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Celtic led this home league game in ITB all weather by 2-0 with 10 minutes to go. Sheriff YC however showed their credentials with some fluid movement on the left hand side which was the platform for them scoring 2 late goals to snatch a share of the points.
Goalless at half-time, Celtic started the second period with a goal shortly after the resumption. Kevin Keane seized on an opportunity to put the home side ahead. Sheriff exerted a lot of pressure in an effort to gain parity, but it was Celtic who were to extend their lead with 15 minutes to go. Sylvio Aghinita got possession in the middle of the park, raced forward, and one-on-one with keeper it looked a certain goal. But the keeper upended the striker and the referee had no hesitation awarding the spot-kick. John Byrne stepped forward after much delay as players protested and were booked. The big Celtic veteran coolly slotted home, sending the keeper the wrong way (see photo). In fairness, the scoreline flattered Celtic as they had sustained a lot of Sheriff pressure, with the visitors going close on a number of occasions. It was no surprise that 10 minutes from time, Sheriff finally converted one of their chances when Sam Fitzpatrick shot home from 10 yards. It was squeaky bum time on the Celtic sideline, and with 5 minutes left, the Sheriff recovery was complete when Alan O'Keeffe's shot ricocheted into the net to bring the sides level. Despite a couple of further chances for Celtic which were not converted, the game ended in what was probably a fair result given the share of possession enjoyed by the 2 sides. The stand-out performances for Celtic came from their keeper, Paddy Dunne, who made some very important saves to keep Sheriff at bay for 80 minutes. The other player who excelled was Matthew McEntee who was a thorn in the Sheriff defence throughout the night. The result does little for either side's promotion prospects with almost half the season's league fixtures completed.
