.
Mark Burchill, who replaced Larsson, had a couple of fine chances, one when he was booked for allegedly diving in the box, and another in the second half.
However, overall Celtic out in a very commendable show against a team among the best in France, and the much maligned Olivier Tebily had a superb game in the heart of the defence in front of his countrymen. He did have the occasional bizarre moment but was immense when it counted.
He was greatly assisted by Paul Lambert, the captain, who kept the playmaker of Olympique, Vikash Dhorasoo, in control, apart from one pass from the Frenchman which set up the goal.
Now Celtic have to tackle a tough second leg because this French team will be highly dangerous on the break at Parkhead in two weeks.
However, much worse than that is the fact that they will be without their top striker and No.1 player, Larsson.
It was a brave show by Celtic in front of 42,000, about 4000 of whom were in green and white, but the sickening injury to the Swede made it a depressing journey home.
Larsson at first was expected to stay overnight in a hospital but he was later released and joined the squad for the flight back home. He will book into a Glasgow hospital and is expected to undergo surgery.
There was immense sympathy for him from the French players as well as his own team-mates.
The man involved in the incident, Blanc said: “Any footballer breaks his heart when he sees that happen to a player. “I think we made contact but I am sure it didn’t merit that injury. I have seen an open broken leg before and I had to turn away when I saw what had happened to him.”
The Lyon manager, Bernard Lacombe, was equally solicitous. “I knew it was a bad injury immediately and I feel very, very sorry for the player.
“I wish him as a speedy recovery as possible. It is a real shame but it wasn’t a foul or a tackle that it caused it.”
Celtic manager John Barnes said that the injury had: “put a massive damper” on the night.
“Whether we had lost 2-0 or won 2-0 it wouldn’t have mattered. What is important is that Henrik gets back to health, and that’s all I am focusing on at moment.
“You could tell right away that it was serious because of the reaction of players close to him.
“Henrik chased the full back as he always does, but I don’t know if he got in a tackle.
“We didn’t tell the players until after the game how serious it was.”
Paul Lambert said “It’s a shocker for Henrik. I saw his leg and it was not a very nice sight.
“It is such a tragedy for him. He has been a wonderful player all the time I’ve been here, but it’s a terrible thing for any player to have such an injury.
“We just want to see him back as soon as possible.
Mark Burchill said that while he has been pushing for a place in the team, this was not the way he would have wished it.
“Henrik is a great player and I can’t believe what happened to him. It’s a tremendous blow to lose someone as good as him. Nobody wants to see that.
“I hope we can keep doing the business while he’s out.”
The penalty controversy – when Burchill was booked for “diving” after being impeded by the French goalkeeper was straightforward as far as the young striker was concerned: “It was definitely a penalty,” he said.
” I was through on goal and had gone around him. All I had to do was hit the ball into the net. Why would I go down at that point?
“I couldn’t believe it when the referee booked me.”
Barnes himself said that he could not be sure from his position about the incident but added: “TV seems to show that it was a penalty.”
Lambert was also puzzled. “I don’t know why Mark was booked. I thought the goalkeeper made contact and I can’t see why Mark would go down when he was through on goal. However, it’s the referee’s decision.”
All of them, Barnes, Burchill, and Lambert felt that the tie was still there to be won.
Said the manager: “It will be a very hard, tough game because they will be dangerous on the counter attack, but we will be able to attack more ourselves and, hopefully, we will be able to score goals.”
The injury to Larsson came at a point when Celtic were coping well enough with the attacking flair of the French side and, in fact, they had created the best chance up till then when the Swede and Craig Burley worked a clever 1-2 which left the Scot with a clear shot at goal. He made a bit of a mess of the effort, however, sending it way over the bar. There was an early indication of Sonny Anderson’s confidence and skill when he brilliantly back flicked the ball towards goal but was off target. Even so, Celtic might have worried them if the Dutch referee had not judged that Mark Viduka had fouled Jerimie Bechet when he tamed a long ball from defender Olivier Tebily.
The Australian had made space for a clear run on goal and the decision seemed harsh.
Almost immediately after he had replaced Larsson, Burchill had a good run through in the left, but hit his shot into the side net.
Lubo Moravcik, who was jeered regularly by the home fans, had his name taken for a foul on Blanc, and then Burley was shown the yellow card after he brought down Christophe Delmotte.
However, the booking that cause real controversy was that of Burchill, who was accused of diving by the referee when he had been sent clean through on a pass from Viduka.
Burchill touched the ball past the outrushing keeper, who did seem to catch him as he dived late.
