Football NewsDaily Mail FootballUnverified source· 18 Aug 2026
O'Neill's Celtic Champions League pain lingers 25 years on
A quarter century after Celtic's first Champions League campaign, Martin O'Neill still rues what might have been.
M. O'Neill
coach
Season
2001-02
Points
9
Result
Failed to advance from group
Highlight
3-1 win at Ajax
What happened. Martin O'Neill reflects on Celtic's 2001-02 Champions League group stage exit, believing they should have progressed and still feels aggrieved by a penalty decision in Turin.
- Celtic beat Porto, Rosenborg, and Juventus at home but lost all away games.
- O'Neill cites Porto's UEFA Cup final win as proof of Celtic's quality.
- He recalls the Ajax away win as a great night, praising Didier Agathe's goal.
“Those were big blows for us not to get through the group stages because I felt we could have got to the knockout stages.”
— Martin O'Neill
O'Neill now has another chance to reach the Champions League group stage with Celtic, facing LASK in a play-off.
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