Let’s hear it for the Bhoys! Celts Reach Last sixteen for the second consecutive year!

Celtic’s progress to the latter stages of Europe’s premier club competition was confirmed last night after a one-nil defeat to AC Milan at the San Siro. The nature of the tie was surreal after Benfica managed to dot he impossible and beat Donetsk in the Ukraine.

Milan’s scorer Fillipo Inzaghi wrote a new chapter in European football breaking Gerd Mullers long standing goal-scoring record as Milan turned the screw on an incongruent Celtic who looked though they were content to allow Benfica to do the goal scoring duties on their behalf.

That aside however, Celtic’s home performances and record has earned them the right to dine at the big boy’s table but as Stephen McManus put it "it wasn’t a team performance".

Strachan was also honest on his appraisal of the game "The most enjoyable part is the fact we are through," Strachan said afterwards. "I am still taking in the game itself. The coaching staff, chairman tell me it is a fantastic achievement but I'm still analysing the game. It was a tough group. After two games, Shakhtar were favourites to go though. For us to achieve nine points was terrific."

However, he insisted: "We must, if we are to do better, improve away from home. You must excuse me for dwelling on the negatives when there have been so many positives in the campaign so far. But we must do better away from home. I am desperate to sort that out."

The Celtic manager stressed that the next task was "to find out why we don't do well away from home in Europe and do something about it.

Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan coach, was pleased to go through as group winners. He said: "We controlled the game. We deserved to win. We had difficulties in the first half, but we had the right pace about our game in the second."

He said of Inzaghi's record: "We could see foresee it. He wanted the goal so much. He trained for it, he worked for it."

He praised Celtic for being "well organised, with good physical strength and good aerial play."

However, he stressed: "The fans are very important for Celtic, especially in the home matches."

You better believe it Carlo.

The news that Scott Brown will miss the first leg of the next tie is a worry however. Brown will look back at that impetuously rash challenge as an unnecessary yellow card that will see him miss out on the experience of playing away in the latter stages of the competition.

So it is with glee that we welcome the positive end to the Group campaign of this years competition, this game is unlikely to ever end up as a memorable European performance for most Celtic fans but we will enjoy the moment none the less.

Yours in Celtic

Clydebuilt