Celtic 2-0 Lyon, Champions League, On this Day in 2003

The Celtic Star

·30 September 2024

Celtic 2-0 Lyon, Champions League, On this Day in 2003

21 years ago today Celtic defeated a superb Lyon side, with the help of old heads and young faces alike, at Celtic Park in the Champions League group stages…

Just a few months after the huge disappointment of defeat in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville against Porto, Martin O’Neill’s side were very much at their peak as Lyon found out to their cost.

The usual faces were present in the Celtic side that night. Bobo Balde, Alan Thompson, Jackie McNamara, Neil Lennon, Stan Petrov, John Hartson, Chris Sutton, and of course Henrik Larsson.

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All tried and tested players at this level, and the nucleus of our side, but with the game poised at a stalemate O’Neill brought on a young fresh face in Irish youngster Liam Miller.

Liam was brought on in place of John Hartson which meant Chris Sutton would play up front alongside Henrik Larsson, with young Liam taking slotting into his natural midfield position. It paid dividends as just six minutes later young Liam nodded in the opener to send the Celtic supporters into euphoria.

It would have been quite the moment for the young man, as although he had played a few games in the first team, indeed he scored in a qualifier a couple of months earlier, this was a different story. This was the biggest stage of all, and he’d just made himself a hero in the eyes of the Celtic supporters.

Eight minutes later the win was secured as two older heads combined to clinch the victory. Henrik Larsson this time turned provider as he whipped in a superb cross for Chris Sutton to head home and raise the roof on paradise on more time.