| Match Pictures | Matches: 2000 – 2001 | 2000-01 Pictures |
Trivia
- Going into the game both teams had a few injury problems. The immediate doubt for Celtic was Chris Sutton who picked up an ankle injury in training. For Bordeaux, Russian international Alexei Smertin looked likely to miss the game, as well as missing their Belgian playmaker Marc Wilmots and defender Bonnissel (Bonnissel would go on to have a short spell with Rangers in 2003). In Dugarry, Pauleta and Laslandes Bordeaux had a strong strike force but their domestic form had been indifferent. All in all this was set to be an excellent marker for Celtic to gauge the progress so far under Martin O’Neill against a very good French side under an excellent manager in Elie Baup.
- There may have been respect shown between the teams pre-match but there was little of that evident either during or after the game. During the pre-season Friendly between the two sides Battles had been sent off for two rash tackles.
- Away from Celtic, two ex-bhoys, Jorge Cadete and Pierre van Hooijdonk then both at Benfica, made the news when both were alleged to be owed money by Benfica. The Portugese club were experiencing severe financial difficulties and were said to be in a world of debt.
Review
A great game and a clear indicator of the massive progress the team had made since the previous year’s match against Lyon. After going behind to a Dugarry goal the Bhoys pulled themselves immediately back on level terms through a Larsson penalty and then gave as good as they got for the rest of the match with Mjallby and Valgaeren in particular having great games. Celtic finished the more confident side even though Pauleta and Dugarry hit the bar and, with an away goal in the bag, there was everything to play for in the second leg.
Teams
Bordeaux
Rame, Roche (Saveljic 80), Laslandes (Bugnet 90), Legwinski (Batlles 82), Grenet, Sommeil, Diabate, Basto, Pauleta, Dugarry, Feindouno.
Subs Not Used: Roux, Afanou, Alicarte, Jemmali.
Goals: Dugarry 23.
Booked: Diabate, Laslandes, Pauleta (Bordeaux)
Celtic
Gould, Boyd, McNamara, Valgaeren, Lambert, Petrov, Agathe, Petta (Healy 90), Moravcik, Mjallby, Larsson.
Subs Not Used: Kerr, Stubbs, Berkovic, Johnson, Riseth, Smith.
Goals: Larsson 25 pen.
Booked: Agathe, Moravcik, Lambert, Petrov. (Celtic)
Referee: Tom Henning Ovrebo (Norway).
Attendance: 21,318
Articles
Pictures
Stats
| Bordeaux | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 3 | 4 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 20 | 11 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 7 |
| Corners | 6 | 6 |
| Offside | 3 | 2 |
Celtic prove they are tough enough: Parkhead men hit back after going behind to grab vital away goal via the penalty spot
The Herald 27/10/2000
Ian Paul
BORDEAUX 1 CELTIC1.
IT was a hard night's work for Celtic in the splendid Stade Lecure but they rarely flinched and, against a team of some quality, gave as good a display as they have managed for some time in Europe. They collected the away goal they knew had to be scored and, although the UEFA Cup tie remains finely balanced, that penalty by Henrik Larsson might well prove invaluable in the end. It came at a crucial time, just three minutes after Bordeaux had taken the lead through the class act known as Christophe Dugarry, and meant that the onus was back on the home side to find the winner. Girondins, to their credit, came at Celtic in the second half with a will and a load of skill but, led by the magnificent Johan Mjallby, abetted by Joos Valgaeren, the Parkhead outfit refused to bend and saw it out to the end.
The 4000 Celtic supporters in the 21,318 crowd hardly took breath as they sang and chanted and cheered their team right through every exciting minute. It naturally became a bit nervy and sweaty in the dying minutes but that was inevitable and, in the end, it was Bordeaux who were the frustrated side as they have to head for Parkhead in a fortnight without the first-leg win they had believed would be theirs.
The game ended in controversy as Paul Lambert appeared to be struck by Pauleta as he accused the French player of diving for a penalty in the last minute. Both were shown yellow cards but the Bordeaux man could consider himself fortunate.
There had been very little rough stuff at all and, yet, as the whistle went, there was a little more arguing between one or two of the players which soon calmed down. Celtic were entitled to be pleased with their efforts – they have scored in every European tie this season – but no-one should imagine that this tie is set up for a comfortable victory at Parkhead. There is a tough road to travel yet.
There was almost a sensational start for Celtic but, at the same time, they had a fright. Inside the first minute, Lubomir Moravcik cleverly took a quick throw-in to Bobby Petta, who speedily moved forward and sent over a fine cross that was back-headed into the air by Roche, and Larsson was up ahead of the goalkeeper for the ball. However, although he met it and steered it just over the bar, the keeper collided with him and left him lying prone on the ground. It looked serious for a while but the Swede recovered and was soon back in the heart of the action.
