FROM THE ROCK TO THE ETIHAD...
Celtic’s 2016 Champions League odyssey
LINCOLN RED IMPS 1 CELTIC 0 July 12, 2016
Lee Casciaro’s second-half goal secured a famous victory for the part-timers of Gibraltar. Former Parkhead striker Frank McGarvey did not hold back, raging: ‘It is the worst result in the history of Celtic Football Club, bar none.’
CELTIC 3 LINCOLN RED IMPS 0 July 20, 2016
First-half goals from Mikael Lustig, Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts ensured the first leg in Gibraltar was downgraded from humiliation to merely embarrassment as Celtic secured a trip to Kazakhstan.
FC ASTANA 1 CELTIC 1 July 27, 2016
Yuri Logvinenko headed the hosts into a 19th-minute lead and Celtic flew by the seat of their pants in Astana. But Griffiths curled Celtic’s first shot on target after 78 minutes to silence the home fans.
CELTIC 2 FC ASTANA 1 August 3, 2016
Griffiths scored from the spot but Agim Ibraimi’s 40-yard lob earned the Kazakhstani side the away goal they needed to draw level 2-2 on aggregate. But Moussa Dembele scored his first goal for Celtic with a 90th-minute penalty to clinch a place in the play-off round.
CELTIC 5 HAPOEL BE’ER SHEVA 2 August 17, 2016
Celtic raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to Tom Rogic and a double from Griffiths. But then Lucio Maranhao and Maor Melikson netted for the Israeli side. Dembele headed in a fourth and Scott Brown hammered in a fifth to give Celtic an unassailable lead. Or did it?
HAPOEL BE’ER SHEVA 2 CELTIC 0 August 23, 2016
Celtic get an almighty fright in Israel but manage to stagger into the group stages. Craig Gordon saved a penalty but the home side went 2-0 up to threaten an upset. However, Celtic grimly held on to reach the group stage.
GROUP STAGE: BARCELONA 7 CELTIC 0 September 13, 2016
Celtic’s return to the elite saw them fall to their biggest ever European defeat. Dembele missed a penalty at 0-0 then a hat-trick from Lionel Messi was supplemented by goals from Andres Iniesta, Neymar and two from Luis Suarez.
CELTIC 3 MANCHESTER CITY 3 September 28, 2016
Celtic impressed the watching world and took the lead three times via a goal from Dembele, a Raheem Sterling own goal and Dembele’s second, only for Fernandinho, Sterling and Nolito to secure a point apiece.
CELTIC 0 BORUSSIA M’GLADBACH 2 October 19, 2016
After the highs against City, Celtic were poor against an impressive Borussia Monchengladbach. Lars Stindl and Andre Hahn secured a sobering win for the Bundesliga side.
BORUSSIA M’GLADBACH 1 CELTIC 1 November 1, 2016
Stindl opened the scoring but Celtic were handed a lifeline when Julian Korb was sent off and conceded a penalty for a foul on Dembele. Dembele netted then Callum McGregor squandered a great chance to win all three points.
CELTIC 0 BARCELONA 2 November 23, 2016
The impossibly gifted Messi haunted Celtic again with a deadly double at Parkhead, the second from the spot. Celtic were now guaranteed to finish bottom.
MANCHESTER CITY 1 CELTIC 1 December 6, 2016
Celtic bowed out with a flourish by securing a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Roberts gave the visitors an early lead before Kelechi Iheanacho levelled.