Celtic 2 Shakhtar Donetsk 1: 'Huge heart and sheer guts' carry Celtic to dramatic win
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Your support makes all the difference.Gordon Strachan praised the "huge heart" of his side after Massimo Donati fired an injury-time winner to boost Celtic's hopes of Champions League progress after another incredible European night at Parkhead.
The Hoops gifted Brandao a fourth-minute opener and their chances seemed to be disintegrating as Lee Naylor and John Kennedy were carried off injured. But Jiri Jarosik volleyed a 45th-minute equaliser and Donati put them three points above Shakhtar with virtually the last kick of the game as he found the bottom corner from Aiden McGeady's cutback at the end of two minutes of injury time.
"For sheer guts that's as good as it gets," Strachan said. "Just when you think you have seen it all, you can never know what's going to happen.
"Losing a stupid goal, ending up with a midfielder playing left-back, a centre-half at right-back [Gary Caldwell] and someone who has not played for five months who is 34 [Steven Pressley]. How did we win the game? The simple answer is with a huge heart."
Celtic fell behind after just four minutes following a mistake by Kennedy, who headed against Brandao for the Brazilian to score.
Jarosik fired a splendid equaliser with a dipping volley from the edge of the penalty area but then missed a gilt-edged chance to put Celtic in front in first-half injury time. However, Donati's last-gasp winner made amends and means a point from their last game against Milan at San Siro on Tuesday will put Strachan's side in the last 16.
Celtic (4-4-2):Boruc; Caldwell, Kennedy (Pressley, 41), McManus, Naylor (Donati, 16); McGeady, Hartley, S Brown, Jarosik; Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen, 79), McDonald. Substitutes not used: M Brown (gk), Zurawski, Sno, Caddis.
Shakhtar Donetsk (4-4-2): Pyatov; Srna, Kucher, Chygrynskiy, Rat; Ilsinho (Yezerskiy, 83), Hubschman, Lewandowski, Jadson; Brandao, Lucarelli (Gladkiy, 83). Substitutes not used: Shust (gk), Duljaj, Vukic, Shevchuk, Beylyk.
Referee: B Layec (France).
Champions League Group D
Remaining fixtures: 4 December: Milan v Celtic; Shakhtar Donetsk v Benfica.
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