Police Service Northern Ireland were missing in action as Linfield fans pelted Leigh Griiffiths with missiles.
On Wednesday PSNI found the time to publish a tweet claiming that they had had no impact on the decision of Celtic not to take an allocation of tickets. Celtic contradicted that.
The game was such a security issue that PSNI couldn’t allow it to go ahead on the UEFA arranged dates of July 11 and 12.
During the match there were few likely flashpoints but Celtic taking corners was clearly one of them.
During the first half it was ‘only’ verbal abuse that Griffiths had to contend with but after his first corner in the second half coins were thrown.
Linfield fans throwing coins and a buckfast bottle at Celtic player Leigh Griffiths trying to take a corner pic.twitter.com/Q90lvdf6tK
— Mark McConville (@mark_mac_) July 14, 2017
There is yer @OfficialBlues bottle thrower #uefa #linfield #celtic Bottle clearly in hand #thug #hooligan pic.twitter.com/ucrPdVfjUa
— JuanFran 19????67 (@iamjuanfran) July 14, 2017
At any Scottish fixture like that Police Scotland would swamp the area with officers and stewards but at Windsor Park a different approach was taken.
Just one burly steward ambled along as fans screamed abuse and threw a variety of missiles including a bottle at the Celtic striker.
When UEFA come around to handing out disciplinary action Linfield’s lack of security will be highlighted.
Having cashed in by selling tickets to anyone at all willing to hand over cash they can redirect a big part of that windfall to UEFA- and maybe use the remainder of tonight’s gate money to invest in securing security for opposing players.
Watch the blue hat. pic.twitter.com/IYtFuhpQM4
— tam sellics son (@gibbygibbo1) July 14, 2017