None the less, it illustrated that Celtic were very much an attacking threat, and after Patrice Carteron was booked for a foul on Moravcik.
The Slovakian brought out a great diving save from Gregory Coupet after Lambert touched a free kick to him.
Olympique retaliated with an effort by Bechet, but it was well off target, as was a wild try by Anderson a little later.
Considering the loss of Larsson, the 0-0 scoreline at the interval was really pretty satisfactory for Celtic.
The Glasgow team continued in good form at the start of the second half when they were able to make ground upfield at least as often as the French side.
They had one splendidly struck long- free kick from Lambert which Alan Stubbs reached with his head and played across goal, where it needed a frantic clearance to prevent a score.
However, they really ought to have taken the lead in 55 minutes when some persistence of Viduka paid off with a pass to Burchill, who was clear on goal but shot outside a post when a goal looked odds-on.
Lyon put on Malbranque for Bak and tried to step up the pressure, but whenever Celtic got out of their own zone, Viduka was a constant danger, causing the French defenders problems with his strength and determination.
Vidar Riseth had Celtic hearts in their mouths when he tackled Anderson from behind in the box, but the referee correctly judged that he had played the ball away.
McNamara had to come to the rescue when Bechet and Anderson worked a clever move in the penalty area, but no-one was able to save the day in 63 minutes when Lyon went in front.
Dhorasoo, for once, eluded his marker, Lambert, and pushed a fine pass into the path of Blanc, who hit a fine left-foot drive high into the net.
Celtic then took off Moravcik and replaced him with Bobby Petta, who had a chance right away but fluffed his shot.
Buoyed by that goal, Lyon came forward in rushes as for the first time Celtic began to look in difficulties.
Shattered leg puts Larsson out for rest of season
The Herald 22/10/1999
Celtic star’s agony
CELTIC star Henrik Larsson last night suffered a horrendous broken leg in the opening minutes of his side’s UEFA Cup match in Lyon.
The Swedish international was carried from the field in agony on a stretcher. The injury is so serious that Celtic have said Larsson will be out for the rest of the season.
The striker, who has had his best start to a season since joining Celtic, appeared to catch his studs in the turf as he raced to tackle Lyon’s Serge Blanc in the 12th minute.
He crumpled to the ground in agony.
The sheer horror on the faces of his team-mates was a clear indication of how badly his leg had been snapped. There was a silence on the pitch for some minutes, with players on both sides clearly upset.
Television pictures of Larsson’s injury confirmed that the player had suffered a horrific injury. The incident brought to mind the career-ending injury sustained by Coventry defender David Busst in April 1996.
Larsson was a bargain buy for Celtic two years ago, costing £600,000 from Feyenoord. His hat-trick in Saturday’s 7-0 win over Aberdeen saw him pass 50 league goals for Celtic and he was also on the score sheet in Sweden’s recent 2-0 victory over Poland in the Euro 2000 qualifiers.
Larsson has scored 13 goals this season, making him the country’s highest scorer.
In April, he signed a four-year contract with Celtic.
- Manager Interview
John Barnes post match:
“You could tell straight away that it was serious and it has put a massive dampener on the night.
“Not just because it is Henrik and he is an important player for us, but because this kind of thing has happened to any player.
“We lost the game 1-0 but even if we had won 1-0 or 2-0, it would still have put a huge dampener on it.
“Henrik just chased the full- back, as he does, and I don’t know if his studs caught on the turf but the players’ reaction told me it was serious.
“Everyone is concerned for him. His welfare and well being are the most important things right now.”
“We are still very much in it and we will attack them more at Celtic Park.
“We had chances tonight and Mark was very disappointed to be booked for diving.
“If you are us, you are looking for a penalty and a red card in that situation. If you are them, you are looking for a booking for diving.
“Mark has apologised to us for going round their keeper, getting kicked, falling to the ground and getting booked.”
Serge Blanc:
“It was an accident. There was a little contact between us but nothing that should have caused that kind of injury.
“I feel very bad because I saw that his leg was open. I saw it and I had to turn away.
“When you see an injury like that it breaks your heart.”
Bernard Lacombe, Lyon Manager:
“It’s a real shame to lose a player like that.
“He will have a hard time now but I hope he comes back. I want to send Henrik my best wishes.”
Mark Burchill:
“It was definitely a penalty. No doubt.
“I was round the keeper, so why would I dive? I was just about to kick it into the net.
“I couldn’t believe the decision. I was past him, he brought me down, yet I got booked.”