Champions League Qualifying Round: Wednesday August 22nd

Celtic 0

Ajax 1

0:1 Wamberto (29)

Att: 58,575

Ref: Braschi (Italy)

Celtic: Douglas; Valgaeren, Mjallby, Boyd; Agathe, Lennon, McNamara (Moravcik 71), Lambert, Guppy; Sutton, Larsson

OK first things first. We did it. For the first time we've qualified for the Champions League group stages. No more will we associate that horrendously pompous music will the huns getting battered It's our turn to carry the fight.

But it was a long nervous evening. The collective nerve endings and finger nails took a pounding.

The nerves that permeated the Livingston game were seen in full living colour after the opening five minutes, during which time we had pinned them back as our normally dependable midfield generals Lambert and Lennon began to give up possession with alarming regularity.

Despite all the injury scares Mjallby and Joos both started, although their fitness could certainly be called into doubt, especially given that Joos went for knee surgery after the game.

Fortunately we had two players who weren't joining in with this collective hiding under the bed exercise; Sutton, who gave yet another Man of the Match performance, especially with his magnificent shielding of the ball in the corner, and Rab Douglas.

Douglas has surely won over the fans now with his start to the season. He was superb in Amsterdam, and he made three vital saves here. It's safe to say that if everyone hadn't been praying so hard his name would been sung loud.

Larsson had, for him, a quiet-ish game, but he did have two people on him and was the victim of an outrageous assault in the first half. It was a night when the ball just didn't roll for him. And after all, we didn't actually have to score.

The goal the Ajax got was rather good - a couple of one-twos and an excellent finish. Given that Douglas had already foiled them in a one on one the goal was certainly merrited on balance of play.

And Douglas had to make another fine save right after the goal.

The second half was a bit more relaxed as the minutes ticked away, come the final whistle there was relief that we had finally made, but a touch of irritation that we couldn't reproduce the form of the away leg. Ajax certainly proved they were no mugs, and there can't have been too many ties where the home team was so badly outplayed in both legs, but it was nice for once to be on the winning end of a hard luck story.