Spartak Moskva 1-1 Celtic: Immediate Reaction

By: JT | August 15th, 2007

Supporters don’t know shit. That’s the morale of the story after Celtic collected a huge 1-1 draw with Spartak Moskva in the first leg of their Champions League third round qualifier.

The gasp in the pub was audible when we saw Scott McDonald up front, Paul Hartley in the left of midfield, and Aiden McGeady on the bench. We looked at each other, laughed, and cursed Wee Gordon Strachan and his kin.

So guess who created the goal that could earn Celtic millions? It was McDonald himself, who floated a ball across Spartak’s box right onto the head of Hartley who dispatched the ball perfectly into the side netting.

Spartak’s goal was poorly defended by Celtic and Mark Brown should really have made the save. The central defenders drifted too close to the action, stranding Scott Brown behind the play with two Spartak players surrounding him. Roman Pavluchenko, who is about six inches taller than Scott Brown won the cross and headed toward goal. Mark Brown should have deflected the ball away from danger, but his failure to perform the adequate number of wrist curls in the offseason allowed the ball to get by him and slowly roll into the net.

Mark Brown redeemed himself with a superb leg save in the second half, and Spartak also hit the crossbar, but Brown had it well covered. Why is it that people act like hitting the crossbar is “almost a goal”? Most of the time the keepers have it under control.

After McGeady came on late, Celtic had the chance to wrap up the match and maybe the tie, when he sent a surgical ball through the Spartak defense and Scott Brown turned what should have been a first time ball into the net into a calamity. Scottie Bhoy will be ruing his inability to convert from such close range.

In the end, Celtic played an outstanding match. They were content to counter-attack, and soak up the pressure that Spartak brought. They created three or four excellent chances in only a couple of opportunities and that was it. Spartak, despite statisitcs that appear to show their dominance, really didn’t create anything that Celtic didn’t hand them on a silver platter. The Bhoys should feel extremely confident heading back to Glasgow against a team that they are better than.

WGS also has an interesting plan for this midfield. They switch positions constantly. I’m not sure if its to get a defense who is man marking Nakamura out of postion or what, but they’re doing it well. Massimo Donati was Egor Titov’s shadow, and Hartley, Brown, and Naka were always popping up at different spots on the pitch. Spartak seemed to have trouble locating them as well.

I’m looking forward to the second leg, it should be fantastic. The Hoops have put themselves in pole position to move on the the group stages. The need to show that killer instinct in two weeks time and shut this tie down early.

*****UPDATE:The Highlights. Feel Scott Brown’s pain.*****