Forty-eight years after staging it’s most famous match Portugal’s Estadio Nacional was again bathed in green and white as Sporting lifted the Portuguese Cup after a penalty shoot-out win over Sporting Braga.
Pictures of the famous stadium flooded social media shortly after the triumph providing flashbacks to the day that changed the shape of European football.
Celtic Park of 2015 bares little resemblance to the ground that provided the platform for Scottish football’s greatest moment but little has changed about the famous venue just outside of Lisbon.
Seats have replaced the terracing but the athletics track remains, one length of the stadium is still at ground level while the presentation gantry is as splendid as it was when Billy McNeill emerged to raise the trophy towards the adoring fans and millions watching on television.
Venha daí essa Taça. #EmModoJamor #DiaDeSporting pic.twitter.com/BiM2VAetK6
— Sporting CP (@Sporting_CP) May 31, 2015
Yesterday’s Sporting triumph won’t be celebrated quite as much but the green and white fans certainly enjoyed the tension and drama of the occasion as they watched their side come out on top despite being down to ten men after conceding a 14th minute penalty to Braga.
In the 25th minute Rafa Silva poked the ball between the legs of Sporting keeper Rui Patrício’s but Marco Silva’s men fought back after the break taking the match into extra time thanks to an 84th minute equaliser from Islam Slimani.
Braga missed three penalties allowing the Lisbon side to take the trophy 5-3 with coach Silva delighted by his side’s first cup triumph since 2008.
“We were lucky in the way that our goals happened but we deserved the result,” he said. “We were down psychologically but managed to pick ourselves up and win. This time we had luck on our side, something that’s sometimes been lacking this season. C’mon the hoops.”.
The Estadio Nacional remains a popular location for Celtic fans of all ages as they take in the glory of the club’s greatest moment. As you approach the ground the images of Celtic’s triumph come flooding back, stepping into a time warp that retains the magic that has been passed down the generations.
