LISBON LEGENDS

IT was a night to remember for Celtic fans – and it r ema i n s a g l o r i o u s highlight in the club’s rich history. The team – forever immortalised in Glasgow sporting history as the Lisbon Lions – beat Inter Milan 2- 1 to lift the European Cup on May 25, 1967.

( All but one member of the 15- man squad – Bobby Lennox, who was born 30 miles away in Saltcoats – were born within 10 miles of Celtic Park.)

Manager Jock Stein and his team arrived, underdogs from the start, and played their hearts out. They went 1- 0 down in the seventh minute, when Alessandro Mazzola opened the scoring for Inter Milan after Celtic conceded a penalty.

Celtic then went on to score two goals – Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers were the scorers – and win the match.

The Glasgow club was the first British club to win the European Cup, and still the only Scots club to have reached the final.

They reached the final again in 1970 but were beaten 2– 1 by Feyenoord after extra time in the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

The Evening Times reported the day after the match, under the headline “Parkheading for Home!”: “Deliriously happy Celtic fans are preparing a mammoth welcome home for the new European champions when they arrive in Glasgow tonight.”

The report says the fans turned the city into a ‘ premature Hogmanay’ and had arrived at offices and factories with banners and flags in preparation for a quick getaway at the end of the working day.

It continued: “In Kerrydale Street at the entrance to the stadium, crush barriers were hastily erected to cope with the tremendous crowd expected. More than 100 police will be on duty at the stadium to control the thousands who will give Celtic a rapturous welcome home.”

And Jock Stein issued his own message to fans getting ready to welcome the Lisbon Lions back to the city: “Please, please, don’t come to the airport.”

He said: “The minute the plane touches down … we will board a bus … and go straight to Celtic Park.

“There we will put the European Cup on show for the fans who given us such loyal support throughout the season.”