Petrov: I thought Puyol was attacking me

Celtic star Stilian Petrov feared he was being attacked by a Barcelona fan during the final tense minutes of their UEFA Cup clash in the Nou Camp – before he realised it was Carlos Puyol.

The Bulgarian skipper, who had changed into his jeans after limping off earlier, tried to grab the ball off Petrov to speed things up as the clock ticked down.

Petrov initially feared he was being attacked by a furious fan until he saw the Spaniard’s hairstyle.

He said: “I got a kick in the leg from Ronaldinho but I saw the referee wasn’t going to stop the game so I tried to get up and chase the ball.

“Puyol pushed me in the side as I was trying to get up. I was surprised because I thought it was a fan until I saw his hair and then I realised who it was.

“They were frustrated but I can understand that. It was great to get to the next stage."

Celtic won the tie 1-0 on aggregate.