Celtic: Champions of Europe
On May 25th 1967, in the National Stadium in Lisbon, Glasgow Celtic made history when they became the first British club to win the European Cup.
The unforgettable 2-1 victory over Italian giants Inter Milan in the final still ranks as the greatest ever Scottish footballing achievement.
The Lisbon Lions - as that all-conquering team was to become known - carved a glorious place for themselves in the annals of Scottish soccer history. And they did it in style, employing a fluent all-out-attacking brand of football which won many admirers and changed the face of European football forever.
No Scottish team has ever again reached the same glorious heights that Celtic soared to in '67. And also
No British side had appeared in the final of Europe's premier soccer tournament, let alone managed to win it. The estimated 56,000 spectators who packed into Lisbon's Estadio Nacional were watching history in the making.
Under Stein, Celtic were to win an amazing nine successive league titles (1965/66-1973/74). They reached one more European Cup final, in 1970, losing 2-1 to Feyenoord after extra time in Milan. In the semi-final that year, they defeated Leeds United, 1-0 at Elland Road and 2-1 at Hampden in front of 134,000 spectators - the largest crowd ever to watch a European club match.
Twice more, Celtic reached European Cup semi-finals. In 1972, they lost to Inter Milan on penalties; in '74, they fell 2-0 to Atletico Madrid at the penultimate round stage.
The campaigns of '70, '72 and '74 have been largely forgotten or overlooked. As for 1967, well, that's a different story...
Celtic, 1967 European Cup winners: Ronnie Simpson, Jim Craig, Billy McNeill, Tommy Gemmell, Bobby Murdoch, John Clark, Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Wallace,
