Longest unbeaten runs in European league football

Celtic's long unbeaten run in the Scottish Premier League has finally come to an end following a 4-0 defeat away to Hearts, their first reverse in the competition since May 2016. However, Brendan Rodgers' side can pride themselves on a 56-game sequence without a loss, an impressive spell that puts them on UEFA.com's all-time domestic unbeatables leaderboard. Behold the longest unbeaten streaks in Europe's top divisions.

104: Steaua Bucureşti (1986–89)
The Romanian side set this European record during their mid-1980s golden age under Emeric Jenei and later Anghel Iordănescu. Winners of the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup, semi-finalists in 1987/88 and runners-up in 1988/89, a team featuring the likes of Miodrag Belodedici, László Bölöni, Marius Lăcătuş, Victor Piţurcă and Gavril Balint were unrivalled at home. They lifted five straight titles until a resurgent Dinamo Bucureşti knocked them off their perch in 1989/90. They also won all 15 Romanian Cup matches they played in that period, making their total domestic unbeaten run 119 fixtures.

88: Lincoln (2009–14)
When Lincoln became the first Gibraltarian side to play in Europe on 2 July 2014, drawing 1-1 with HB Tórshavn before a 5-2 loss in the Faroe Islands, defeat was not something the Red Imps were used to. Between 9 May 2009 and 19 September 2014 they did not lose in the Gibraltar Premier Division, at 1,959 days the longest chronological unbeaten league streak (though they did suffer two Rock Cup defeats in that time as well as the reverse at HB). That came in the midst of a run of 14 straight championships from 2002/03 to 2015/16 that equalled Skonto's European record.

63: Sheriff (2006–08)
The Tiraspol-based side utterly dominated Moldovan football in winning ten straight championships between 2001 and 2010. However, they hit some kind of critical mass under Belarusian coach Leonid Kuchuk in 2006/07, becoming the first club to claim the national crown without losing a game. Arch-rivals Zimbru finally ended this famous streak in March 2008, before Sheriff marched onto yet another title regardless.

62: Celtic (1915–17)
Under their first manager Willie Maley, Celtic established a United Kingdom record for an unbeaten sequence of 62 matches between November 1915 and April 1917, including two games in a day, played against Raith Rovers and Motherwell. Patsy Gallagher and Jimmy 'Napoleon' McMenemy were the stars of a team which also featured Alec 'The Icicle' McNair, who still holds the Scottish club's appearances record of 604.

Levadia, midway through their phenomenal run©FC Levadia Tallinn

61: Levadia Tallinn (2008–09)
They were sponsored by a local metals firm and the rest of Estonia certainly felt Levadia's steel under boss Igor Prins, although Trans Narva finally ended their extraordinary sequence in November 2009, on the penultimate day of the season. "The fans will remember our impressive undefeated run, although I won't deny that we went such a long time unbeaten because of an absence of strong opposition," said Prins at the time.

60: Union Saint-Gilloise (1933–35)
Still known as Union 60 for their run of invincibility, which concluded with a February 1935 defeat by Daring Club de Bruxelles, the side from the Brussels suburbs collected three straight titles during their winning streak. To mark their achievements, the Pappaert Cup is handed out each season to the team that enjoys the longest unbeaten sequence. The trophy is named after Union's then captain Jules Pappaert, a key player in the squad alongside striker Vital Van Landeghem, Belgium's top scorer with 29 goals in 1934.

59: Shirak (1993–95)
59: Pyunik (2002–04)
Two clubs share Armenia's national record. "Shirak were a very good team in those days," recalled Andranik Adamyan, who coached them in their 1990s heyday. "We had our leaders, but all the players were ready to burst into action and show their strength. We had a good working atmosphere in the team and also that winning spirit. That's why we were unbeatable." Unlike Shirak, Pyunik were led by three different coaches during their successful run: Oscar López, Mihai Stoichiță and then Vardan Minasyan.

Milan's fearsome class of 1993©Getty Images

58: AC Milan (1991–93)
The Milan side that landed the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 under Arrigo Sacchi were labelled 'the Immortals'; the vintage that picked up three successive Italian titles under Fabio Capello between 1992 and 1994, as well as the 1993/94 UEFA Champions League, were 'the Invincibles'. Indeed, the Rossoneri won the 1991/92 Scudetto without losing a game at the heart of this marvellous run. "Capello did very well in continuing the job started by Sacchi and adding only small pieces to complete the perfect mosaic," said former Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni.

58: Olympiacos (1972–74)
Following investment from shipping magnate and club president Nikos Goulandris, defeats at PAOK in October 1972 and April 1974 book-ended an exceptional period under coach Lakis Petropoulos. The Piraeus outfit claimed three Greek championships in a row from 1972 to 1975, setting a record with 104 goals in the 1973/74 campaign. Yves Triantafyllos was their star marksman, scoring 58 goals in 80 matches in his three-year stay, while Giorgos Delikaris, Michalis Kritikopoulos and Romain Argyroudis comprised a stellar supporting cast.

58: Skonto (1993–96)
At the start of a coaching career which would peak when he led Latvia to UEFA EURO 2004, Aleksandrs Starkovs gathered an all-conquering lineup at Skonto, with Vitālijs Astafjevs, Jurijs Ševļakovs, Mihails Zemļinskis and Vladimirs Babičevs the backbone of their club and national teams. "Every point we dropped was a painful blow for us because we were confident we would win every match," long-standing Skonto captain Zemļinskis recalled. "That winning spirit allowed us to win 14 titles in a row [the record subsequently equalled by Lincoln]. We did not lose a single league match in 1994 and 1995."

=56: Celtic (2016–2017)
Brendan Rodgers steered Celtic through the bulk of their superb run, but their unbeaten league sequence actually began in previous coach Ronny Deila's final game at the helm – a 7-0 victory against Motherwell on the final day of 2015/16. Invincible the following season, the Hoops surpassed their own British record from 1915–17 when they reached 63 matches without loss in all domestic competitions in November 2017, but when defeat finally came it was punishing, the Glasgow giants succumbing 4-0 at Hearts.

=56: Benfica (1976–78)
In 2012, Porto came within one game of matching Benfica's national record, set under Englishman John Mortimore. The former Chelsea defender boasted great players such as Fernando Chalana, Humberto Coelho, Toni, Nené, Manuel Bento, Shéu, João Alves and Minervino Pietra – now assistant to current Benfica boss Rui Vitória. Mortimore's men went unbeaten from October 1976 until a 1-0 loss at Porto in late August 1978.

James Rodríguez in his Porto prime in 2012©AFP/Getty Images

=55: Porto (2010–12)
Manager Jesualdo Ferreira kicked off this stirring run in March 2010 and André Villas-Boas kept it going, through a season when Porto also won the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League. However, Porto finally dropped the baton under Vítor Pereira with a 3-1 reverse at Gil Vicente. "We showed an apathy that doesn't befit a team that wants to be champions," said the coach, whose charges at least surpassed their club record of 53 games unbeaten under Sir Bobby Robson between 1994 and 1996.

=55: Shakhtar Donetsk (2000–02)
The Pitmen's gold rush began with a 2-1 victory against Nyva Ternopil in June 2000 and continued despite the resignation of coach Viktor Prokopenko. Italian boss Nevio Scala took over and brought the best out of big players like Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Andriy Vorobey, Julius Aghahowa, Isaac Okoronkwo, Brandão and Mariusz Lewandowski. He guided Shakhtar to their first-ever Ukrainian title in 2001/02, though the run ended six matches into the next campaign, with Scala leaving three games later.