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1967: Undoubtably the most succesful year in Celtic's history.
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Time makes it better
And the years have not dimished it. If anything, time has only served to make the triumph all the more remarkable.
In an era of the Champions League, when Europe's premier club tournament has been moulded and meddled with to suit the big clubs and, more importantly, the television companies, it's the Spaniards and the Germans, even the English, who now dominate the latter stages of the tournament; and it's not even always the champions of each particular country.
Back in 1967, however, it was only the champions who qualified to take part in the European Cup. Celtic, having won the first of what would eventually be nine consecutive league titles, entered the competition for the very first time. Nine games later they had lifted the trophy.
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European cup final
How can any other game in Celtic's history compare to the European Cup final triumph in 1967?
On Thursday, May 25, eleven Scotsmen born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park became the kings of Europe, defeating Internazionale of Italy 2-1 in Lisbon's National Stadium to become the first British team to win the European Cup.
The names of Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Auld, Murdoch, Lennox, Wallace and Chalmers are still revered to this day for their achievement.
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Glory days
It all began on September 28, 1966, with the visit of FC Zurich to Celtic Park. Goals from Tommy Gemmell and Joe McBride gave Jock Stein's side a 2-0 first leg lead, with they increased by winning 3-0 in Switzerland, Stevie Chalmers netting along with two from Gemmell.
The second round saw Celtic drawn against Nantes of France, and both legs finished comfortably 3-1 in favour of the Scottish Champions, who progressed to a quarter-final meeting with Yugusolav side Vojvodina Novi Sad.
The away leg in Yugoslavia saw Celtic's only defeat of their European campaign. A second-half goal from Stanic was enough to give the Yugoslavs victory and set up one of the most tense and dramatic nights of the season in front of 75,000 fans.
It took Celtic until 58 minutes to level the tie, Chalmers scoring on 58 minutes but with the prospect of extra-time looming, captain Billy McNeill rose to meet a Charlie Gallagher corner and headed home to book a semi-final place.
Had the score remained at 1-0 to Celtic, even after extra-time, a play-off game in Rotterdam would have decided the tie, but Caesar's decisive finish ensured success for Jock Stein's side.
Dukla Prague were the semi-final opponents, and after gaining a 3-1 advantage from the first leg at home, Celtic travelled to Czechoslovakia, where a 0-0 draw made the almost unthinkable an amazing reality... Celtic were in the European Cup final
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