That close thing at least signalled to the home side that Celtic fully in-tended to go for the goal or goals they felt were needed for the return leg. They were to prove that false in the electric three-minute period that began with disappointment in 21 minutes when Dugarry nipped in between Mjallby and Tommy Boyd to head a corner from Grenet into the net at the near post. That seemed to be a desperate blow for the Parkhead team but, within three minutes, they had cancelled that strike out. Bordeaux defender David Sommeil felled Larsson just inside the box, and though it looked questionable, the referee awarded a penalty kick. The Swede gratefully accepted the gift and slotted the ball past Rame. The French side were quite stunned by that reverse and so, too, were the local crowd, whose drumbeats were silenced, at least for a while.
Earlier, Bordeaux had claims for a penalty of their own when Pauleta insisted he was hampered by Mjallby as he turned inside the penalty area, but it looked a soft claim from the press box.
Boyd, a rare goalscorer, was genuinely unlucky when he hit a superb first-time effort after a Petta corner had been headed out to him just outside the 18-yard line. His shot looked a goal all the way but Rame made a brilliant save at his post to touch the ball for a corner.
Diabate was booked for a foul on Petta but, on the whole, it was a game full of movement and decent football, rather than the physical one that had been feared.
Moravcik, who was working hard on the left, sent through a terrific long ball to Larsson but, for once, the striker's control let him down and he knocked the ball too far ahead of him and into the keeper's hands. After the two-goal burst, Moravcik came close to adding a second for Celtic when he chased a marvellous pass from Mjallby but the keeper, although winning the race, allowed the ball to break off him and the Slovak tried a chip for goal which went outside the far post.
Then Gould had a good save from Feindouno, but it was the other goalkeeper, Rame, who had the save of the night when a superb cross from Agathe found Larsson, whose header was powerful and accurate, but the Frenchman somehow got a hand up to touch it over the bar.
Mjallby, who had been outstanding in the first half, kept up the good work with a wonderful interception inside his own penalty area as Dugarry prepared to meet and shoot from close range. Gould held on firmly to a decent header by Laslandes as Girondins tried to push the Parkhead team back into their own defensive zone. However, Celtic were still capable of the burst forward as they showed with a bit of Larsson skill which was followed by a hard-hit Agathe shot that Rame beat away for a corner.
Feindouno had loads of skill as he showed in another fine run after robbing Petta and eventually sending in a cross that, happily for Celtic, was too long to cause any damage. Larsson was in the wars again when he was hurt after a mini-assault on him by Laslandes, who was booked. The striker had to have treatment for a nose injury but was soon back on the field.
Agathe was then shown a yellow card after he foolishly brought down Dugarry just outside the penalty area. As that happened, Petta lay prostrate after going down in a challenge with Feindouno. The free kick was well struck by Laslandes, but Gould managed to get his hands to it and the ball bounced away for a corner. Celtic had defended well to date but the pressure grew even fiercer, although a Petta corner had the French defence in a bit of a mess to relieve the situation briefly.
The workrate of the Parkhead side was illustrated by Petta who had flighted in that corner but next minute there he was racing into his own area to send the ball for a corner as Dugarry came flying in. However, Celtic were very fortunate when a fine cross to the far post by Laslandes reached Pauleta whose header came off a post.
With just more than 10 minutes left, Bordeaux brought on Nisa Saveljic for Roche and soon after also replaced Legwinski with Battles as they went into an even higher gear as they searched for the winner. There were some hairy moments before the final whistle, especially a Dugarry header which hit a post. Moravcik was booked and so, too, was Petrov.
In the last minute, Pauleta went down as he was being chased by Boyd but the Norwegian referee was having none of it. However, Lambert was so furious with the French player that, as he remonstrated with him, Pauleta swung his hand at the Celtic man. Both were then booked and, as the game ended, there were further scuffles, although it died down quickly
- Manager Interview
Martin O’Neill post match:
"They put everything into the game.
"I felt that their goal came against the run of play but we got back into it quickly and that was important. I thought that Henrik in the first half was unbelievable and Didier Agathe was also fantastic.
"For Henrik to come back to France and play like this was tremendous. We never mentioned Lyon to him in case it brought back memories but he was inspired and they have been erased.
"The thing is, Henrik thinks he still has to regain sharpness but he was magnificent for us tonight."
"At 35, Moravcik is brilliant, and Tommy Boyd….it must have been touch and go if Tommy would come back after two operations on his back but I'm so pleased for him that he played so well.
"But everyone put in a great shift. Some people might have thought it was brave to go into the game with two wingbacks but it is the only way we can play and I think we will do that again in the home game.
"The tie is far from over because they are a quality side."
Elie Baup, Bordeaux manager:
"I wasn't happy with the referee. Celtic's penalty was never a penalty and he made numerous mistakes, some of them against Celtic, to be fair.
"Obviously they'll look at it again but for me the penalty had an influence upon the whole of the game."
"Pauleta's jersey was pulled by Boyd but there's nothing I can do about that now.
