Celtic equal record as Sevilla, Napoli close on group stage

Celtic equal record as Sevilla, Napoli close on group stage

There were wins for Celtic, Napoli, Sevilla, Olympicacos and potential UEFA Champions League group debutants Hapoel Beer-Sheva in Wednesday's play-off first legs.The second legs are next Tuesday while the following night CSKA Moskva, APOEL and Liverpool will all defend leads as do Qarabağ, who are hoping to become Azerbaijan's first UEFA Champions League group representatives. Wednesday's UEFA Champions League play-off first legs

Gent v Genk, Celta v Celtic: when near namesakes collide

Gent v Genk, Celta v Celtic: when near namesakes collide

Forgive us in the UEFA.com office if we didn't allow ourselves a little airpunch when Gent emerged in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw followed immediately by Genk.Never mind that it is only the second all-Belgian tie in UEFA competition history: the mere verbal similarity of the team names left us feeling the roulette wheel of the draw had thrown up a jackpot. And it is not the first time that has happened – and there are still some other clashes we would like to see. Embrace the assonance. Any we have missed? Let us have your suggestions using

Barcelona return marks daunting start for Celtic

Barcelona return marks daunting start for Celtic

FC Barcelona open their Group C campaign against a Celtic FC side with unhappy memories of their last visit to Camp Nou.• Celtic lost 6-1 to Barcelona in their last participation in the group stage in 2013 and face a tough start against the five-time winners on matchday one.Previous meetings• Barcelona beat Celtic 3-1 in a pre-season friendly in Dublin on 30 July this year. Although Leigh Griffiths cancelled out Arda Turan's opening effort, Efe Ambrose's own goal and a Munir El Haddadi strike secured the Azulgrana's victory.• The starting XIs were:Celtic: Gordon, Janko, Ambrose, O'Connell, Izaguirre, Brown, Bitton, McG... UEFA.com - News

Celtic ease through while Aničić saves Astana

Astana 2-1 Žalgiris (agg: 2-1)Astana, Kazakhstan's first group stage participants last season, were spared an away-goals exit by Marin Aničić's 92nd-minute strike. The centre-back's second of the game – his first was a header from a Patrick Twumasi corner – capped a period of intense late pressure by the hosts, whose Lithuanian opponents scored what seemed a decisive equaliser when Elivelto finished in a one-on-one situation just before the hour.Dudelange 1-1 Qarabağ (agg: 1-3)Reynaldo's fine 94th-minute goal saved two-time UEFA Europa League group stage contenders Qarabağ from defeat in Luxembourg. The second leg might have tak...

Lincoln stun Celtic as Crvena zvezda, BATE win

Lincoln 1-0 CelticBoth Gibraltarian teams came through their respective first qualifying round ties last week, with Europa also progressing in their namesake competition, but perennial champions Lincoln raised the bar again tonight. Celtic had most of the play and twice hit the woodwork but the winner came on 48 minutes though Lee Casciaro, who also was the first to score a compeitive goal for Gibraltar away to Scotland last year. He will be back in Glasgow next Wednesday.Valletta 1-2 Crvena zvezdaCeltic's fellow former European chamions Crevna zvezda only just avoided an upset of their own as they came from behind in Malta. Valletta led ...