By ALEX HORLOCK
It all got a little bit much for Rod Stewart as he watched his beloved Celtic run out victors against one of the best sides in world football at Parkhead.
The former Faces frontman was in the stands cheering on his Bhoys – on the week of the club’s 125th anniversary – on a momentous night in Glasgow.
Victor Wanyama and teenager Tony Watt bagged a goal a piece, as a Lionel Messi-led fightback came all too late for the Spanish giants, handing Celtic a 2-1 win.
But as the swathes of Celtic fans bounced to the tune of Depeche Mode’s I Just Can’t Get Enough at the final whistle and Neil Lennon ran onto the pitch, an overwhelmed Stewart was left in flood of tears as he came to grips with one of Celtic’s great nights in European competition across the ages.
As he blubbers uncontrollably and holds a handkerchief to his eyes and mouth, a friend grabs him as if to say: ‘We’ve done it!’
Celtic were unable to hang on for a draw two weeks ago at the Nou Camp, where Jordi Alba grabbed a last-dicth winner after Barca relentlessly pressed throughout the second half.
But this time a robust Celtic outfit were more than up to the task.
Messi finally beat the near-impregnable Fraser Forster just after the 90th minute, but there wasn’t enough time for Tito Vilanova’s men to spoil the party this time.
So strong is the 67-year-old rocker’s love for Celtic, that he mentions the club in his 1977 hit You’re In My Heart.
He sings: ‘You’re an essay in glamour/Please pardon the grammar/But you’re every schoolboy’s dream/You’re Celtic, United, but baby I’ve decided/You’re the best team I’ve ever seen’
But based on the images on Sky Sports after Celtic’s 2-1 win, another of his hits springs to mind.
‘It’s a heartache, nothing but a heartache…’
