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During the last season of the Champions League group stage, unexpectedly Glasgow Celtic had to fight for victory against Barcelona in Scotland. In the second H group match, the Catalans played without the injured Argentine Lionel Messi.
The task became easier for the home team captain Scott Brown. Finally, in the 76th minute, Cesc Fabregas defeated the Celtic goalkeeper.
"We had control of the ball and the game. In the first half, we couldn't find our rhythm, but in the second half, we did. Our opponents remembered last season's match and tried to do the same in this match.
We played consistently and were focused for the full 90 minutes. I agree with C. Fabregas, who said that in this match, perhaps, we did the best job this season of sticking to the game plan and playing as a team.
It's impossible not to miss L. Messi. There are situations like this when we have to show a good game and aim for victory. And that's what we did tonight," said Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino after the match.
"Our form is good, and we managed to reduce Barcelona's chances of scoring. Until we lost a player. In the first half, we could have passed the ball better, but in the second half, we looked much better. For 25 minutes we were with them, I can't say we were equal teams, but we felt comfortable," said Celtic coach Neil Lennon.
