Brown back on his feet after going toe-to-toe...
YOU wonder how many times Scott Brown replayed the episode in his mind. Like a particularly gruesome bit of an internal horror movie stuck helplessly on repeat.
The corner comes in. Brown realises he is caught underneath it as his direct opponent drifts into space. An inexplicable instinct sees his left hand shoot upwards, clearly handling the ball. CFR Cluj score from the penalty spot and Parkhead is plunged back into doubt.
It wasn’t actually the decisive moment that sealed Celtic’s Champions League fate. That would come later. But it was symbolic of a night of self-inflicted lacerations as Neil Lennon’s side lost their grip on a game they should held secure. The reverberations from that 4-3 defeat took a long time to subside.
Some of them were still echoing inside Brown as kick-off approached last night. Celtic’s normally steadfast captain didn’t hide from his share of the blame for what happened that night. This reunion, he openly admitted, had an additional slice of significance.
Whether you call it revenge or redemption, the opportunity to right a wrong was personally present for the longest-serving player at Parkhead.
Consider it grasped. Disciplined in the face of provocation, efficient in his passing and with just a dash of swagger, Brown was a foundation figure in Celtic attaining a result that sent them to the top of Europa League Group E.
Little more could have been asked. His control and experience were vital in determining the direction of this 90 minutes. Being named man of the match confirmed public approval for his efforts.
Brown’s display met a demand laid down by the Green Brigade in their display as the teams emerged. Beside an image of
Muhammad Ali felling Joe Frazier, the banner carried a quote from the great boxing philosopher.
‘There ain’t nothing wrong with going down,’ it read. ‘It’s staying down that’s wrong.’ Celtic’s skipper is now back on his feet.
Brown against Damjan Djokovic was the heavyweight contest as far as this game was concerned. The 34-year-old had been through a pair of epic battles with his opposite No8 over the two legs of the Champions League qualifier. Djokovic, a Croat who holds a Dutch passport, went toe-to-toe and gave as good as he got.
Brown (below) had to ensure he established dominance this time to give Celtic the right platform for progression. As soon as the bell sounded, he was the one delivering the blows.
A sliding challenge robbed Djokovic of possession before he foxed him in a more artistic manner. Pirouetting away from his opponent’s attempt to shut down space, Brown drew a roar of approval from the crowd. There was even a charge and shot just wide as Djokovic toiled.
A naughty elbow was thrown in to try and disrupt his influence. Had it been seen by German referee Daniel Siebert or his assistants, Djokovic could well have been sent off. Brown remained calm.
The ex-Hibs man was involved at the very base of the move that led to the 20th-minute breakthrough. Here, however, the honours must go to Callum McGregor’s delightfully weighted pass and the dinked cross with which Boli Bolingoli set up Odsonne Edouard’s headed finish.
It was a construction oozing with irony. Shifting McGregor to leftback and leaving Bolingoli on the bench was the pointiest stick used by critics to poke Lennon following the Champions League collapse. In correct positions, they combined to create a different outcome. Brown gestured to his teammates for more as Parkhead chanted Edouard’s name. Resting on a single-goal lead was unthinkable given all that painful recent history. Greater safety was needed. It arrived through Mohammed Elyounoussi’s goal in the 59th minute. From that point, Cluj were done. A different movie would have played in Brown’s mind. A more familiar one with a happy ending. Another Celtic win with him at its heart.