Champions League
CelticCeltic3Man CityManchester City3

Champions League: Celtic 3-3 Manchester City

By Tom EnglishBBC Scotland at Celtic Park
Moussa Dembele scores
Moussa Dembele scored two of Celtic's goals

Celtic claimed their first Champions League Group C point as Pep Guardiola's perfect record in charge of Manchester City was ended with a draw in Glasgow.

The hosts led twice in the first half, Moussa Dembele diverting in Erik Sviatchenko's header and Kieran Tierney forcing an own goal by Raheem Sterling.

Fernandinho's strike brought City level first time and Sterling showed composure to net the visitors' second.

Nolito equalised for the visitors again after Dembele had netted on the turn.

Pep Guardiola and Brendan Rodgers
Guardiola (left) watched his side fail to win for the first time this season against Rodgers' Celtic

Barcelona's win over Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany keeps the Spaniards top of the group with City two points behind in second. The top two meet in Barcelona on 19 October.

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic hold a one-point advantage over bottom side Gladbach going into their meeting in Glasgow.

The electricity was crackling around Celtic Park even before a ball had been kicked, the home crowd unleashing noise and colour and every ounce of passion in their bodies on the visitors. All of that emotion came thundering in again when Dembele stunned City.

Scott Sinclair's free-kick, James Forrest's first-time cross, Sviatchenko's diving header and in off Dembele - already a Celtic cult hero at the tender age of 20. In attack, and defence, Dembele was terrific.

In those opening minutes City looked like a team that were not ready for Celtic's intensity. They looked a bit shocked to be involved in a fight. Class will out, though. Fernandinho equalised after latching on to Aleksandar Kolarov's shot and the epic was truly up and running.

Manchester City celebrate
Fernandinho (left) scored one and threatened again in the second half

Celtic retook the lead with a counter-attack of such quality that it could have carried the Guardiola trademark. Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic did wonderfully to launch it, the Australian setting Tierney free down the left.

The teenager, as beloved a full-back as any in these parts since Danny McGrain was tearing it up, cut in, shot and saw his attempt deflected in off Sterling's boot. Cue more pandemonium.

Cue City's brilliance too. Brown was too easily dispossessed and City sliced through, David Silva playing a sumptuous pass to the magnificent Sterling, who finished with all the class of a player reborn under his new manager.

Raheem Sterling scores
Sterling finished well minutes after being credited with an own goal

City's defensive malaise carried on at the start of the second half. Kolarov, playing fitfully at centre-half, was desperately poor in the build-up to Celtic's third. When Tierney put in a cross, City's rearguard was in a comatose state. Dembele had time to take it down and hook it behind him and beyond Claudio Bravo.

This was brilliantly bonkers and the atmosphere intensified when Sergio Aguero forced a fine save from Craig Gordon only for the impressive Nolito to put away the loose ball.

City took control, pinning a tiring Celtic back and threatening to sicken them with a winner. Fernandinho launched a rocket that flew just over. Gundogan's shot hit off Sviatchenko and Gordon and went out. City pressed and pressed.

A noise I've never heard before - Rodgers

The heart from the home team was immense. Some of them were out on their feet before the end, but they dug in, throwing themselves in front of shots and crosses, surviving. They deserved to. City could hardly disagree that the underdogs merited their point.

Immense stuff in Glasgow's east end.

Guardiola 'satisfied' with City draw

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola: "It was maybe a good lesson for us, how important it is to start well. It is not easy to recover one goal, imagine two, imagine three.

"It was mentally a shock at the start of each half, to concede a goal after two minutes. In the second half, aside from the first five or 10 minutes we played well, we created chances.

"They scored three and but didn't make many more chances, we created enough chances to win the game."

Line-ups

Celtic

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Gordon
  • 23Lustig
  • 2K Touré
  • 28Sviatchenko
  • 63Tierney
  • 8Brown
  • 6BittonSubstituted forGriffithsat 84'minutes
  • 49ForrestSubstituted forRobertsat 81'minutes
  • 18RogicSubstituted forS Armstrongat 57'minutes
  • 11Sinclair
  • 10Dembele

Substitutes

  • 5Simunovic
  • 9Griffiths
  • 12Gamboa
  • 14S Armstrong
  • 24de Vries
  • 27Roberts
  • 42McGregor

Man City

Formation 4-1-4-1

  • 1Bravo
  • 5Zabaleta
  • 30Otamendi
  • 11Kolarov
  • 22ClichySubstituted forStonesat 73'minutes
  • 25Fernandinho
  • 7Sterling
  • 8Gündogan
  • 21Silva
  • 9NolitoSubstituted forRegesat 76'minutes
  • 10Agüero

Substitutes

  • 3Sagna
  • 6Reges
  • 13Caballero
  • 15Navas
  • 19Sané
  • 24Stones
  • 72Iheanacho
Referee:
Nicola Rizzoli
Attendance:
57,592

Match Stats

Home TeamCelticAway TeamMan City
Possession
Home39%
Away61%
Shots
Home9
Away24
Shots on Target
Home3
Away9
Corners
Home4
Away9
Fouls
Home8
Away8

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Celtic 3, Manchester City 3.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Celtic 3, Manchester City 3.

  3. Post update

    Attempt missed. Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a corner.

  4. Post update

    Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Kolo Touré.

  5. Post update

    Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Craig Gordon.

  6. Post update

    Attempt saved. Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.

  7. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.

  8. Post update

    Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Erik Sviatchenko.

  9. Post update

    Offside, Celtic. Kolo Touré tries a through ball, but Leigh Griffiths is caught offside.

  10. Substitution

    Substitution, Celtic. Leigh Griffiths replaces Nir Bitton.

  11. Post update

    Attempt missed. Fernandinho (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Raheem Sterling.

  12. Substitution

    Substitution, Celtic. Patrick Roberts replaces James Forrest.

  13. Post update

    Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Mikael Lustig.

  14. Substitution

    Substitution, Manchester City. Fernando replaces Nolito.

  15. Substitution

    Substitution, Manchester City. John Stones replaces Gaël Clichy.

  16. Post update

    Foul by David Silva (Manchester City).

  17. Post update

    Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  18. Post update

    Gaël Clichy (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  19. Post update

    Foul by James Forrest (Celtic).

  20. Post update

    Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Wednesday 28th September 2016

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Arsenal21103124
2PSG21104224
3FC Basel201113-21
4Ludogorets201124-21

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Napoli22006336
2Besiktas20202202
3Benfica201135-21
4Dynamo Kyiv201123-11

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Barcelona22009186
2Man City21107344
3Celtic2011310-71
4B Mgladbach200216-50

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Atl Madrid22002026
2Bayern Munich21015143
3FC Rostov201127-51
4PSV Eindhoven201123-11

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Monaco21103214
2Tottenham21012203
3B Leverkusen20203302
4CSKA Moscow201123-11

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1B Dortmund21108264
2Real Madrid21104314
3Sporting21013213
4Legia Warsaw200208-80

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Leicester22004046
2FC Copenhagen21105144
3FC Porto201112-11
4Club Bruges200207-70

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Juventus21104044
2Sevilla21101014
3Lyon21013123
4Dinamo Zagreb200207-70
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