it was missed by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Celtic went on to win the resulting penalty shootout to qualify for the Champions League group stage. Brown scored in a 5–1 win over St Mirren on 2 September, one week after scoring against Hearts. He played in Celtic's 2–1 win over reigning European champions Milan at Celtic Park. On 6 November 2007, Brown was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle by Gilles Binya during Celtic's 1–0 win over Benfica, but he was relatively unhurt. Binya was subsequently given a six match European ban following the dangerous challenge. Celtic finished second in their Champions League group with nine points. They were drawn with Barcelona in the last 16, but Brown missed the 3–2 defeat in the first leg through suspension. He returned for the second leg at the Camp Nou, which Celtic lost 1–0. Brown was suspended for three league matches, including two Old Firm games, in April 2008. Due to this suspension, manager Gordon Strachan chose a midfield pairing of Barry Robson and Paul Hartley for the final weeks of the season. Brown made a total of 48 appearances for Celtic in his first season with the club, scoring three goals. Early in the 2008–09 season, Strachan praised Brown for re-inventing himself as a more defensive-minded player. Despite taking on these defensive duties, Brown still contributed some goals, such as against his former club Hibernian on 25 October. Brown won the SPL Player of the Month Award for October 2008. In the January transfer window he was linked with a £9 million move to Portsmouth, with Tottenham also reported to be interested in him. Brown stated that he did not want to leave Celtic and that he was happy with the club. Later in the month, he was named by FIFA as one of their players to watch in 2009. He scored his first brace for Celtic in a 7–0 victory over St Mirren on 28 February 2009. Brown was voted Man of the match in the 2009 League Cup Final, which Celtic won 2–0 against Rangers at Hampden Park. and was awarded the SPFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2008–09 season. Due to a suspension, he missed the final Old Firm game of the season, which Celtic lost 1–0. This defeat proved crucial as Rangers regained the championship from Celtic. He suffered an ankle injury towards