Celtic 2-1 Barcelona: The Night Messi’s Barcelona Fell at Celtic Park (2012)
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona was the Champions League Group G result of 7 November 2012, a Wednesday night at Celtic Park in front of 58,841 supporters. Victor Wanyama headed Celtic ahead on 21 minutes, an 18-year-old substitute, Tony Watt, drove in a second on 83, and Lionel Messi replied only in the first minute of stoppage time.
A teenager off the bench, a goalkeeper the Spanish press renamed, and a founding date one day earlier all belonged to the same evening.
Key Facts
- Celtic 2-1 Barcelona, UEFA Champions League 2012/13 Group G, Matchday 4, played at Celtic Park, Glasgow on 7 November 2012 before an attendance of 58,841.
- Celtic scorers: Victor Wanyama (21 minutes) and Tony Watt (83). Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s goal in the first minute of stoppage time (90+1).
- The referee was Bjorn Kuipers of the Netherlands.
- Tony Watt was 18, born 29 December 1993. He came off the bench for Mikael Lustig, and had joined Celtic from Airdrie United in January 2011.
- Fraser Forster faced 25 shots and made 14 saves; the Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo had renamed him the great wall.
- Celtic trace their foundation to a meeting called by Brother Walfrid on 6 November 1887, so the match fell the day after the club’s 125th anniversary, during its 125th-anniversary week.
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A teenager, a goalkeeper, and a founding date
How Celtic 2-1 Barcelona was won
Barcelona arrived at Celtic Park with Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, and they kept the ball for almost the entire evening. Celtic defended and waited. The first break in the pattern came on 21 minutes, when Charlie Mulgrew swung in a corner and Wanyama, the Kenyan midfielder, climbed above the Barcelona defence to head the Scottish champions in front past Victor Valdes. Celtic led, and then they went back to defending.
The second goal is the one people remember, and it came from a mistake. Forster’s long clearance deceived Xavi, Watt burst past the last defenders, and he beat Valdes with his right foot to double the lead on 83 minutes. Watt had come on for Mikael Lustig. Messi finally got the better of Forster in the opening minute of stoppage time, turning in a loose ball after the goalkeeper had pushed out a Pedro shot, but there was no time left for more. The final score stood at Celtic 2-1 Barcelona.
| Minute | Scorer | Team | Running score (home first) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Victor Wanyama | Celtic | Celtic 1-0 Barcelona |
| 83 | Tony Watt | Celtic | Celtic 2-0 Barcelona |
| 90+1 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Celtic 2-1 Barcelona |
Tony Watt, 18 years old and off the bench
Watt was 18 on the night, born on 29 December 1993. He had signed for Celtic from Airdrie United in January 2011 for a reported £80,000 with performance add-ons, roughly six months into his professional career. On 7 November 2012 he was a substitute, sent on for Lustig with Barcelona chasing an equaliser, and his job was to give Celtic an outlet. He did more than that. The 18-year-old scored the goal that settled the match, off Forster’s clearance and Xavi’s misjudged header, a teenager finishing past one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
The goalkeeper Barcelona could not beat
The scoreline says two goals to one, but the match was really settled in Celtic’s penalty area. Barcelona took 25 shots and Forster kept out 14 of them, and the Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo nicknamed the English goalkeeper “la gran muralla”, the great wall. The individual stops piled up, a full-length dive to deny Messi, another block from a Messi free-kick struck from 25 yards. Barcelona had the ball for long stretches and Celtic defended on minimal possession. The wall held until the very last minute.
The day after the 125th anniversary
Celtic were not founded on 7 November. A meeting called by Brother Walfrid on 6 November 1887 set the club’s establishment in motion, which puts the 125th anniversary on 6 November 2012 and the Barcelona match the day after it, inside the club’s 125th-anniversary week. Celtic had celebrated their 125th birthday that week, and among the crowd the Celtic supporter Rod Stewart was in tears.
READ MORE: More famous European nights and anniversaries in our On This Day series →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Celtic 2-1 Barcelona
What was the score when Celtic played Barcelona on 7 November 2012?
The final score was Celtic 2-1 Barcelona, played at Celtic Park in Glasgow on 7 November 2012. It was a UEFA Champions League 2012/13 group-stage tie in Group G, on Matchday 4. Celtic scored through Victor Wanyama and Tony Watt, and Lionel Messi replied for Barcelona in stoppage time.
Who scored in Celtic 2-1 Barcelona in 2012?
Victor Wanyama scored first for Celtic, heading in from a corner on 21 minutes. Tony Watt, an 18-year-old substitute, added a second on 83 minutes. Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s only goal deep in stoppage time, in the 90th minute plus one.
