aet, 2-2 agg; Celtic won 4-3 on penalties

On a night of staggering drama, Celtic secured their place in the group phase of the Champions League with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over a slick Spartak Moscow. The score, in this case, fails to recount even half of a memorable story. After the teams had shared two goals in 90 minutes, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink blasted a penalty against the Spartak crossbar five minutes from the end of extra-time but made amends as one of four Celtic players who converted minutes later before Artur Boruc saved the deciding spot-kick from Maksym Kalynychenko.

Spartak had seen their Austrian defender Martin Stranzl dismissed after 85 minutes for a late tackle on Vennegoor of Hesselink, and Lee Naylor and Boruc almost came to blows in a heated exchange while leaving the field at half-time.

"I've had some good nights but that is one that I'll remember when I'm sitting in my golf club 25 years from now," said the Celtic manager, Gordon Strachan. "I'm sure everyone enjoyed it and will remember it. It had everything. I don't think I've won a shootout before as a manager."

As a notable aside, Scotland will have two representatives in the group stages for the first time since 2003 after Rangers' qualification on Tuesday.

Spartak had arrived in Glasgow with the task of breaching a Celtic defence which had not conceded a home goal in European competition since December 2004. Celtic's pre-match edge of an away goal was a perilous one, though, a matter emphasised by the Russians' bullish start.

Gary Caldwell was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area when blocking Welliton's 25th-minute shot, but Roman Pavlyuchenko blasted the penalty against Boruc's right-hand post. Celtic capitalised as Scott McDonald notched his first goal in green and white to edge the hosts ahead 2-1 on aggregate, the Australian supplying a cool finish from 12 yards after Spartak's Roman Shishkin had miscued a clearance.

Pavlyuchenko atoned for his error by firing home from a Mozart corner right on half-time. It was apparently too much for Naylor and Boruc, who entered into a shouting and pushing match on their way to the dressing room. McDonald should have handed the hosts a crucial advantage 11 minutes from time but shot tamely, and Shunsuke Nakamura did likewise twice. Vennegoor of Hesselink had the best chance to avoid the penalty lottery after Radoslav Kovac handled Scott Brown's long-range drive but the Dutch striker failed to convert. Stranzl's red card was almost lost in the melee.

Celtic 4-4-2

Boruc; Wilson, Caldwell*, McManus, Naylor (O'Dea, 110); Nakamura, S Brown, Donati, McGeady (Riordan*, 104); McDonald (Zurawski, 97), Vennegoor of Hesselink. Subs not used M Brown, Hartley, Killen, Sno.

Spartak Moscow 4-4-2

Pletikosa; Shishkin*, Kovac, Stranzl*, Soava; Bystrov (Kalynychenko, 96), Mozart, Titov, Torbinsky* (Boyarintsev, 101); Welliton (Dzyuba, 88), Pavlyuchenko. Subs not used Khomich, Dedura, Geder, Sabitov.

Referee R Rosetti (Italy).

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