All to play for at Saint Jakob

By Craig Swan

Celtic FC and FC Basel have both found reasons to be cheerful in the aftermath of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first-leg last night.

All to play for
The Scottish champions may have beaten the Swiss title-holders 3-1 at Celtic Park but the tie is anything but over with the second leg in Switzerland to come on Wednesday week. Celtic, who performed admirably in last season's first group stage, went behind to a Christian Gimenez goal after just 80 seconds but managed to fight back in style against an exciting Basel side.

Unlikely hero
Mohammed Sylla was the unlikely hero for the Glasgow club, hitting a stunning late volley, following earlier goals for Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton. The Ivory Coast wing-back was only in the side because an injury kept Didier Agathe on the sidelines, and he fully expects to be replaced for the second leg.

Team spirit
"I know that Didier could be fit for the second game and that he will play ahead of me," said Sylla. "That is OK though - I'll be happy for him. Didier is my friend and, anyway, Celtic is all about everyone in the squad and we will need that attitude when we go to Switzerland."

O'Neill delighted
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill was hugely relieved to be taking a two-goal advantage to the Saint Jakob stadium, but is adamant the contest could still go either way. O'Neill said: "This tie is far from over. It is so finely balanced. I'm delighted that we managed to gain a 3-1 lead and we are well capable of scoring in Basel."

'A good side'
"Basel proved they are a very good side with very clever, international class players," O'Neill added. "We had to dig very deep in the first leg because it is a long, long way back when you lose a goal after just 80 seconds. Four or five of my players hadn't even touched the ball at that stage. It is going to be so, so tight in Basel, but it may help us that they have to chase the game."

Gross going for it
Celtic will need to be at their best in Switzerland because for long spells in Glasgow they were given a torrid time. Christian Gross's men played impressively and the away goal means a 2-0 home victory would be enough, a result they are more than capable of achieving. Not least, because the coach has pledged to "attack, attack, attack".

'Always optimistic'
"Our performance in Glasgow was good, but I was disappointed with the result," said Gross. "But I can assure you that we will attack from the first minute in our home leg. It is going to be very difficult for us in Basel because players such as Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton are great counterattacking men. But I always stay optimistic."

Note of caution
There will be 29,000 supporters cheering on the hosts in Basel meaning the Swiss team will have no need for extra motivation. Striker Julio Rossi has sounded a note of caution, though. "Celtic have the players to make it very tough for us in Basel," he said. "We were heartened by the way we managed to create chances in Glasgow, but we realise that this will be a different match in the second leg."