Lisbon Lions
First British winners of the European Cup, forged from a squad born within miles of Celtic Park.
The 'Lisbon Lions' is the nickname for the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967. They defeated Inter Milan 2–1 to become the first British club to win the trophy and remain the only Scottish club to reach a final.
- Manager
- Jock Stein
- Captain
- Billy McNeill
- Key Achievement
- 1967 European Cup Winners
- Unique Distinction
- First British team to win the European Cup
- Final Score
- 2-1 vs Inter Milan
Lore & Background
The name likely comes from Sporting Lisbon's lion mascot and both clubs wearing green and white horizontal stripes. While Inter Milan retreated into their famous 11-man defense after scoring a penalty in the 7th minute, Celtic attacked relentlessly with a style described as 'like the Dutch speeded-up.' They recorded 39 other attempts on goal besides two shots off the crossbar. Jimmy Johnstone was part of this attacking force that secured the win despite Inter not winning a single corner.
In Their Own Story
On 25 May 1967, Sandro Mazzola opened the scoring for Inter with a 7th-minute penalty after Jim Craig brought down Renato Cappellini. The Italians then sat deep in defense. Jim Craig made amends on 63 minutes by laying off the ball for Tommy Gemmell to fire home the equalizer. With 83 minutes on the clock, Bobby Murdoch took a long-range shot that Stevie Chalmers deflected past goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti into the net. This victory completed the European Treble, having already won the Scottish top flight, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup.
Reader's Guide
The Lisbon Lions were the first winners of the European Treble and remain the only winners of the Quadruple, adding a Glasgow Cup triumph to their haul in a season where they won five trophies. The squad included John Fallon as an unused substitute goalkeeper; no other substitutes were allowed. Only two players in the 15-man squad were born more than 10 miles from Celtic Park: Bobby Lennox (30 miles away) and Tommy Gemmell (11 miles away). They reached the final again in 1970 but lost 2–1 to Feyenoord.
Did You Know?
- Celtic players wore numbers on their shorts, not their shirts, during the 1967 final.
- Bobby Lennox was the furthest-born squad member at 30 miles from Celtic Park, while Tommy Gemmell was born just 11 miles away in Motherwell.
- Inter Milan did not win a single corner during the match and forced only two saves from goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson.
- Celtic remains the only Scottish club to have reached the European Cup final.
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