BOSTON (AP) — The ball cleared the visitor’s bullpen and landed in the bleachers, just like so many other line drives in Fenway Park’s long history.

But this was the wrong time — and the wrong sport — to go yard.

Sporting Lisbon forward Liedson cleared the crossbar and the baseball bullpen in the sixth round of a tiebreaker, and Paul McGowan followed with the game-winner on Wednesday night as Glasgow Celtic won 6-5 in penalty kicks in the inaugural Fenway Football Challenge.

An announced crowd of 32,162 came out on a balmy night to see soccer return to the oldest ballpark in the major leagues for the first time since Pele played at Fenway 42 years ago.

Taking advantage of a road trip that sent the baseball team to the West Coast for 10 games, the Red Sox imported the two European clubs for the exhibition game and stretched a soccer field from the third-base line to right field, with sod covering the pitcher’s mound and most of the infield.

With chants of “Let’s go, Celtic!” bouncing around the old ballpark — a reminder of Boston’s NBA glory — the Scottish club took the lead after Georgios Samaras was awarded a penalty kick after being tripped in the box by Daniel Carrico. Goalkeeper Vitor Golas guessed and dove right, but the kick went to his left and into the net.

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Sporting tied it in the 82nd minute when Diogo Salomao’s header hit the crossbar and bounced right back out to Helder Postiga, who headed it back in for the equalizer. Sporting had a chance to take the lead in the 86th minute, but Liedson’s header went just wide of an unprotected side of the net.

It stayed even through the end of regulation and the first five rounds of the penalty-kick tiebreaker when each of the first 10 attempts was marked as successful with a check mark on the Green Monster’s manual scoreboard. Liedson hung the first red “X’’ in the sixth inning slot when he put his attempt over the crossbar.

Golas guessed wrong on McGowan’s shot, and the ballpark loudspeakers began belting out “Dirty Water,” the song that celebrates Red Sox victories.

The game continued a busy year for Fenway, which was the home of the NHL’s Winter Classic and other hockey games in January and is due to host an Aerosmith concert next month. On the heels of the World Cup, the soccer game exceeded attendance expectations — and avoided thunderstorms that had been forecast for the area.

Mixing themes from American baseball and European soccer, the fans sang along to both “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the unofficial Celtic anthem, and “Sweet Caroline,” a Fenway staple during Red Sox games. In a nod to the Portuguese fans filing into the ballpark, the outside sausage vendors claimed to be selling chorizo.


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