Exclusive:Champions League history helped Hibs hero stay calm in Celtic storm - Passlack talks golden goal moment
Wingback-to-wingback connection pays dividends for Easter Road boss David Gray
There isn’t much in football likely to faze Felix Passlack, whose first and greatest claim to fame remains becoming the youngest ever German to score in Champions League football. The former Borussia Dortmund wunderkind has been there, done it, been awarded the commemorative T-shirt for his efforts.
Still, he clearly enjoyed his first goal for Hibs. An experience made a little bit more special by Celtic Park being the venue. And all the more enjoyable because it led to David Gray’s men becoming the first Hibs team to beat Celtic away from home in 16 long years.
“Yeah. I know about the history here, that it was 2010 when Hibs last beat Celtic away,” said a grinning Passlack, the wingback laughing as he added: “I was 12 years old, playing for Rot-Weiss Oberhausen!
“But the manager mentioned it to us before the game. He likes a bit of history. I mean, hopefully the next one will not take that long.
“I mean, yes, I did score when I was very young for Dortmund, like you say. I was just 17. And that was a header as well!
“Over the years, I’m used to playing in big stadiums, big occasions. So going to Celtic Park was not really an issue for me – I couldn’t really be nervous.”
Jurgen Klopp praise for wunderkind
Passlack clearly has ability in abundance. There’s a reason why no less a figure than Jurgen Klopp, speaking before he swapped the Westfalenstadion for Anfield back in 2015, said of the wide man: “I could start crying knowing that I won’t be coaching this guy.”
If not everything has gone precisely to plan in the intervening years, with Passlack – now just a few months short of his 28th birthday – enduring loan spells with Hoffenheim, Norwich City and Fortuna Sittard before moving to VfL Bochum and then Hibs, the January signing obviously has the skills needed to excel in Scottish football. Especially under a coach who encourages BOTH wingbacks to go galloping forward in search of a goal-scoring connection.
Passlack, paying tribute to the quality of Nicky Cadden’s cross, said of his thumping header past Kasper Schmeichel: “Brilliant. I mean, to score at Celtic Park, for the Hibs, it was an amazing feeling.
“It was a great cross from Nicky, really. And of course last week I had a chance where I hit the post from his great cross.
“So I was telling him all week: ‘Do that again and I will be there.’ So finally I scored. A great feeling.
“I mean, Nicky also had a slight chance from one of my crosses in the game. And the manager talks about us playing together, exactly.
“It’s always an opportunity for us, for Nicky and me, to be on the second post, because everyone is concentrated on the middle. And most of the times we have a lot of space on the second post.
“So yeah, maybe next time it will be my cross and Nicky scoring. That is what we try to do.
“For all of us, the thought was just be brave on the ball, keep the ball, let them run, ignore the noise from the crowd. I think we did really good, especially in the first half, also after the 1-0.
“We kept the ball, we switched sides. And I think that's also what we have to do in the next weeks.
“I would say I had the feeling we wouldn’t lose, especially after the start of the second half, where Celtic put a lot of pressure on us, that we stayed compact in this time, that we cleared the ball, that we stuck to our plan.
“After the red card, it was like: ‘Yeah, today we can win.’ And then we did.
“The new guys are all settling well, I think. I mean, the group is fantastic. Everyone gave us such a warm welcome, and the guys are just fantastic. They helped us a lot to get into the group, and I think you can see it also on the pitch.
“Beating Celtic, that now does a lot for the confidence of the team, too. A lot.
“I mean we’ve won back-to-back games now. And we just have to keep going.”
European football the target for Hibs
Only finishing fourth in the Scottish Premiership will guarantee Hibs another crack at European football next season. The team finishing fifth will only bag a UEFA berth if one of Celtic or Rangers – who meet in the quarter-finals – goes onto win the Scottish Cup.
The onus, then, remains on catching Motherwell. That, Passlack insists, doesn’t change off the back of even a huge win in Glasgow.
“That's our target,” he said, adding: “I mean, we are now five points back behind, and we play them two times.
“So yeah, we just have to keep the momentum up, keep playing our style of play, and then we play Motherwell two times, and hopefully win both games, and then, yeah, climb up the table.
“Then we have the split, which is a new challenge for me. I’m really looking forward to it, because yeah, exactly, it gives teams a chance to really make progress.”