Emotional Fraser Forster admits his Europa League heroics left him close to tears.
The Englishman’s astonishing contribution in the closing stages of last night’s epic win over Lazio allowed Celtic to claim a famous win on a night of drama at Parkhead.
Christopher Jullien ’s majestic header sealed the game, but Forster played a monumental role just before and after the Frenchman’s winner.
At 1-1, the keeper pulled off a stunning point-blank stop from Marco Parolo and bettered that after his team-mate’s header with a jaw-dropping save in stoppage time to keep out sub Danilo Cataldi’s rifled volley.
After 18 months of injury and inactivity at Southampton, it was a glorious return to the heights on the big stage and Forster was welling up as he said: “Having had the low points I’ve had to go through which one day I’ll chat about, to have a moment like that was something very special.
“I can’t put it in words. I could bawl my eyes out. I am just buzzing, I don’t think anyone will know how much it means to me.
“I shut my eyes a little bit! It went my way. It was nice to make the saves and contribute to a fantastic team performance.
“To be fair, he caught it so sweet I didn’t have any time to think about anything. It was purely a reaction save, I am just buzzing that I made it. To score so late to make it 2-1, it would have been heartbreaking to concede.
“They were good saves, but it is hard to pick one out. Two good saves, at important times. That is what I came back for, to play in these games and have those moments again.
“That is what I have missed when I haven’t been playing, I can’t describe the feeling. That is ultimately why I came back.”
Jullien joined Forster in dreamland and described his magical winner as the best moment of his career.
And the jubilant Celtic hero took additional satisfaction from finally silencing his big buddy Odsonne Edouard with the last-gasp strike which lashed Lazio.
Jullien’s effort maintained his team’s place at the top of Group E at the halfway stage and edged them closer to qualification for the knockout stages.
At the same time, it also put an end to the good-natured ribbing he’s taken from his colleagues about his missed efforts.
Compatriot Edouard had been teasing him about fluffing headed opportunities, but was amongst those first onto the scene as the Hoops heroes celebrated in style at the crucial moment.
It was Jullien’s second Celtic goal having notched in the play-off in Stockholm, but it was his first in his own stadium in front of 60,000 and he said: “I would say that is my best moment [in my career] because it is my first one [goal] on a big European night here.
“Sometimes in France when I was scoring, we were not winning, so I would definitely rank it at the top. Every week I am close to scoring and I don’t score.
“Every evening before every game, the team and the staff are like: It’s going to go in sometime. Keep focused.
“They keep saying they trusted in me and it was going to come and seeing their faces afterwards meant it was really good.
“Odsonne was the first person to me to say: I told you. He was joking with me on Wednesday night and saying we make so much space for you and you never score.
“I said: You can joke with me now, but don’t come to me if I score!
“But it was really good. I was really happy. To do it this time was the right time.
“It was unbelievable. The fans in the stadium just didn’t give up like us and it was great.
“It was a huge moment. Actually, I was not that happy in the second-half with some of the situations that I made. Kristoffer Ajer and Fraser Forster had my back when I made some mistakes and that is really good.
“But the ball into the box was just perfect and I was in the spot where I had to be. I hardly know what to say. It’s incredible.”
Jullien was quick to dish out praise to Forster for ensuring he’d be the matchwinner and added: “Fraser’s save at the end was so fast. I went towards the man who was going to shoot and I just turned. It was unbelievable, but his best one I thought was when he was on the line with maybe 15 minutes to go.
“I slipped. I was unhappy with that as I felt something would happen, but his performance was huge. It kept us in the game. I just finished the job, but the whole team was superb.”
Celtic are now unbeaten after three matches and in cracking shape to go through, but Jullien is taking nothing for granted and said: “We are happy we have the three points.
“The group is not finished as there has only been three matches, so we have to push on. We have our chance and we know we are a good team. We just need to be aware of what’s happening next which is Aberdeen away and we just have to focus.”
