johnreid 
Mark Thompson/Getty Images Sport
One of the memorable European nights at Celtic Park came in November 2006, in a Champions League group stage match against Manchester United, a game which helped to cement one player’s place in Celtic legend.
For a start, the only goal of the game was a memorable free-kick scored by Shunsuke Nakamura in the 80th minute. His 30-yard curling effort into the top corner gave Edwin van der Sar no chance. It has to be considered as one of the best goals that Celtic have ever scored in Europe.
That moment isn’t the one that is being discussed here though, as we look at an incident which happened in the 89th minute of the game, when Manchester United were awarded a penalty, when Shaun Maloney was adjudged to have handled a Ronaldo free-kick.
The man who had the job of preserving Celtic’s lead was goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Not only would a win give Celtic bragging rights over their English neighbours, but it would also mean that the team qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time.
Celtic Park was a cauldron of noise as Louis Saha waited to take the penalty, as fans booed and twirled their scarves in an attempt to put the striker off. The Frenchman composed himself, stepped up…and had his penalty saved by Boruc, as the fans celebrated in style.
Perhaps the best aspect of the save was the power Boruc showed, as the ball didn’t rebound to a Manchester United player, instead it went out of the penalty box completely.
YouTube: Celtic 1-0 Manchester United, 2006
The final whistle blew shortly after the penalty save, and Celtic had recorded one of the club’s best European victories in years.
That save was the making of Boruc’s Celtic career. He went on to make many more saves in big games, but the one against Manchester United was the start of it all, and what a save it was.
It was a pressure situation for Boruc, to ensure that Celtic picked up a momentous win against one of the biggest clubs in football. He handled the situation perfectly, and Celtic could celebrate another great European night.
Nakamura’s admittedly wonderful goal might have overshadowed Boruc’s penalty save to an extent, but when it comes to sheer emotion and excitement, it is hard to beat a vital penalty save, especially if it means that the team goes on to win the game.
Maybe the only thing to match it in football is a last-minute winner. Boruc’s save was as good as a last-minute winner as it ensured that the Hoops picked up the victory. For a moment of drama and excitement, Boruc’s save against Manchester United is hard to beat.
