McDonald: Please don't let fan 'assault' sour Celtic victory

The Australian striker sealed a stunning 2-1 win over the reigning European champions at Parkhead when he pounced on a last-minute error from Brazil's No 1.

Amid chaotic scenes, a supporter ran on to the pitch and appeared to slap Dida who, after first giving chase, then fell to the turf before being stretchered away by medics.

While UEFA delegate Andreas Akkelides from Cyprus and German referee Markus Merk will cover the flashpoint in their match reports, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted that the European champions are unlikely to pursue the matter.

General manager Roberto Gandani and chief executive Adriano Galliani also assured Celtic directors they will not take advantage of the 24 hours at their disposal to launch a protest.

Akkelides refused to comment, but is duty bound to report the matter, with the repercussions for Celtic potentially grave. UEFA's director of communications William Gaillard said they would wait for reports, with any case being referred to an independent disciplinary body.

As manager Gordon Strachan avoided questions on the issue, it fell to a club spokesman to promise a full inquiry: "We will look at the matter in full in the morning, but it would be wrong to say anything further until we know all the facts."

Privately, senior club sources told Sportsmail they expect nothing more severe than a heavy fine.

While the one-man invasion horrified Celtic fans, Dida's preposterous over-reaction leaves him open to ridicule and Ancelotti was of no mind to make a major issue of the flashpoint.

He said: "I did not see it but it has nothing to do with the result anyway."

Asked if Milan would make representations to UEFA in a quest to have the result overturned, the coach replied: "I do not think so. I don't know at the moment if we will make a case to UEFA, but I believe no."

Match-winner McDonald insisted that any sanctions would remove the veneer from a fine win. "It would be a tragedy if something happened," said McDonald. "Of course, I would be devastated if my goal was wiped out or something happened.

"Dida has been hit by a flare in the past and has been through this kind of thing before. I was too busy celebrating my goal to see what happened.

"Someone said he went down as though he had been shot, but we will have to see what happens."

Celtic captain Stephen McManus, who opened the scoring before Kaka's penalty equaliser and McDonald's late winner, agreed that an investigation by European football's governing body was a genuine fear.

"It would be devastating," said McManus. "All we as players can do is wait and see what happens. We do our thing on the pitch and, although the fans like to ride the highs on these European nights, they have to keep their composure.

"I can't really speak of something that is out of our control. It's for other people to comment on and all we can do is concentrate on the football."

Last night, a spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: "We are reviewing the footage and inquiries are ongoing."