Celtic 4 - 3 Juventus

	Chris Sutton heads home. It's 2-1! (LaurenceGriffiths/Allsport)

And he might yet have to sell Didier Agathe for his fabled £29million if the fans who worship Celtic's No.25 every bit as much as Henrik Larsson are to see his likes again.

The watching Dr Jozef Venglos, whose reputation has been miraculously cleansed at Parkhead to the point where he could sit in among die-hard fans receiving nothing but praise, left the club with a scouting brief which went unfulfilled.

Perhaps O'Neill should ask the doctor if he has a remedy to the Moravcik problem.

Moravcik's successor in the hearts and minds of the old Czechoslovakia, Juve's Pavel Nedved, knew he, too, had been 'Lubo'd.' The old maestro had said 'give me an hour and I can do something,' and by goodness he did.

The idea, of course, was to offer the citizens of Paradise a 'gift from God' in the shape of Moravcik, making what the bookmakers - and Porto players, too - certainly assumed would be his first and last Champions League start.

O'Neill is hardly known for bowing to pressure - whether from the stands or far less, the media - but no-one, not even Larsson, occupies quite the same place in Parkhead hearts; at least with Lubo's retirement zooming into view.

When the ageing sorcerer - this was Hallowe'en after all - begged his boss to succumb to what O'Neill surely saw as sentiment, few actually believed the Irishman would allow Lubo to act as his playmaker against a side containing Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero.

But then perhaps O'Neill has learned that making the play and saving it are two very different things, at least at home. Just a week ago, in Norway, he asked the Slovak to do just that - coming on and scoring from a free-kick with his first touch.

Going for it, even if it meant missing out on the consolation prize of a UEFA Cup berth and the faint prospect of an historic Old Firm European meeting, meant sacrificing Stilian Petrov - a tired-looking player after his dramatic comeback exploits of September.

It also demanded the presence of Moravcik - and his slightly-favoured left foot. As Celtic have succeeded mostly in scoring from set-pieces in this tournament, the right, too, would surely sharpen the team' s weaponry. What's more, he might actually produce something tangible from open play.

Upon kick-off, with his wish granted, Lubo set about the twin demands a midfield role under O'Neill places on all players - regardless of age - with the zest of 13-year-old son, Matus.

Providing right and left, to Didier Agathe and the restored Bobby Petta, would be his role.

Moravcik's freedom to choose his next port of call across three countries begs the question of just how much O'Neill can offer him to retain his talismanic influence on the club.

But the answer to that one can wait for now. Addressing last night's more urgent agenda, it took just 11 minutes for the 36-year-old to rev up sufficiently to test the Italians.

The warm-up injury sustained by Edgar Davids obviously left a hole in the Juventus midfield. And in the hole where all the best No.10s work their magic, Lubo soon wriggled clear of Davids' late replacement, Alessio Tacchinardi, despite the Italian international's vast experience.

Suddenly, as Moravcik made space to shoot, Parkhead crackled with anticipation - as did Juve's Uruguayan debut goalkeeper, Fabian Carini, who had to dive sharply to his right to tip his drive round the post.

But the night would not go perfectly for Moravcik either, as a minute later he was denied what appeared to be a valid penalty when, while surging into the area, he crashed to the ground under Ciro Ferrara's challenge. And he received a yellow card.

Then, at Del Piero's exquisite opener, Moravcik's presence beside Joos Valgaeren at the tackle which gifted the gilt-edged opportunity must have had O'Neill tearing his hair out.

He also missed a brilliant chance when clean through on Carini ten yards out, but Lubo is nothing if not a fighter. So, when he twisted and turned Michele Paramatti, Valgaeren knew he would get the ball he needed to level the scores so quickly.

With the stage set, the man Zinedine Zidane described in these very pages as a Gheorghe Hagi, 'if not a Maradona', could bring out his full repertoire. Somehow, he was also inspiring everyone around him - with Petta's defensive work his best in a long time.

A far-post cross, hanging like a lantern for Larsson, was just one example. But it was a Lubo corner on 45 minutes, after an outstanding run by Agathe, that allowed Chris Sutton to head Celtic in front.

False rumours of a Rosenborg equaliser had the 57,717 crowd in raptures before David Trezeguet levelled. But Lubo's corners had Juve in panic - hence Larsson's penalty for Celtic's third after Mark Iuliano felled Sutton.

By now, Lubo was playing keepie-uppie when running to take corners - and once Sutton hit Celtic's fourth after more Lubo dead- ball expertise, the situation in Portugal dominated proceedings.

Moravcik had delivered his part of the bargain, as his ovation when going off confirmed, even if Trezeguet's second goal threatened to spoil the party.