Celtic entered the draw for the Quarter final in an ebullient mood. Impressive form in the league and the emphatic score-line in the previous round had the Celts more than buoyant. Celtic were to fall to the one and only defeat of the European campaign, and amazingly one of only three defeats that season!
On the 1st March 1967, Celtic faced the Yugoslavian Champions Vojvodina Novi Sad in front of a crowd of 24,000 in the Vojvodina Stad
. A single goal from Stanic ensured the home team took a slender advantage into the second leg.The return leg at Celtic Park on the 8th March was a tense and nervous affair. Celtic left it very late to respond to the Yugoslavians lead from the first leg. Stevie Chalmers scored his fourth goal of the campaign in the 59th minute before Billy McNeill had Parkhead celebrating like only Parkhead can with seconds remaining on the clock.
The semi-final first leg was played on April the 12th in front 74,406 fans at Celtic Park. Czech Champions Dukla Prague supplied the opposition. Jock Stein was quoted as saying that anything less than a 2 Goal lead would not be sufficient and 2 second half goal from Willie Wallace ensured that Jock got his wish after Strunc cancelled out Jimmy Johnstone’s opener.
The second leg, at the Juliska Stad in Prague took place on the 25th April. The 19,157 crowd would not have been entertained by the football on show in a tense affair. Stein ordered Celtic into defence, electing to change his trademark 4-2-4 formation for the dreadfully negative 4-5-1. The tactic was enough to see Celtic through however as the deadlock was never broken.
Join us on Friday the 25th May when the Road to Lisbon will be complete.