Back in 2022, Celtic shocked the world by
winning the Champions League; their first European Cup triumph since the
Lisbon Lions lifted the trophy in 1967. The match is remembered for a
lot of reasons, not least the night that Ivica Strok came of age. If, for some reason, you're reading this and you're not sure who Ivica Strok is then I suggest reading his biography before progressing.
The 2022 Champions League final pitted underdogs Celtic against the continuing might of Chelsea, still freespending and full of internationally recognised superstars, Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira had continued the trophy winning tradition of former manager Diego Simeone. Indeed, Chelsea had the much more comfortable road to the final at Old Trafford with comfortable wins against Barcelona, Roma and Bayern Munich in the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, Celtic secured narrow wins against Lille, Juventus and Arsenal.
A match between two British sides was sure to whet the appetite of many football fans across the land, but add in the prospect of it taking place on British soil almost exactly half way between London and Glasgow then hype about the match went into overload. BT Sport, who maintained their exclusive coverage of the Champions League, embarked on an advertising campaign that built the anticipation surrounding the fixture even further. If people weren't excited about the showpiece final already, they would be once BT finished their promotion.
Despite the best efforts of BT and the fact that Celtic had won the Europa League just twelve months earlier, Chelsea were still very much the favourites for the final. Some people suggested that fans of the west London side might have even become complacent ahead of the match in Manchester.
That didn't matter to the Celtic players though, they were focussed on the match ahead and aiming to bring the European Cup back to Glasgow for the first time in 55 years. Nobody was more excited at the prospect of winning the Champions League, and more importantly putting one over Chelsea, than former Blues defender Nathaniel Chalobah. The England international was now Celtic captain, having taken the armband from Alex Pearce in the summer of 2021, and his defensive capability combined with the attacking prowess of Croatian striker Ivica Strok was the key to Celtic coming away from Old Trafford with their pride in tact.
And while the Celtic players were readying themselves in their hotel ahead of the final, the Bhoys' supporters were making their voices heard across Manchester. If Chelsea fans were already expecting their side to be lifting the trophy that evening, the Celtic support were just happy to have made the final and were bringing the famous Parkhead atmosphere to the north-west of England.
While the green half of Glasgow was enjoying their moment in the spotlight, the blue half of Scotland's most famous footballing city were firmly nailing their colours to the mast by cementing their 'Blues Brothers' alliance with Chelsea. Rangers fans were being encouraged to show their loyalty to the London club, and therefore underlining their dislike of their neighbours, through traditional means.
So with kick-off approaching, Twitter avatars changed, and the players getting their final instructions ahead of the match, all that was left was for pundits to make their predictions for the fixture. Chelsea, not just in the eyes of the neutrals but also in the odds of the bookmakers, were heavy favourites. Just about everybody, other than 50% of Glasgow, were not just expecting a Chelsea win but expecting a comprehensive Chelsea victory.
Punters, pundits and fans were immediately forced to reconsider their pre-match predictions as Celtic burst out the blocks and peppered the Chelsea goal. Chelsea, seeming to be almost as complacent as their fans had been, were shellshocked. Celtic's slick attacking play, sharp passing and all-round team ethic wasn't the kind of play that underdogs usually adopted. Then in the 31st minute of the match, Celtic built from the back firstly with goalkeeper Raymond Dekker, then through Chalobah, then Liam Bridcutt and onto the head of Strok via Jose Ribeiro's cross. Strok outjumped and outmuscled Danish defender Andreas Christensen and the ball was beyond Thibaut Courtois. Fans immediately found mentions of Ivica Strok from throughout the years, ones that had aged well and ones that hadn't.
Celtic continued to attack Chelsea but couldn't find a second goal before half-time, but Chelsea were blunt as an attacking force and the Bhoys went into the break holding their one goal lead. The Scottish side were 45 minutes away from a historic and unexpected European Cup win, all they needed to do was keep three time Ballon d'Or winner Eden Hazard, and two time Ballon d'Or runner-up Erik Lamela, at bay.
