UEFA have taken Celtic supporters on a glorious trip down memory lane today with a class social media post featuring Henrik Larsson and a certain UEFA Cup semi-final.
It was on this day 18 years ago that a late Larsson effort against Boavista propelled the Bhoys through to a famous final against Porto.
Latching on to an ill-fated tackle by defender Filipe Anunciacao after attempting to link up with John Hartson, Larsson looped a finish past international goalkeeper Ricardo to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate.
It was a tense evening in Portgual up to that point after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Celtic Park. The following quarter of an hour was tenser still.
Larsson’s 79th-minute effort sparked scenes of wild celebration amongst the travelling Celtic support inside Estadio do Bessa. They were scenes that many fans had not experienced up to that point and perhaps never will again.
Martin O’Neill’s iconic side would eventually lose out in the final, but not before giving Jose Mourinho’s side a hell of a game in Seville, backed by an incredible amount of sun-soaked supporters.
In a campaign of immense disappointment such as this one, with no crowds in the stands, the memories of seasons like 2002/03 only take on more significance.
Will we ever see a Celtic side as good as that ever again? It’s madness to think at the start of the current campaign that Dermot Desmond was making unhelpful comparisons between this group and that one.
It’s fair to say UEFA’s post has gone down a treat with Celtic supporters. It’s been liked thousands of times, with plenty of fans sharing their own memories from that night.
This lot have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…
In other news, commercial life at Celtic is getting back to normal after pleasing double update.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
