I got home from Dortmund on Wednesday evening after a great away trip meeting up with friends from around the globe who made the journey. Everything was great until kick off time. Planes, Trains and Automobiles all on time. We had a great night in Dusseldorf meeting up with friends for drinks, a catch up and a singsong.
I arrived at the stadium early on match day and settled into a bar close to the turnstiles. The home fans were welcoming, and the bar was not a rip off for food and drinks. There was no hassle at the turnstiles and the Police kept a low profile. (Although the next day on social media I saw the video of the Celtic fan who was wrestled to the ground by several heavy-handed Police officers for having a Palestine flag.)
After not getting into the game against Lazio last season I made sure I was inside in plenty of time. On the concourse both sets of fans mixed with each other before going into their own sections.
My ticket was for section 60 and come kick off time, the terrace was overcrowded but everyone was in good form and the buildup to kick off could have been better. Murdo and Paul Lambert were on the pitch before kickoff getting interviewed. Celtic fans were in full voice and when the stadium filled up the atmosphere was as good as any away game I have been at.
The famous Dortmund fans in the Yellow Wall lived up to expectations with a UEFA MAFIA banner while in the away end Celtic fans from the Green Brigade highlighted the plight of the Palestine People. The T-Shirt Protest reminded me of the SACK THE BOARD protest at Celtic Park back in the 1990’s.
Both clubs will likely be fined by UEFA. Dortmund for the banners and Celtic for the clever protest and the flares. YNWA was special before the game kicked off. Maeda’s equalizer was the only highlight for the travelling fans, and we got soaked with beer as we celebrated the goal. It was all downhill after that.
By now you will have digested the game, the performance, how good the home team were, how easily Celtic gave the ball away. You will have read the match reports, listened to the post match interviews and watched the highlights of the game back.
It is now time to dust ourselves down. Celtic must now bounce back on Sunday away to Ross County. The Celtic Fans will travel up North by the bus loads and will be there to cheer on the Bhoys once again. After a difficult few days for Brendan Rodgers, he picked up the Manager of the month for September.
Adam Idah picked up goal of the month for his goal v St. Johnstone last week. It will be interesting to see if he gets the nod to start and what changes the manager will make. Celtic should be too strong for the home team, and I expect them to continue their impressive start to the domestic season.
Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes
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