A BALL spiralling out of the night sky precipitated a moment that told the casual observer everything one needs to know about Champions League nights at Celtic Park and about Derk Boerrigter, a recruit the Scottish champions will be hoping can lead a successful assault on Group H.
As the desperate clearance headed towards the Shakhter Karagandy midfield, the roars of 50,000 anguished souls were stilled by an assured touch from the Dutchman and his subsequent brisk dash with the ball to the other end of the pitch.
This illustrated two truths: the crowd at Parkhead on Champions League business are loud and volatile and that Boerrigter is a player of poise and confidence.
He talked energetically about these subjects at the club's training ground yesterday. The 26-year old may have had a smile when he insisted Ajax, his former club, were weaker because of his departure but he was serious about Celtic facing a depleted Dutch club in the group stages of the Champions League.
"Ajax have lost a couple of important players," he said in reference to Christian Eriksen, who cost Tottenham Hotspur £11.5m, and Toby Alderweireld, who joined Atletico Mardird for £5m, plus, of course, Mr Boerritger himself, who cost Celtic £2m.
He also praised, with some sincerity, the atmosphere produced at Celtic Park before claiming that his inside knowledge of Ajax and the power of the Celtic support could help the Scottish champions overcome their Dutch counterparts.
He said the departures of Eriksen and Alderweireld deprived Ajax of quality in attack and in the back line respectively and he looked forward to apprising Neil Lennon of the strengths and weaknesses of his former club.
"I can help the manager prepare for the game, " he said of the first tie against the Dutch on October 22 at Celtic Park.
"I played there for two years and I know everything about the team and the players. I know how they play, who takes the free-kicks; everything. I will speak to the manager and give him the information he needs. I will tell him everything," he said.
He accepted Ajax were a top-class side but said they would be surprised by the fervour of the Parkhead crowd. "When I went into the game I had goosebumps, it was amazing," he said of his appearance as a substitute against Karagandy. "There was so much noise and it was by far the best atmosphere I've played in."
Boerritger played in the Champions League last year in a group that included Manchester City, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. "But this was totally different," he said of the Karagandy match. "It was just amazing. The Ajax players won't have ever experienced this before so they will be overwhelmed by it."
Of course, Ronald de Boer, the Ajax coach, will be familiar with Celtic Park after his spell as a Rangers player from 2000 to 2004.
Boerritger played down suggestions of a rift between him and the coach. "I don't feel I have anything to prove to de Boer. I'll just try to play my own game and be important for Celtic," he said.
Of de Boer, he added: "In the beginning I had a very good relationship with him. I played every game. He could wait for me to get fit again after I got my back injury.
"But when I was fit again, I got another injury in my back. I broke a bone and it kept me out for a long time again. When I finally got back, I wasn't that fit any more. The speed I had wasn't there any more. I didn't perform very well and it was a hard time for me."
He was philosophical about his absence from the first team. "Of course, he needs to win games and if he has a player who doesn't perform very well, he has to leave him out. It's as easy as that. I don't blame him," he said.
Boerritger said his experience at Ajax had made him mentally strong because the Amsterdam side are expected to win the championship and compete successfully in Europe. He was aware the same applies in Glasgow and was upbeat about his new side's chances in Group H.
"Barcelona and AC Milan probably feel they will go through, with Celtic and Ajax fighting for third. I don't think that's unfair, I understand it," he said.
"They have a great record in the Champions League over the years - but we are Celtic, we're a big club, and we'll try to get as many points as we can to see how far we can go. I think we can go far."
The matches against his former side may be restricted to deciding who finishes third in the group and Boerritger said: "To survive in Europe beyond the group stage must be the target. We would prefer the Champions League, but the Europa League would also be okay." There are matches to be played, opponents to overcome before that, though. Boerritger can spend the international break bringing his fitness up to optimum levels before the start of the Champions League campaign.
"It's tough, hard football," he said of his first impressions of the Scottish game. "Here everyone plays with so much passion - they'll kill you if they have to. But it's good. It makes you stronger."
He will need every ounce of that strength to face the expected battles of Group H.
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