Hartson feared Hoops' run was over

Celtic striker John Hartson admits he thought the Hoops were heading out of the UEFA Cup against Boavista.

The Parkhead side could not find their way through a well-organised defence before Henrik Larsson clinched the winner in the 79th minute.

Now Celtic will face Boavista’s city rivals Porto in their first European final since 1970 in Seville on May 21.

But Hartson concedes defeat at the final hurdle would have been too great a heartbreak.

He said: “It was so important for us to get through because we have beaten so many teams to get this far.

“No disrespect to Boavista but if you look at the likes of Celta Vigo, Liverpool and Stuttgart we know we have beaten some good teams to get this far.

“We really dug out a result against Boavista and showed a lot of character because at one stage I did think we were never going to do it.

“Porto are a good side but it’s a one-off game, it’s a final and I think that we’ve probably improved since then as well and this is a great opportunity for us.”

But the Wales international breathed a sigh of relief as Larsson struck the winner.

Hartson told the club’s official website, www.celticfc.net: “It was unbelievable and I was starting to think that it was never going to come, but Henrik has come up trumps for us yet again.

“Chris Sutton played a great one-two with Henrik and I made a run inside the box.

“Henrik tried to thread me through and although the defender got there before me, he put Henrik back in.

“He took a touch and dinked it over the goalkeeper. It was a superb goal, he’s a hero for us again and I am absolutely delighted for him.

“It seemed to take ages to get over the line, but when it went in it was an absolutely superb team goal.

“They are a very strong team and very clever and they didn’t give much away defensively.

“Chris (Sutton) also did very well. He hasn’t played for nearly six weeks, so for him to come on and play as well as he did was superb as well.

“I’m so pleased for the fans and for the players and for the manager because this is where we should be.”