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Celtic face anxious wait

A great night at Parkhead was tainted by the idiocy of one Celtic fan and the unsporting behaviour of the AC Milan goalkeeper
A great night at Parkhead was tainted by the idiocy of one Celtic fan and the unsporting behaviour of the AC Milan goalkeeper

Celtic will face a nervous few days before they find out if they have a case to answer following the controversial ending to their Champions League win over AC Milan at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

An 89th-minute strike by Scott McDonald gave the Scottish champions their first win over the Rossoneri in seven attempts but his late goal sparked off a controversial incident involving Milan keeper Dida who had pushed Gary Caldwell's shot back into the path of the former Motherwell striker.

A supporter rushed on to the pitch and appeared to brush his hand against the Brazilian who, after initially chasing the invader, collapsed to the ground in a heap.

After some medical attention, Dida was replaced by Zeljko Kalac seconds before the final whistle blew.

Celtic will carry out a ‘full investigation’ but they will have to wait until Friday to find out if referee Markus Merk or UEFA delegate Andreas Akkelides have included the incident in their match reports.

AC Milan officials accept that the incident did not affect the result and will therefore not make an official complaint but UEFA could act which will worry the Parkhead club.

Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani confirmed the Serie A side would not be looking to reverse the result.

Local police, meanwhile, are investigating the incident.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan refused to let the incident spoil what was an amazing result for the Hoops and Scottish football, coming as it did on the back of Rangers' remarkable 3-0 win over Lyon in France the night before.

He said: ‘I never see anything. I'm like the fourth official, I never see anything at any time.’

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti played down the incident involving Dida saying: ‘I didn't see it at the time, I have only seen it on a replay. It had nothing to do with the result.

‘I don't know if we will be appealing to UEFA but I think not.’

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