And that's exactly what they did until the hour mark when Celtic fullback Zarko Koprivica pushed Lamela following a corner and Chelsea were awarded a penalty. It was Raymond Dekker against Eden Hazard, a 6'10 Dutch giant against a nimble Belgian winger. A man that had been voted the best player in the world three times by his peers had a chance to bring Chelsea level, and it was something that he was more than capable of doing.
Hazard stepped up and hit the ball firm with his left foot, only for Dekker to use all of his near seven foot frame to get down and save. This really was turning into Celtic's night.
The first person to the ball following the Dutch goalkeeper's stop was Celtic's captain, and Nathaniel Chalobah launched the ball into the Chelsea half towards Jose Ribeiro. The Portuguese winger was joined two-on-one against Thibaut Courtois with Ivica Strok and the Croatian looked best placed to double the score. However, Ribeiro ignored the cries of his teammate and took the ball on alone before placing it under the on-rushing Chelsea goalkeeper. Celtic had taken a two goal lead, but Strok wasn't happy with Ribeiro. Ivica Strok, Celtic's main striker and tallisman, refused to celebrate with the Portuguese player and would not speak a word to him for the remainder of Ribeiro's Celtic career.
With half an hour left to play, Chelsea threw everything at Celtic but were unable to find a way through despite having ten shots on the Celtic goal in the final 30 minutes. The final whistle went and Celtic had done it, they'd upset the odds and beaten the superstars of Chelsea.
For the first time in over half a century, Celtic were champions of Europe. They had reached the final and they hadn't just avoided embarrassing themselves but they had succeeded in embarrassing one of the most famous clubs in the world. They had forced all those who had doubted them to reconsider their opinions of Celtic, and of Scottish football.
If Celtic had managed to avoid leaving themselved red-faced, the same could not be said for Chelsea. More specifically, the same could not be said for Chelsea's fans who had come into the fixture at Old Trafford assuming that their club's name would be engraved on the trophy come the final whistle. Eden Hazard, whose penalty would have drawn the club level, bore the brunt of the Blues' fans anger.
The night didn't belong to Chelsea, but instead marked the beginning of a new era for Celtic. Commanding in their own league for so long, Celtic would now embark on establishing themselves as equals among Europe's biggest and best clubs. It is no coincidence that what would become the most dominant era in the club's history coincided with the career of one man in particular.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Or the future. One of the two.
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Follow me on Twitter.
Follow Ivica Strok on Twitter.
The 2022 Champions League final pitted underdogs Celtic against the continuing might of Chelsea, still freespending and full of internationally recognised superstars, Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira had continued the trophy winning tradition of former manager Diego Simeone. Indeed, Chelsea had the much more comfortable road to the final at Old Trafford with comfortable wins against Barcelona, Roma and Bayern Munich in the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, Celtic secured narrow wins against Lille, Juventus and Arsenal.
A match between two British sides was sure to whet the appetite of many football fans across the land, but add in the prospect of it taking place on British soil almost exactly half way between London and Glasgow then hype about the match went into overload. BT Sport, who maintained their exclusive coverage of the Champions League, embarked on an advertising campaign that built the anticipation surrounding the fixture even further. If people weren't excited about the showpiece final already, they would be once BT finished their promotion.
Despite the best efforts of BT and the fact that Celtic had won the Europa League just twelve months earlier, Chelsea were still very much the favourites for the final. Some people suggested that fans of the west London side might have even become complacent ahead of the match in Manchester.
That didn't matter to the Celtic players though, they were focussed on the match ahead and aiming to bring the European Cup back to Glasgow for the first time in 55 years. Nobody was more excited at the prospect of winning the Champions League, and more importantly putting one over Chelsea, than former Blues defender Nathaniel Chalobah. The England international was now Celtic captain, having taken the armband from Alex Pearce in the summer of 2021, and his defensive capability combined with the attacking prowess of Croatian striker Ivica Strok was the key to Celtic coming away from Old Trafford with their pride in tact.
And while the Celtic players were readying themselves in their hotel ahead of the final, the Bhoys' supporters were making their voices heard across Manchester. If Chelsea fans were already expecting their side to be lifting the trophy that evening, the Celtic support were just happy to have made the final and were bringing the famous Parkhead atmosphere to the north-west of England.
