Lisbon Lions
Encyclopedia
The Lisbon Lions is the nickname
given to the Celtic
team that won the European Cup
at the Estádio Nacional
in Lisbon
, Portugal
on 25 May 1967
, defeating Internazionale 2–1. All the members of this team were born within 30 miles (48 km) of Glasgow
, Scotland
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/25/newsid_5071000/5071020.stm Celtic's style was the antithesis of the cynical, but highly effective, defensive style
of Inter. Jimmy Johnstone
described the team's style as "like the Dutch
speeded-up."
Alessandro Mazzola opened the scoring for Inter with a 7th minute penalty, after Jim Craig
brought down Renato Cappellini
. The Italians then retreated into their famous 11-man defence. Inter did not win a single corner and forced Celtic goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson
to make only two saves; Celtic had two shots off the crossbar, and 39 other attempts on goal, 13 of which were saved by Italian goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti
, 7 were blocked or deflected, and only 19 were off-target.
Craig made amends for his penalty mistake on 63 minutes, when he laid off the ball for Tommy Gemmell
to fire home for the Celtic equaliser. With 83 minutes on the clock, Gemmell was allowed space, and he played the ball to Bobby Murdoch
, whose long-range shot was deflected by Steve Chalmers past Sarti into the net.
Celtic were the first British club to win the European Cup, and still the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final. Celtic are one of only two clubs (along with FC Barcelona
of Spain
) to have won a "Quadruple". They reached the final again in 1970 but were beaten 2–1 by Feyenoord
after extra time in the San Siro Stadium in Milan
.
Notes: Celtic did not wear numbers on their shirts at this time. The numbers shown were sewn onto their shorts.
A second goalkeeper was the only substitute allowed at the time.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
given to the Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
team that won the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
at the Estádio Nacional
Estádio Nacional
The Estádio Nacional , also known as Estádio do Jamor, is the Portuguese national football ground. It is located in the Jamor sports complex, in Oeiras, near Lisbon. It was designed by Jacobetty Rosa and the building works started in 1939, with its inauguration happening on 10 June 1944 by the...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on 25 May 1967
1967 European Cup Final
The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966–67 European Cup, the premier club competition run by...
, defeating Internazionale 2–1. All the members of this team were born within 30 miles (48 km) of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/25/newsid_5071000/5071020.stm Celtic's style was the antithesis of the cynical, but highly effective, defensive style
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...
of Inter. Jimmy Johnstone
Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...
described the team's style as "like the Dutch
Total Football
"Total Football" is the label given to an influential tactical theory of association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax from 1969 to 1973, and further used by the Netherlands National Football...
speeded-up."
Alessandro Mazzola opened the scoring for Inter with a 7th minute penalty, after Jim Craig
Jim Craig (footballer)
James "Jim" Philip Craig is a retired footballer who played as a fullback. Most closely associated with Celtic, he was a member of their Lisbon Lions side which won the 1967 European Cup....
brought down Renato Cappellini
Renato Cappellini
Renato Cappellini is a retired Italian professional football player.-External links:*...
. The Italians then retreated into their famous 11-man defence. Inter did not win a single corner and forced Celtic goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson
Ronnie Simpson
Ronald "Ronnie" Campbell Simpson was a Scottish football goalkeeper. He is mainly remembered for his time with Celtic, where he was one of the Lisbon Lions, the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967....
to make only two saves; Celtic had two shots off the crossbar, and 39 other attempts on goal, 13 of which were saved by Italian goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti is a retired Italian professional football player.-Honours:* Serie A champion: 1955/56, 1964/65, 1965/66.* Coppa Italia winner: 1960/61.* European Cup winner: 1963/64, 1964/65....
, 7 were blocked or deflected, and only 19 were off-target.
Craig made amends for his penalty mistake on 63 minutes, when he laid off the ball for Tommy Gemmell
Tommy Gemmell
Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that...
to fire home for the Celtic equaliser. With 83 minutes on the clock, Gemmell was allowed space, and he played the ball to Bobby Murdoch
Bobby Murdoch
Bobby Murdoch was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic and was one of the Lisbon Lions, the Celtic team who won the European Cup in 1967. He and Bertie Auld formed Celtic's central midfield....
, whose long-range shot was deflected by Steve Chalmers past Sarti into the net.
Celtic were the first British club to win the European Cup, and still the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final. Celtic are one of only two clubs (along with FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) to have won a "Quadruple". They reached the final again in 1970 but were beaten 2–1 by Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam
Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division...
