The five best Champions League wins for Celtic since 2000 ranked

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The Champions League has the ability to throw up some special and memorable nights for the Celtic fans.

Whether Celtic play home or away, there have been some superb results since the club first qualified for the tournament back in 2001.

Celtic fans were used to the club underperforming in Europe during the late 80s and throughout the 90s but the arrival of Martin O’Neill changed that in 2000 as he steered the club to the newly formatted Champions League group stage in 2001.

Since then, Celtic have enjoyed some magical nights in the competition against the likes of Juventus, Ajax and Benfica.

So here, 67 Hail Hail ranks five of the best results the club has achieved in the Champions League.

5. Spartak Moscow 2 v 3 Celtic – October 2012

An away win for Celtic in the Champions League is a rarity in the competition but this one in Russia ranks as one of the best results ever.

Not only were Celtic in Russia on a cold October night, but they also recovered from losing a 1-0 lead after conceding just before and after half-time to win the game 3-2.

Gary Hooper and Georgios Samaras were on target for Celtic after a Dmitriy Kombarov own goal levelled the score at 2-2.

And what was significant about that night? The win helped Celtic on the way to the last 16 of the competition which was the last time the club qualified from the groups.

4. Barcelona 1 v 1 Celtic – November 2004

Celtic faced Barcelona on the opening day of the Champions League at Celtic Park in season 2004/05 and lost the game 3-1.

So when the return leg at the Nou Camp came around, there was a nervous energy surrounding the fixture.

Fearing a heavy defeat against a team that had the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Deco, Ronaldinho and Xavi, Celtic earned a credible draw after John Hartson cancelled out Eto’o’s 25th-minute strike midway through the second half.

This night was only the second time both teams had met in the competition and will be remembered as one of the greatest results in Celtic’s most recent history.

3. Celtic 2 v 1 AC Milan – October 2007

Celtic have faced AC Milan on eight occasions in the Champions League losing five, drawing two and winning just one.

This win at Celtic Park was extra special as the Serie A side was littered with talented players like Kaka, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta and Filippo Inzaghi who arrived in Glasgow as the defending champions.

The win will best be remembered for Scott McDonald’s last-minute tap-in from close range that sparked amazing scenes of celebration and this from Gordon Strachan:

2. Celtic 1 v 0 Manchester United – November 2006

One of the most talked about results in Celtic’s history for two reasons. The first was the winning goal.

Shunsuke Nakamura teed up a free-kick for Celtic about 30 yards from Manchester United’s goal. Needing to get the ball over a wall and beat the world-class Edwin Van der Saar, Nakamura did this:

In their lineup, Man United had the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand to name but a few.

And to add to the drama of the night, Artur Boruc saved a 90th-minute penalty from Luis Saha to ensure the victory.

The win helped Celtic progress from the group stages for the first time in their history knocking out Benfica and FC Kobenhaven in the process.

1. Celtic 2 v 1 Barcelona – November 2012

One of the most, if not the most, talked about recent wins to date, Tony Watt gave the Celtic fans one of the best results in their European history.

Beating a Barca side with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Mascherano, Victor Valdes and Dani Alves was made all the more remarkable when you look at Celtic’s lineup.

Neil Lennon started the match as follows:

• Fraser Forester (GK), Mikael Lustig (RB), Efe Ambrose (CB), Kelvin Wilson (CB), Adam Matthews (LB), Joe Ledley (CM), Victor Wanyama (CM), Charlie Mulgrew (LM), Kris Commons (RM), Georgios Samaras (AM), Miku (CF)

With the game sitting at 1-0 with less than ten minutes to go, second-half substitute Tony Watt did this:

Lionel Messi pulled a goal back in the 90th minute but Celtic stood firm after a night of being bombarded and picked up the famous win that is still talked about to this day as one of the greatest nights in Celtic’s European history.