24 April 2003 – The night that Henrik Larsson made Celtic supporters dream

Originally posted on The Celtic Star | Last updated 4/24/24

Twenty-one years ago today Henrik Larsson scored a late goal in Porto against Boavista to send Celtic into the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, our first European final in 33 years.

Henrik was synonymous for scoring great goals, and this one was anything but, it was a scuffed shot, but it turned out to be one of his most memorable and important in a Celtic shirt.

It was probably the most celebrated goal by a generation of Celtic supporters. It was even comparable with Harald Bratbakk’s title clincher five years previously.

24th April 2003, Celtic beat Boavista 1:0 away to reach the Uefa Cup Final.

Larsson with the winner. pic.twitter.com/tyrXuQ1lt3

— Li’l Ze (@LilZe785) April 23, 2024

Every single Celtic supporter who was at the game, or watching on TV, or listening on the radio will remember the feeling of euphoria when that goal went in. Older supporters would have been thrilled to be witnessing yet another shot at European glory, while the younger generation would have been thrilled to have been sampling it for the first time.

A lot of us such as myself had lived through the lows of the early and mid nineties. A time when trophies were scarce, never mind success in Europe, and now in one kick of a ball we were heading to a European final. It was the stuff of dreams.

The elation when that final whistle went was as good as when Henrik scored that goal. We were in a European final! New legends had been made and we were witnessing it with our own eyes. What a moment! what a memory!

This article first appeared on The Celtic Star and was syndicated with permission.

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