Celtic v Leeds United, European Cup semi-final 2nd leg, Hampden Park, 15 April 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki
The stage was set for a massive second leg at Hampden
The stage was set for a massive second leg, but it would not take place in Glasgow’s east end. Celtic had chosen to switch the match to Hampden Park as it would mean a bigger crowd could attend. In the end, there were 136,505 fans officially at the game, although it is believed thousands more gained entry. This remains the record crowd in a UEFA competition.
In a repeat of the first leg, it was the away side that opened the scoring. After 14 minutes, Bremner put his side on level terms. Any further goal from Leeds would give them an away goals advantage, so Celtic now walked a tightrope. By half-time, the sides still could not be separated, but within two minutes of the re-start, John Hughes made it 1-1 on the night.
Hughes had missed the 1967 final was desperate to play in such a match. His goal put Celtic on the way, and then four minutes later, Bobby Murdoch made it 2-1 to the Celtic, meaning 3-1 on aggregate. Despite chances at each end, there was no further scoring. Celtic had won this all-British battle, and were on their way to Italy for the European Cup Final.
Bertie Auld and Bobby Murdoch celebrate Celtic’s 2-1 win on the night, 3-1 on aggregate in the European Cup semi-final at Hampden Park against Leeds United on 15 April 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki
In this game, their opponents would be the Dutch side Feyenoord. They had reached the final after beating KR Reykjavik, AC Milan, Vorwarts Berlin and then Legia Warsaw. Although teams from the Netherlands would go on to enjoy European Cup dominance, this had not yet started. So in a reverse of the 1967 experience, Celtic went into the final as heavy favourites.
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