While the green half of Glasgow was enjoying their moment in the spotlight, the blue half of Scotland's most famous footballing city were firmly nailing their colours to the mast by cementing their 'Blues Brothers' alliance with Chelsea. Rangers fans were being encouraged to show their loyalty to the London club, and therefore underlining their dislike of their neighbours, through traditional means.
So with kick-off approaching, Twitter avatars changed, and the players getting their final instructions ahead of the match, all that was left was for pundits to make their predictions for the fixture. Chelsea, not just in the eyes of the neutrals but also in the odds of the bookmakers, were heavy favourites. Just about everybody, other than 50% of Glasgow, were not just expecting a Chelsea win but expecting a comprehensive Chelsea victory.
Punters, pundits and fans were immediately forced to reconsider their pre-match predictions as Celtic burst out the blocks and peppered the Chelsea goal. Chelsea, seeming to be almost as complacent as their fans had been, were shellshocked. Celtic's slick attacking play, sharp passing and all-round team ethic wasn't the kind of play that underdogs usually adopted. Then in the 31st minute of the match, Celtic built from the back firstly with goalkeeper Raymond Dekker, then through Chalobah, then Liam Bridcutt and onto the head of Strok via Jose Ribeiro's cross. Strok outjumped and outmuscled Danish defender Andreas Christensen and the ball was beyond Thibaut Courtois. Fans immediately found mentions of Ivica Strok from throughout the years, ones that had aged well and ones that hadn't.
Celtic continued to attack Chelsea but couldn't find a second goal before half-time, but Chelsea were blunt as an attacking force and the Bhoys went into the break holding their one goal lead. The Scottish side were 45 minutes away from a historic and unexpected European Cup win, all they needed to do was keep three time Ballon d'Or winner Eden Hazard, and two time Ballon d'Or runner-up Erik Lamela, at bay.
And that's exactly what they did until the hour mark when Celtic fullback Zarko Koprivica pushed Lamela following a corner and Chelsea were awarded a penalty. It was Raymond Dekker against Eden Hazard, a 6'10 Dutch giant against a nimble Belgian winger. A man that had been voted the best player in the world three times by his peers had a chance to bring Chelsea level, and it was something that he was more than capable of doing.
Hazard stepped up and hit the ball firm with his left foot, only for Dekker to use all of his near seven foot frame to get down and save. This really was turning into Celtic's night.
The first person to the ball following the Dutch goalkeeper's stop was Celtic's captain, and Nathaniel Chalobah launched the ball into the Chelsea half towards Jose Ribeiro. The Portuguese winger was joined two-on-one against Thibaut Courtois with Ivica Strok and the Croatian looked best placed to double the score. However, Ribeiro ignored the cries of his teammate and took the ball on alone before placing it under the on-rushing Chelsea goalkeeper. Celtic had taken a two goal lead, but Strok wasn't happy with Ribeiro. Ivica Strok, Celtic's main striker and tallisman, refused to celebrate with the Portuguese player and would not speak a word to him for the remainder of Ribeiro's Celtic career.
With half an hour left to play, Chelsea threw everything at Celtic but were unable to find a way through despite having ten shots on the Celtic goal in the final 30 minutes. The final whistle went and Celtic had done it, they'd upset the odds and beaten the superstars of Chelsea.
For the first time in over half a century, Celtic were champions of Europe. They had reached the final and they hadn't just avoided embarrassing themselves but they had succeeded in embarrassing one of the most famous clubs in the world. They had forced all those who had doubted them to reconsider their opinions of Celtic, and of Scottish football.
If Celtic had managed to avoid leaving themselved red-faced, the same could not be said for Chelsea. More specifically, the same could not be said for Chelsea's fans who had come into the fixture at Old Trafford assuming that their club's name would be engraved on the trophy come the final whistle. Eden Hazard, whose penalty would have drawn the club level, bore the brunt of the Blues' fans anger.
The night didn't belong to Chelsea, but instead marked the beginning of a new era for Celtic. Commanding in their own league for so long, Celtic would now embark on establishing themselves as equals among Europe's biggest and best clubs. It is no coincidence that what would become the most dominant era in the club's history coincided with the career of one man in particular.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Or the future. One of the two.
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Follow me on Twitter.
Follow Ivica Strok on Twitter.
