Celtic gained some dividends on Saturday evening without even kicking a ball. AEK Athens took on Dinamo Zagreb in Champions League qualifying, and the result of the match aided the Bhoys majorly.
The Greek and Croatian champions played out the second leg of their third-round Champions League qualifier last night. In the first leg, AEK Athens were 2-1 victors over in Croatia, but when Zagreb were 2-0 up, and resultantly 3-2 up on aggregate in the ninetieth minute of the second leg, many thought they had victory in the bag.
Despite this, Athens fought back and drew level in the third minute of stoppage time. The match rumbled on, and the hosts found a winner in the 111th minute of the game, thanks to veteran defender Domagoj Vida, who netted against his old team.
This goal sent the Greek champions through Zagreb packing, which was positive for Celtic. This is because the Croatians are above the Hoops in UEFA’s ten-year coefficient ranking.
This, combined with the fact they will no longer be playing Champions League football for 2023/24, means that the Scottish champions will receive extra prize money from Europe’s premier club competition, around 1.1 million euros to be exact.
Such a financial boost will be greatly welcomed at Parkhead. Without even kicking a ball, Celtic recouped the fee they shelled out on Marco Tilio and from a Hoops’ point of view, here’s hoping for some more Champions League qualifying shocks so more money like this can be gained.