"I said before this game that the tie was 50-50 and would not be decided until the second leg at Parkhead. More than ever that is the case now. But our chances are still intact."
Bordeaux 1 Celtic 1 By Chris Roberts, PA Sport, Bordeaux
Martin O'Neill's men came of age in Bordeaux on Thursday night with a vintage display to earn a draw – and more importantly an away goal – in their tough UEFA Cup second-round first-leg clash at the Stade Lescure.
It could have been sour grapes for the Parkhead side with striker Chris Sutton ruled out before the game with an ankle injury and going behind to a Christophe Dugarry header.
But Celtic showed a lot of bottle to come fighting back with a mature performance and it was Henrik Larsson, who rose to the challenge again to stroke home a penalty to give them a great chance of progressing to the third round.
They could have made a dream start in the very first minute when Bobby Petta's cross was pushed out by goalkeeper Ulrich Rame, but only as far as Larsson, who headed just inches over the bar.
Celtic were clearly fired up to score an early away goal – spurred on by their boisterous travelling army.
Jackie McNamara should have done better in the eighth minute when Dugarry headed a Lubo Moravcik free-kick straight too him but he hit a tame effort which Rame saved comfortably on his line.
But the visitors had their hearts in their mouths in the 12th minute when they survived penalty claims from Bordeaux when Palileta went down under a challenge from Johan Mjallby.
Celtic's pressure, however, never relented and a minute later they almost took the lead when Petta won his side a free-kick out on the right.
The Dutchman's cross was headed out to Lambert outside the box but Francois Grenet was on the line to touch his effort past the post.
Petta should have done better moments later as he was in acres of space inside the box when Larsson's cross found him – but the Dutchman's header was tame and the Bordeaux defence cleared the danger.
But Celtic paid for the chances that went begging when they fell foul to a sucker-punch from Bordeaux in the 23rd minute.
Grenet won a corner off McNamara and his cross found Dugarry, who rose above everyone in the box to head emphatically home from just six yards.
But Celtic hit back almost immediately to grab a vital away goal from the penalty spot – and it was Larsson who again produced the composure when needed to help ease the loss of Sutton.
The Swede drew David Sommeil into bringing him down in the area and took the spot-kick himself, coolly sending Rame the wrong way to put his side back on level terms.
Celtic were continuing to slice the home defence open and they almost produced another goal in the 33rd minute.
Larsson tried to play the ball through to Moravcik and although Rame looked favourite to collect it he failed and the Slovakian lobbed just over the bar.
But world and European champion Dugarry was always going to a big threat and he almost headed his second goal three minutes later when he met Grenet's cross – but headed straight into the hands of Gould.
The goalkeepers were having a busy night and moments later it was Rame who produced some heroics to keep his side on level terms.
Agathe found Larsson in the centre and the Swede's header was destined for the back of the net – but the Bordeaux keeper produced a superb fingertip save to deny him.
Both teams came out all guns blazing after the break, but it was the home side who were feeling the pressure.
Grenet again found space down the right and he whipped the ball into the danger area for Lilian Laslandes to attack it, but the tall striker's header was gratefully received by Gould.
Celtic again charged down the other end of the pitch two minutes later when Larsson played Agathe into space on the right of the box and he hit a fierce right-foot shot which Rame did well to push past the post.
But Celtic goalkeeper Gould almost cost his side in the 64th minute with an embarrassing blunder.
Agathe gave away a free-kick in a dangerous position and picked up a booking after bringing down Dugarry outside the area. Gould got behind Laslandes' effort, but he made a hash and was relieved to see the ball go wide of the goal.
Celtic breathed another sigh of relief in the 75th minute when a mistake from Lambert almost gave away a goal.
The midfielder was dispossessed near the centre circle and Bordeaux attacked through Laslandes, who picked out Palileta at the far post – but fortunately for Celtic his header came back off the upright.
The home side laid siege to the Celtic goal in the final minutes and substitute Herve Bugnet headed Grenet's cross against the post as Celtic rode their luck.
However, the defence was not going to be breached and The Bhoys held on for a fantastic result to take back to Parkhead for the second leg in a fortnight.
Teams:
Bordeaux Rame, Roche (Saveljic 80), Laslandes (Bugnet 90), Legwinski (Batlles 82), Grenet, Sommeil, Diabate, Basto, Pauleta, Dugarry, Feindouno.
Subs Not Used: Roux, Afanou, Alicarte, Jemmali.
Booked: Diabate, Laslandes, Pauleta.
Goals: Dugarry 23.
Celtic Gould, Boyd, McNamara, Valgaeren, Lambert, Petrov, Agathe, Petta (Healy 90), Moravcik, Mjallby, Larsson.
Subs Not Used: Kerr, Stubbs, Berkovic, Johnson, Riseth, Smith.
Booked: Agathe, Lambert, Petrov.
Goals: Larsson 25 pen.
Att: 21,318
Ref: Tom Henning Ovrebo (Norway).