after extra time in the San Siro Stadium in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Celtic's European Cup results 1966–67
| 1966–67 European Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Round | Celtic scorers | |
| 28 September 1966 | Celtic Park Celtic Park Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... (H) |
Fußball-Club Zürich | 2–0 | First round, 1st leg | Gemmell Tommy Gemmell Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that... , McBride |
|
| 5 October 1966 | Letzigrund Letzigrund In January 2005, UEFA approved plans to rebuild the stadium for use as a EURO 2008 venue. It hosted 3 matches in the 2008 European Football Championship.... , Zurich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... (A) |
Fußball-Club Zürich | 3–0 | First round, 2nd leg | Gemmell Tommy Gemmell Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that... (2, 1 pen. Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ), Chalmers Stevie Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan.... |
|
| 30 November 1966 | Stade Marcel Saupin Stade Marcel Saupin The Stade Marcel-Saupin is a sports complex in the city of Nantes , France. It was opened in 1937 under the name Stade Malakoff, and was used primarily by the rugby union Stade nantais université club, then became the stadium of FC Nantes after World War II until the club moved to the Stade de la... , Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... (A) |
FC Nantes | 3–1 | Second round, 1st leg | McBride, Lennox Bobby Lennox Robert "Bobby" Lennox, MBE is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic Football Club and was a member of their 1967 European Cup winning team known as the Lisbon Lions. He also earned ten international caps for his national team Scotland... , Chalmers Stevie Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan.... |
|
| 7 December 1966 | Celtic Park Celtic Park Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... (H) |
FC Nantes | 3–1 | Second round, 2nd leg | Johnstone Jimmy Johnstone James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002... , Chalmers Stevie Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan.... , Lennox Bobby Lennox Robert "Bobby" Lennox, MBE is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic Football Club and was a member of their 1967 European Cup winning team known as the Lisbon Lions. He also earned ten international caps for his national team Scotland... |
|
| 1 March 1967 | Stadium of Vojvodina Stadium of Vojvodina Karađorđe Stadium , formerly known as the Stadium of Vojvodina , is a multi-purpose stadium in Novi Sad, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FK Vojvodina. The stadium is capable of holding up to around 20,000 people, although the stadium's seating... , Novi Sad Novi Sad Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river.... (A) |
FK Vojvodina FK Vojvodina FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded... |
0–1 | Quarter-final, 1st leg | n/a | |
| 8 March 1967 | Celtic Park Celtic Park Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... (H) |
FK Vojvodina FK Vojvodina FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded... |
2–0 | Quarter-final, 2nd leg | Chalmers Stevie Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan.... , McNeill Billy McNeill William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic.... |
|
| 12 April 1967 | Celtic Park Celtic Park Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... (H) |
Dukla Prague | 3–1 | Semi-final, 1st leg | Johnstone Jimmy Johnstone James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002... , Wallace William Wallace (footballer) William "Willie" Semple Brown Wallace is a former Scottish football player and coach.-Early career:He started his playing career with Stenhousemuir in 1958, moving to Raith Rovers a year later... (2) |
|
| 25 April 1967 | Stadion Juliska, Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... (A) |
Dukla Prague | 0–0 | Semi-final, 2nd leg | n/a | |
| 25 May 1967 | Estádio Nacional Estádio Nacional The Estádio Nacional , also known as Estádio do Jamor, is the Portuguese national football ground. It is located in the Jamor sports complex, in Oeiras, near Lisbon. It was designed by Jacobetty Rosa and the building works started in 1939, with its inauguration happening on 10 June 1944 by the... , Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... (N) |
Internazionale Milano F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
2–1 | The Final | Gemmell Tommy Gemmell Thomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that... , Chalmers Stevie Chalmers Stevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan.... |
|
The team
- Ronnie SimpsonRonnie SimpsonRonald "Ronnie" Campbell Simpson was a Scottish football goalkeeper. He is mainly remembered for his time with Celtic, where he was one of the Lisbon Lions, the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967....
(Goalkeeper) - Jim CraigJim Craig (footballer)James "Jim" Philip Craig is a retired footballer who played as a fullback. Most closely associated with Celtic, he was a member of their Lisbon Lions side which won the 1967 European Cup....
(Right back) - Tommy GemmellTommy GemmellThomas Gemmell is a former Scottish footballer and manager.He played as left-sided fullback and had powerful shooting ability. In October 1961, he joined Celtic from Coltness United. He was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. In the final he scored a spectacular goal that...
(Left back) - Bobby MurdochBobby MurdochBobby Murdoch was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic and was one of the Lisbon Lions, the Celtic team who won the European Cup in 1967. He and Bertie Auld formed Celtic's central midfield....
(Right half) - Billy McNeillBilly McNeillWilliam "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
(Captain, Centre half) - John Clark (Left half)
- Jimmy JohnstoneJimmy JohnstoneJames Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...
(Outside right) - Willie WallaceWilliam Wallace (footballer)William "Willie" Semple Brown Wallace is a former Scottish football player and coach.-Early career:He started his playing career with Stenhousemuir in 1958, moving to Raith Rovers a year later...
(Inside right) - Stevie ChalmersStevie ChalmersStevie Chalmers is a former Scottish association football player who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for scoring the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter Milan....
(Centre forward) - Bertie AuldBertie AuldRobert "Bertie" Auld is a Scottish former football player and manager, perhaps most notable as a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions side of 1967. As a player, he made more than 200 appearances in the Scottish League playing for Celtic, Dumbarton and Hibernian, and more than 100 in the Football League...
(Inside left) - Bobby LennoxBobby LennoxRobert "Bobby" Lennox, MBE is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic Football Club and was a member of their 1967 European Cup winning team known as the Lisbon Lions. He also earned ten international caps for his national team Scotland...
(Outside left) - John Fallon (substitute Goalkeeper, not used)
- Jock SteinJock SteinJohn 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
(Manager) - Sean Fallon (Assistant Manager)
- Jock Stein
Notes: Celtic did not wear numbers on their shirts at this time. The numbers shown were sewn onto their shorts.
A second goalkeeper was the only substitute allowed at the time.
Squad 1966–67
| ]]}} |
| Celtic's Celtic F.C. Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the... lineup in Lisbon |
External links
- Local Heroes: The story of the Lisbon Lions, by Chris HuntChris HuntChris Hunt is a magazine editor, journalist and author. He has worked in journalism for over twenty years, most often writing about football or rock music. He was managing editor of Match from 1993 to 2001, a period that saw the weekly title become Britain's biggest selling football magazine...
, published in FourFourTwoFourFourTwoFourFourTwo is a football magazine published by Haymarket. Published monthly, costing £4.50, and at about 164 pages long, it published its 200th edition in February 2011...
magazine, June 2007 - Year of Triumph a scanned-in commemorative magazine from 1967.
- Lisbon Lions site in Norwegian.
- Match report from the Guardian, 1967.
- Celtic 67 more recent picture of two of the Lisbon Lions.