Celtic Football Club

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Celtic's European history began with a loss to Valencia in 1962, but they quickly progressed. In 1963-64, John Hughes scored a hat-trick against Basel. The club reached the 1970 final, losing 2-1 to Feyenoord after extra time and a coin toss decided the semi-final against Benfica. In 2003, Celtic reached the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, losing 3-2 to Porto after extra time; Henrik Larsson scored twice in that match.

In Their Own Story

On 25 May 1967 at the Estádio Nacional near Lisbon, Celtic defeated Inter Milan. After falling behind 1-0 to a Sandro Mazzola penalty, Tommy Gemmell equalized with a powerful shot. Stevie Chalmers diverted a long-range effort from Bobby Murdoch past goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti for the winner. The side, known as the 'Lisbon Lions', became the first team outside Spain, Portugal, or Italy to win the competition.

Reader's Guide

Celtic has competed in every UEFA-organized competition since 1962–63, excluding the UEFA Super Cup and Intertoto Cup. Key milestones include the 1967 European Cup victory, a second final appearance lost to Feyenoord in 1970, and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final loss to Porto. Scott Brown holds the club record with 127 European appearances, while Henrik Larsson is the top scorer with 35 goals.

Did You Know?

• Celtic was the first British and Scottish team to win the European Cup, defeating Inter Milan in the 1967 final.
• Scott Brown holds the club record for most European appearances with 127 matches played.
• Henrik Larsson is Celtic's all-time top scorer in Europe with 35 goals, including two in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
• Celtic reached the 1970 final but lost to Feyenoord; they remain the only Scottish club to reach a European Cup final.
• In 1968, Celtic sent a telegram to UEFA condemning the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, leading UEFA to redraw the first-round fixtures.