Celtic Suffer Heartbreak in Barca

Celtic’s late defeat at the hands of the mighty Barcelona will be a hard pill to swallow for the players and fans alike.

With the final play of the game Barcelona’s Adriano whipped in a teasing cross which only needed a slight touch from full-back Jordi Alba to clinch all three points, diminishing the Hoops' valiant efforts at the greatest footballing theatre in the world.  

Even the most ardent Celtic fan can’t deny Barcelona deserved their last second victory and if there was ever an acceptable way to lose a football game, losing in the dying moments against the greatest team on earth is the way to do it.

Regardless of this, Celtic can leave Spain with their heads held high. They caused Barcelona trouble with their resilient defending and excellent discipline in the midfield. The counter-attacking style Celtic attempted to deploy was often a cause for concern to the home side. 

The opening minutes of the game set the tone for the rest of the match, with Barcelona, as is natural to them, completely dominating possession.

Samaras heads the Hoops into the lead

However, on the 18^th minute, a quick counter attack from Celtic and a nice bit of skill from Scott Brown drew a Jordi Alba foul on the right-hand flank, which Charlie Mulgrew drove in beautifully to meet the head of Samaras and, after a deflection off Mascherano, ended up in the back of the net.

This was Georgios Samaras’s fourth consecutive goal in as many away European games for Celtic, which all ended in victories, and the Green and White faithful dared to dream.

Samaras was holding up the ball well, making brilliant forward runs and winning everything he possibly could in the air. The kind of ability he was displaying would make you wonder why he was the whipping boy for Celtic some time ago.

The big Greek’s fortunes were to turn on the 40^th minute however, when a dual with Adriano in the air caused him to land awkwardly on his ankle and subsequently Celtic lost their best attacking player. James Forrest was the replacement for Samaras; with the tricky winger being over eight inches smaller Celtic lost their aerial threat up front.

Five minutes later, on the stroke of half time, Barcelona’s dominance finally paid off when Victor Wanyama was caught unawares to allow a pass to Andres Iniesta to be threaded through by Messi, and a quick one-two with footballing guru Xavi was finished off by Iniesta tucking the ball into the bottom corner.

The second half resumed in the same manner that the first half did, with Barcelona completely dominating possession and getting multiple chances but, with Fraser Forster in inspired form, the Catalonian side struggled to take the lead.

Messi was kept at bay by the Celtic midfield 

Effe Ambrose appears to be another gem that Lennon has unearthed, and with a great display against Spartak Moscow in Celtic’s last Champions League clash, he carried on that form against the finest the competition had to offer, intercepting Barcelona’s attackers on numerous occasions and distributing the ball well.

Praises can also be sung of Victor Wanyama, who Celtic will undoubtedly struggle to hold onto once the January transfer window commences. Apart from his error for the Barca leveller he was fantastic in the midfield. Joe Ledley, Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew’s performances also cannot go unaccredited.

Celtic’s defensive efforts mean they are now the only team in 2012 to prevent Lionel Messi from assisting or scoring a goal.

Perhaps the only player to not shine on the night was Gary Hooper. He found himself stranded at the forefront of Celtic’s attack and found it difficult to hold the ball up when it was passed to him, often passing the ball straight to a Barcelona attacker. His inability to maintain possession would eventually lead to the 94^th minute heartbreak Celtic suffered.

Jordi Alba meets Adriano's cross to deny Celtic a point

When substitute David Villa hit the Celtic post on the 90^th minute it appeared luck was on the Hoops’ side to clinch a famous draw, however Barcelona continued to attack and on the 4^th and final minute of added time Jordi Alba crept inside James Forrest to meet Adriano’s fantastic cross at the back post.

The result cannot be argued, Barcelona had 72% of possession and completely dominated the game in every aspect besides goals, but Celtic’s determination, discipline and effort left much to admire.

Neil Lennon, his management team, the players and the fans can all hold their heads high yet again after another European away performance that won’t soon be forgotten. The home-leg now looks set to be another fantastic game.

Celtic may not have left Barcelona with any points, but they did leave with their pride.