Celtic 0 Benfica 0: ammo required for the battles ahead

Chief football writer

Thursday 20 September 2012

CELTIC were so pleased to be back in the Champions League that than 50,000 supporters couldn't take their eyes off a match which had little worth watching.

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Michael Grant at Celtic Park

Their Group G campaign is off to an unbeaten start and no ground was conceded to the two rivals with whom they will surely compete for second best behind Barcelona.

This tense, even match amounted to a solid introduction to elite European football for a set of players who – Scott Brown apart – were new to it. All of them now have a feel for the pace and physicality they will face in the remaining five matches. Their memorable night was easily forgettable, all the same.

It would be an exaggeration of Celtic's status to describe this as two points dropped, but manager Neil Lennon's intention is to qualify and that will certainly be done on the back of productive home form. Benfica have still to score at Parkhead in four visits, and Celtic have still lost only once in 19 group games, but points are going to be enormously difficult to come by given that the next match is away to Spartak Moscow before a double-header against Barcelona.Celtic were a match for Benfica on the night, working tigerishly from start to finish to close and harass them. It was an attitude and commitment matched by the Portuguese, though, and inevitably that resulted in a deserved stalemate. The deafening cheers which had welcomed the teams on to the field and the playing of the iconic Champions League theme tune were replaced at full-time by muted appreciation and respectful applause. This was a reminder that for all the fun and enjoyment of competing at this rarefied level, the football itself is often a gruelling examination. By the end of it the supporters were as drained as the players.Remove all the noise, the anticipation and the spectacle and, in truth, it wasn't much of a game. The teams worked so hard to close each other down that the play never settled into a rhythm. Tackles and interceptions broke up one move and then another.Neither goalkeeper was worked hard enough. Neither team had the creativity or invention to make enough chances or look likely to take one. Neither side could claim they deserved more than a point.Gary Hooper succumbed to the ankle injury he had suffered at St Johnstone on Saturday. Lennon had kept that one quiet and Hooper only made the bench. Kelvin Wilson and Mikael Lustig were the central defenders, with Brown and Victor Wanyama planted in front of them. James Forrest, Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew were an unusual line of three behind Miku. The Venezuelan was making his home debut but he was a disappointment, quiet and unthreatening.Surprisingly Benfica's predatory striker, Oscar Cardozo, was only a substitute too. They had Nemanja Matic as a sitting midfielder and ahead of him four others with Pablo Aimar providing support for Rodrigo, up front on his own.Only once in the first half did Rodrigo spring the Celtic back four and get in on goal. Fraser Forster came racing out to block him and was perhaps lucky not to concede a penalty for bringing the forward down. The Italian referee, Nicola Rizzoli, never saw it and nothing was given. It was a major let-off. Otherwise Forster looked solid, his performance being watched by the England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence in the main stand.The centre of the pitch was choked and rarely did either team emerge from it with a threatening move. Mulgrew was forceful and productive on the left, Wanyama strong in the middle – although an early booking endangered him – and Commons bright and hungry in the final third, but there was little to show for it. Commons scuffed an early shot, later his dangerous cross caused a fright in the Benfica box, and Adam Matthews whipped over a fine delivery which almost found Miku. It wasn't much, though, and Benfica's return was just as modest.Celtic had started aggressively, refusing to allow Benfica to settle into early control of the ball, and it was only as the first half wore on that the visitors began to look more comfortable. More notable than their use of the ball was how hard they worked when Celtic had it. When Celtic's defenders tried to build from the back they were immediately closed down by red-and-black shirts. Aimar and Enzo Perez tried to bother Forster with shots from outside the box.The second half was just as tense, just as even, just as unproductive. Benfica threw on Cardozo after an hour's play and soon he was followed by Hooper, on to support Miku. When Celtic launched one counter-attack Commons had the imagination to try a chip from the half-way line which at least forced Artur to race back to his goalmouth to gather the ball. Otherwise there was little to work the Benfica goalkeeper. Forster was on his toes throughout but he, too, will know tougher nights.Parkhead roared for a penalty nine minutes from time but Forrest had run across Melgarejo and gone down without contact. It was the last big shout of the night. Group G already has what is likely to be its settled pattern: Barcelona clear of the chasing pack, the rest looking to see how much harm they can do to each other.

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Celtic 0 Benfica 0: ammo required for the battles ahead

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