Celtic were up against it in the opening minutes in the Nou Camp.
Already a goal down in Barcelona thanks to Lionel Messi’s strike after three minutes, the Scottish champions were facing the prospect of a long, long night in Catalonia.
The prospect of keeping Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez quiet would have caused some sweaty palms for Hoops defenders.
Thankfully for all those that hold Celtic dear to their hearts, Kolo Toure was on hand to thwart Barca’s attempts to almost instantly double their lead.
Once again, Messi was involved, threading a pass to Jordi Alba into the Celtic area. As he nudged the ball across the six yard box, it seemed a certainty that Luis Suarez would be presented with a tap in.
Kolo, however, had other ideas. Sprinting back towards his own goal, the Ivorian thrashed a right leg at the ball, deliberately smashing it against his own post so that it rebounded to safety.
https://twitter.com/JuzaShannon/status/775770043892264960
A quite magnificent piece of improvised defending from the 35-year-old… even if the offside flag had already gone up against Alba. But Toure takes no chances.
Unfortunately, Toure was powerless to stop Messi from eventually getting his second before half-time, after Celtic spurned the chance to draw level from the penalty spot.
The GAA Hour took their show on the road to Castlebar to preview the All-Ireland final with Colm Parkinson, James Horan and some very special guests. Listen below or subscribe here on iTunes.
