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Celtic on this Day – Racing Club players spat, kicked and tripped at Hampden | OneFootball

AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT AT HAMPDEN PARK: Tactics, Tactics, Tactics!

Ah, October 18, 1967! A date etched in the annals of football history, where the beautiful game met sheer chaos at Hampden Park! Imagine it: Celtic versus Racing Club of Argentina, a titanic clash of titans that was more akin to a wrestling match on a pitch than a football match. If Shakespeare was alive today, he’d have said, “The play’s the thing,” but watching that match, you’d have thought, “More like a boxing match with less biting and far more kicking!”

THE INTERCONTINENTAL CUP

Now let’s talk about the Intercontinental Cup—where the rules were as befuddling as trying to understand what a ‘soft Brexit’ means! Instead of your traditional old points system, teams earned two points for a win, one for a draw, and let’s face it, zero points if you ended up on the losing end of a furious foot race. In a world where you can get a medal for just showing up, it made about as much sense as wearing Crocs with socks!

Celtic clinched the first leg with a narrow 1-0 victory, which in turn plunged us into a mathematical nightmare when Racing got their own back winning 2-1, resulting in a play-off. It was like a twist straight out of a soap opera. We’re watching a football match, not an episode of “EastEnders”!

AND THEN, AS IF SCRIPTED…

Enter the controversy! Jimmy Johnstone’s eligibility was on thin ice, like a toddler on a frozen pond. Meanwhile, Humberto Maschio from Racing Club took a holiday on the sidelines due to a six-game suspension, which sounds like something I’d do after a particularly rowdy night out! But hey, FIFA’s lack of sanctioning meant both teams went rogue, fielding their best regardless. Johnstone and Maschio entering the pitch had all the drama of a poorly written thriller: Will they? Won’t they? Spoiler alert: they did!

And just look at Racing Club! Arriving in Scotland and complaining about the weather like it was the end of the world! “Rain? You call this a game? Where’s our sunny beach?” Oh, bless! It’s football—everyone knows you play through rain, hail, and the occasional chicken crossing the road!

JOCK STEIN: MYTH OR LEGEND?

Then there’s Jock Stein and his meticulous pre-match preparation. You can picture him, clipboard in hand, analyzing every angle like a mad scientist! Meanwhile, Racing Club just took a weeklong vacation, presumably sipping mate and asking for “extra hot” in a Scottish pub! Who does that? Oh wait, it’s footballers; they operate on their own frequency, often akin to a cat trying to learn the piano!

Game day arrives, and everything goes off script! Celtic couldn’t find their rhythm, while Racing arrived fully inviting chaos as if they were auditioning for a role in “Mad Max.” Johnstone left the field more soaked than a sponge at a dish-washing convention. He returned to the dressing room like a contestant on “Survivor,” hair dripping with spit—charming, right?

BILLY MCNEILL: THE UNSUNG HERO

But amidst this madness, Billy McNeill emerges like the quintessential hero—scoring the only goal, albeit with a black eye to show for it. The man took a blow for the team, literally! You have to admire McNeill; he scored with grace while dodging a flying elbow, and let’s not forget Bertie Auld and Bobby Lennox, who turned the pitch into a personal hospital with all the knocks and cuts going around. “Football is a contact sport,” they said. “But this is just ridiculous!”

All said, it’s no surprise that Juan Jose Rodriguez earned the unofficial title as *the nastiest opponent ever to grace a Celtic fixture*. If that man had a resume, it’d simply read: “Professional Kickboxer” with closing remarks, “Might also play football.”

A ROLLERCOASTER OF A NIGHT!

What a night! Over 90,000 fans create an electric atmosphere while Celtic raked in a record gate receipt of £60,000—a fortune! But in the end, the story was muddied by the tactics of Racing Club more so than by the scoreline itself. Jock Stein and his incredible squad may have made history, but the brilliance of the match lies overshadowed by the thuggery that unfolded. One can only hope every meeting of future Celtic teams against the likes of Racing Club ends up being just a tad… friendlier!

As we reminisce about this moment, let’s give a nod to Celtic history—not just for the wins but for the unforgettable spectacles that make it the beautiful game… or at least a somewhat beautiful mess!