SIX years is long overdue for a repayment, even for a Czech.
Yet, Jiri Jarosik will be delighted if Celtic collect three priceless Champions League points tonight. The former Celtic midfielder was robbed of a place in the club's history in 2007 at San Siro when AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini blatantly handled Jarosik's netbound shot.
Watching his former team-mate Neil Lennon become the first Celtic manager to get a victory on Italian soil in European competition would be deeply satisfying for the man who scored two Champions League goals during his time with Celtic and would have had a third had it not been for Maldini.
Gordon Strachan's team could have reached the quarter-finals in March 2007; their last-16 tie was locked in stalemate after two games without a goal. Instead, it was Kaka who conjured up a winner in extra time and Milan went on to lift the trophy. Even the normally cool Czech was screaming for a penalty that night and the 35-year-old admits it still rankles. "I looked at a clip on the internet last night and it was 100% a penalty," insisted Jarosik.
"If we had got a penalty that night, we might have had a chance of beating Milan - but it is normal in Europe for the referee to help the biggest clubs. We had no luck that night. Kaka was brilliant and there was nothing we could do to stop the goal he scored," he added.
"I would love it if [Lennon] could win there. I keep an eye on all my old clubs but I was really pleased to see Celtic do so well last year and beating Barcelona was incredible."
Jarosik may have gained some revenge just seven months later when Milan came to Celtic Park in the 2007/08 Champions League group stage and Strachan's team claimed the scalp of the European champions with Scott McDonald's late winner. But he believes that Lennon's side are capable of doing what no previous Celtic team has managed in four previous attempts: win at San Siro.
"I think Celtic have a better chance against Milan now than the side we faced," said Jarosik, who is currently playing his football in Spain, with Deportivo Alaves, the 2001 Uefa Cup runners-up. "Milan are still one of the biggest clubs in the world but they are not as strong as they were. They cannot buy players the way they used to and I was surprised they sold Kevin Prince-Boateng to Schalke right before the group stage.
"It is very difficult to win in the San Siro but Neil seems to have Celtic playing better away from home in Europe than they used to."
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