Celtic 2 Barcelona 3

HELLO and welcome to www.celticfc.net for tonight’s UEFA Champions League, First Knockout Round, first leg match between Celtic and FC Barcelona at Celtic Park.
With Andreas Hinkel ineligible and Scott Brown suspended, Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has named Paul Caddis, Barry Robson and Paul Hartley in his starting line-up. Massimo Donati drops to the bench.
Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard has gone for a full-strength attack, with Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho all starting.


Tonight’s teams:

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Caddis, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Robson, Hartley, McGeady; Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald
Subs: M.Brown, O’Dea, Sno, Donati, Samaras, Killen, Wilson

BARCELONA (4-3-3) Valdes; Puyol, Marquez, Milito, Abidal; Deco, Toure; Iniesta; Henry, Messi, Ronaldino
Subs: Pinto, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Eto’o, Sylvinho, Giovani, Thuram

After a rousing rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', the teams emerge from the tunnel to a deafening noise.

Celtic kick off. The home side are shooting towards the Lisbon Lions stand in the first half.

Barca have the early possession. Ronaldinho tries to pick up out Messi but he can't control the cross

Barca have started well, with Celtic pegged back. Toure is seeing a lot of the ball in midfield

Nakamura feeds McDonald inside the box and he falls under Milito's challenge. The referee, however, awards a free-kick to Barca

Robson wins possession and finds McGeady, who sends McDonald clear on the left. Barcelona clear the danger

The game continues to be played mostly in the midfield area.

Messi makes progress on the left wing, but his cross is cleared by Naylor

Superb save from Boruc. Naylor loses possession in the Celtic box and Iniesta has a free shot. Boruc parries clear.

Celtic captain Stephen McManus blocks two shots as Barca again attack.

Hartley is penalised for a foul on Marquez. Ronaldinho bends a free-kick over from 30 yards

Celtic keep the ball well and Nakamura almost finds Vennegoor of Hesselink on the right flank

Caldwell picks out Vennegoor of Hesselink at the back post, but his header just evades McDonald

Celtic seem to have settled but Barca always look dangerous.

Barca move the ball from side to side and eventually Messi slashes a volley wide

Milito grapples with Vennegoor of Hesselink on the edge of the box, but no foul is given

Abidal wins a challenge with Nakamura and finds Henry, who volleys over

Robson wins the ball and Vennegoor of Hesselink releases McGeady. He cuts inside and fires over the bar

HALF-TIME: Celtic 2 Barca 1: Goals from Vennegoor of Hesselink and Robson put Celtic ahead at the break after a pulsating 45 minutes

Barcelona kick off the second half. Celtic are shooting towards the Jock Stein stand.

McGeady takes on Puyol on the left wing, but Barca captain manages to win a goal kick

Messi and Puyol link up on the right wing for Barca. The captain's attempted cross soars over the bar

Barca probe at the Celtic defence for a solid two minutes. Messi eventually sees a shot deflected wide

Celtic substitution: Samaras on for Vennegoor of Hesselink

Ronaldinho steps inside and fires a shot past the post.

Barca continue to keep possession and probe for openings.

Celtic substitution: Mark Wilson for Paul Caddis

Messi cuts in from the left and fires straight at Boruc

Ronaldinho's back-heel releases Abidal and his cross his stabbed past the post by Henry as Barca continue to press

Celtic substitution: Donati on for Hartley

Barca sub: Xavi for Deco

Messi races across the field, cuts back and finds Toure - who curls a shot wide

McGeady picks the ball up in a dangerous area. He finds Donati and he forces Valdes into a fine save

Barca sub: Eto'o on for Ronaldinho

Naylor is penalised for a shove on Eto'o. Xavi's free-kick is met by Milito, but Boruc saves

Robson meets McGeady's cross, but Valdes gathers under pressure from Samaras

Eto'o makes space on the right, but Celtic survive.

GOAL - CELTIC 2 BARCELONA 3 - MESSI: The forward takes advantage of a deflected clearance to step inside and thread the ball into the bottom corner

Henry wins a free-kick on the edge of the box. Toure's shot is blocked

Boruc produces a superb save to deny Henry

Boruc pulls off another sublime save to deny Henry as Barca continue to dominate

Barca sub: Gudjohnsen on for Henry

There are four additional minutes to be played

FULL-TIME: CELTIC 2 BARCELONA 3: Goals from Vennegoor of Hesselink and Robson aren’t enough for Celtic. An outstanding Barca team win the first leg thanks to Messi’s double and Henry’s stunning strike.