Where was the Celtic v Barcelona 2012 match played and how many attended?
The match was played at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Celtic’s home ground. The attendance was 58,841. The kick-off was at 19:45 local time on Wednesday 7 November 2012. It was Matchday 4 of the Champions League group stage.
Who was Tony Watt and how old was he against Barcelona?
Tony Watt was a young Celtic forward who came off the bench and scored the decisive second goal against Barcelona on 7 November 2012. He was 18, born on 29 December 1993. He had signed for Celtic from Airdrie United in January 2011 for a reported £80,000. He replaced Mikael Lustig during the match.
How did Tony Watt’s goal against Barcelona happen?
Watt’s goal came from a Barcelona error. Fraser Forster’s long clearance was misread by Xavi, and Watt broke clear of the defence to finish past Victor Valdes with his right foot. It made the score Celtic 2-0 Barcelona on 83 minutes. The goal came in Celtic’s 125th-anniversary week and effectively won the match.
Why was Fraser Forster called “la gran muralla” after Celtic 2-1 Barcelona?
Fraser Forster earned the nickname because he repelled a barrage of Barcelona shots that night. Barcelona had 25 shots and Forster saved 14 of them. The nickname came from the Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo. Two of his saves came against Lionel Messi.
Did the Celtic 2-1 Barcelona match fall on Celtic’s 125th anniversary?
No, it fell the day after. Celtic trace their foundation to a meeting called by Brother Walfrid on 6 November 1887, which places the 125th anniversary on 6 November 2012. The Barcelona match was played on 7 November 2012, so it came the day after the anniversary, during the club’s 125th-anniversary week. Celtic had celebrated their 125th birthday that week.
Who refereed Celtic v Barcelona on 7 November 2012?
The referee was Bjorn Kuipers of the Netherlands. It was a Champions League group-stage fixture, so the officials were appointed by UEFA. Kuipers was one of Europe’s leading referees at the time.
Which competition and stage was Celtic 2-1 Barcelona part of?
It was part of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage. Celtic and Barcelona were both drawn in Group G, along with Benfica and Spartak Moscow. The match on 7 November 2012 was Matchday 4 of the group phase.
How much of the ball did Barcelona have against Celtic?
Barcelona dominated possession for almost the entire match while Celtic defended deep. Celtic’s share of the ball was extremely low, and Barcelona had the clear majority. What decided the match was Celtic’s finishing and Forster’s goalkeeping rather than territory.
Did Lionel Messi score in Celtic 2-1 Barcelona?
Yes, Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s only goal. It came at the start of stoppage time, in the 90th minute plus one. Messi turned in a rebound from short range after Forster had pushed away a Pedro effort. It was too late to change the result, and the match finished Celtic 2-1 Barcelona.
Was Rod Stewart at Celtic 2-1 Barcelona?
Yes, the singer and lifelong Celtic supporter Rod Stewart was in the crowd, in tears during the match. He was one of 58,841 spectators. His reaction became one of the images most replayed from the night.
Who managed Celtic against Barcelona in 2012?
Celtic were managed by Neil Lennon on the night of 7 November 2012. It was Lennon who sent on the 18-year-old Tony Watt as a substitute for Mikael Lustig, a change that produced the decisive goal. The win over Barcelona is remembered as one of the high points of his time in charge. The team was built to defend deep and counter, which is exactly how the match played out.
What day of the week was Celtic 2-1 Barcelona in 2012?
The match was played on a Wednesday, 7 November 2012, with a 19:45 kick-off. Champions League group-stage ties are staged across Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and this one fell on the Wednesday. The date sat one day after Celtic’s 125th anniversary.
Why is Celtic 2-1 Barcelona remembered as a famous result?
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona is remembered because a defensive Celtic side beat a Barcelona team of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta on a Champions League night, and did it with an 18-year-old substitute scoring the winner. Barcelona had 25 shots and still lost. The match combined a giant-killing scoreline, a teenager’s decisive goal, and a goalkeeping display the Spanish press honoured with a nickname. It also landed in Celtic’s 125th-anniversary week, which added to the sense of occasion.
Celtic 2-1 Barcelona, in one sentence
A teenager off the bench, a goalkeeper the Catalan press renamed, and a founding date one day earlier turned a night of near-total Barcelona possession into a Celtic win, and you can follow more evenings like it through our On This Day series.
Sources: UEFA, Al Jazeera, Sky Sports, HuffPost UK, These Football Times, The Irish Post, Independent Catholic News.
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