Beating PSG in Paris would be even bigger than the night Faddy flattened the French
THE last time Scott Brown graced the Parc des Princes, he contributed to a Scotland victory that sent a shockwave reverberating through the world of football.
Even that extraordinary outcome might, however, seem like a minor tremor on the Richter scale compared with a repeat tomorrow evening. Brown readily admits a positive result for Celtic against Paris Saint-Germain would surpass the night James McFadden humbled France.
Few could realistically argue with that assessment. Not if they witnessed Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe inflict a 5-0 mauling at Parkhead in September.
Confronting the ultra-wealth of PSG is currently one of the most daunting sporting assignments on the planet. It is the reason why bookmakers rate Brendan Rodgers’ men as 25/ 1 shots f or their Champions League rematch.
Brown, though, can at least reflect upon happy memories of the venue. When he steps inside, it will be with the knowledge that even immense odds can be defied.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 was the date for a Euro 2008 qualifier in front of an expectant Paris crowd. Having already lost 1-0 at Hampden to the Scots, the demand for French revenge was palpable.
Instead, an exceptional defensive effort — and the goalkeeping brilliance of Craig Gordon — provided t he pl atf orm f or McFadden to write his name in Tartan Army folklore.
‘I ran about silly for 90 minutes, got three touches of the ball, defended really well and Faddy scored an unbelievable goal,’ laughed Brown in summation.
‘ Craig Gordon told me he assisted it, but that about sums up the night. France were the best team in the world at the time and we went over as underdogs and defended for our lives.
‘We created a couple of chances, nothing major, and Faddy scored that goal from about 40 yards out.
‘Everyone was telling him to control the ball and keep it but somehow he managed to put it in the back of the net — and it will go down as one of the best nights in my Scotland career.
‘ It’s up there with the best results of my career overall because we were playing against top quality players. We had two right-backs in me and Alan Hutton! Nobody went forward and we were up against Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.
‘ We took a man each and defended and hoped they wouldn’t get past us. We did a good enough job to get away with that 1-0 and Craig Gordon was brilliant again in goals.
‘But, listen, it’s not all about miracles. It’s about playing hard and playing smart as well and we’ll have to do that again.
‘A win on Wednesday would be a bigger achievement than the victory with Scotland because of the money PSG have spent. They want to win the Champions League.
‘They look like the team to beat, so if we go over there and get any sort of result it will be fantastic for us.’
The facts underli ne t he monumental scale of the task. PSG have scored 17 goals across four Group B games but have yet to concede one. As well as boasting the world’s most expensive forward line, their midfield trio of Adrien Rabiot, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti created a flawless supply chain in Glasgow. Celtic almost looked awestruck over the course of the first half in which they conceded three times.
Greater aggression was shown in the second period. And Brown is adamant that is how Celtic must start this time. No one in their ranks wants a damaging margin of defeat to drain momentum ahead of Sunday’s Betfred Cup final against Motherwell at Hampden.
‘It’s the hardest game in the world right now and then we go straight into a cup final and then play the f ollowing midweek against Motherwell again — well done the SPFL for that,’ added a deadpan Brown.
‘The cup final can’t be in our minds. We need to concentrate and not get sloppy because everyone is playing for Hampden places.
‘We understand it’s going to be hard in Paris but we know we have to try and express ourselves as well and you’ve got to be brave.
‘We need to demand the ball from our team-mates and try to play a bit as well. Their pace stood out at Parkhead and when they attacked they did it with six or seven bodies.
‘They were willing to leave one v ones at the back and two v twos, so that showed their belief in each other.
‘ We need to be a bit more aggressive and get closer to them. Their midfielders dropped deep to get on the ball and went in areas you don’t want to go into as a midfielder.
‘They create space for the front three and the movement of the front three was phenomenal. You’ve got to get that bit of luck. And as well as defending well, if we get a chance we need to take it.
‘We’ve got to believe in ourselves. This is the fittest Celtic team I’ve played in and we’ve got to press them high and try to force them into a couple of mistakes.
‘They’re on a couple of hundred grand a week and they will make some great passes at times. That’s when we need to dig deep.’
Brendan Rodgers has remained adamant Celtic will not seek to simply park the bus on his watch. The enterprising way t hey performed in a narrow 2-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich offered some evidence of a growing belief.
‘He puts demands on the front three or front four to express themselves high up the park, or go and take somebody on one-on-one,’ said Brown of his manager.
SCOTT BROWN yesterday officially opened a new football facility in Cardenden, Fife, which has been established in memory of Celtic great John Thomson.