Hibernian 0 - 1 Celtic
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Sunday, August 30, 2009
Labels:
Football
Celtic were reduced to 10 men in a thrilling win over Hibernian at Easter Road in the Scottish Premier League.
A Georgios Samaras header put Celtic ahead four minutes from half-time after Andreas Hinkel had crossed in.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Aiden McGeady was shown a second yellow after a Paul Hanlon challenge.
Artur Boruc kept Celtic in the match by saving Hanlon's blistering 25-yard shot and Hibs goalkeeper Graham Stack kept out a late Samaras solo effort.
Less than 60 seconds after kick-off, Samaras was caught late by Patrick Cregg, to set the tone for a hotly-contested match.
Hibs had the first real chance of the match when David Wotherspoon fired in a cross from the right and Glenn Loovens was forced to clear.
McGeady then completed a sweeping move through the Hibs midfield but blasted his long-range effort over the bar.
The pace quickly picked up, with good build-up play at both ends, including a Samaras header that clipped the top of the Hibs bar from a corner.
McGeady was lucky to escape a red card in the 22nd minute when he felled Derek Riordan after the striker had broken free down the left.
However, the former Celtic man failed to convert the resulting free-kick, inching it past Artur Boruc's right-hand post.
A Danny Fox free-kick shortly after the half hour mark looked promising, but Samaras miscued his shot and the ball was finally cleared.
The stalemate was broken four minutes from the break when Samaras headed in from close range after Hinkel powered down the right and flighted in a searching ball for the Greek international.
Following the restart, Boruc was forced into a double-save from Riordan's 18-yard shot and subsequent corner.
Celtic looked confident on the counter-attack, with Maloney sending a ball across the face of the Hibs goal in the 55th minute with which Samaras failed to connect.
Souleymane Bamba missed an opportunity to level the scores as the hour mark approached, sending the ball over from six yards out with only Boruc to beat.
In the 63rd minute, McGeady was issued his second yellow of the day and sent in for an early bath following a challenge from Hanlon.
Referee Dougie McDonald decided that no contact had been made and the Republic of Ireland international was dismissed for simulation.
Moments later, Wotherspoon blasted in a spectacular half-volley from 25 yards out that Boruc pushed on to his right-hand post.
Riordan was again denied by Boruc from a searching corner, when the Polish keeper parried a curving shot after the ball landed at the feet of the Hibs striker.
Hibs keeper Stack was forced into a similar save late in the match from a Chris Killen shot as 10-man Celtic piled on the pressure.
Samaras could have sealed the points in the dying minutes when he broke free with only Stack to beat, but he fired his shot straight at the English keeper.
A frantic period of added time produced some heart-stopping goalmouth scrambles, but Celtic's defence held out to deny their hosts a point.
Hibernian manager John Hughes:
"It was end-to-end stuff, and we were a bit cavalier - that was my disappointment.
"Even at 11 v 10, we were We were a bit open, but we gave it plenty, so I'm disappointed not to take anything from the match.
"Celtic were in front in the first half, and we only got an advantage when Aiden McGeady was sent off, and we were unfortunate not to take advantage of that.
"I can't ask any more of the boys' commitment, on another day, something might have fell for us.
"People get booked for nothing, and if we keep going the way we're going, we'll be playing with slippers on.
"It's a contact sport, and you need to get stuck in. Tackling is an art.
"Even if Aiden McGeady take a dive, is it not just a case of saying 'let's get on with it'?
"Where's the common sense? It spoils the game.
"You never want to see that, especially with a talent like Aiden McGeady.
"I'm the opposition manager, I want to see him doing his stuff and see if my boys can handle him."
Celtic manager Tony Mowbray:"I was disappointed with the quality of my team today, but we stood our ground.
"I hope as we go along, we're going to build a reputation as a team that can not only win battles, but a team that can play you off the pitch.
"There was a lot of things that weren't right today, not just from our team, but things on the pitch.
"We've all made a patch about not criticising officials, but for me it's an understanding of the game. I've been shown it in isolation. McGeady ran 40 or 50 yards before the incident and skipped past a couple of tackles - a third tackle has come in and he went down before he anticipates the challenge and gets a sending off.
"If you put it into context of the week we've just had with the Eduardo sensation, if we hadn't had the week we've had in the media. I would suggest the referee would never have made it a sending off.
"It was right in front of me. I saw it and I know exactly how it happened. In my opinion, it's a lack of understanding of the game from an official who is a very honest guy, who gives his best the way the players give his best, but he made a wrong decision regarding Aiden McGeady."
A Georgios Samaras header put Celtic ahead four minutes from half-time after Andreas Hinkel had crossed in.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Aiden McGeady was shown a second yellow after a Paul Hanlon challenge.
Artur Boruc kept Celtic in the match by saving Hanlon's blistering 25-yard shot and Hibs goalkeeper Graham Stack kept out a late Samaras solo effort.
Less than 60 seconds after kick-off, Samaras was caught late by Patrick Cregg, to set the tone for a hotly-contested match.
Hibs had the first real chance of the match when David Wotherspoon fired in a cross from the right and Glenn Loovens was forced to clear.
McGeady then completed a sweeping move through the Hibs midfield but blasted his long-range effort over the bar.
The pace quickly picked up, with good build-up play at both ends, including a Samaras header that clipped the top of the Hibs bar from a corner.
McGeady was lucky to escape a red card in the 22nd minute when he felled Derek Riordan after the striker had broken free down the left.
However, the former Celtic man failed to convert the resulting free-kick, inching it past Artur Boruc's right-hand post.
A Danny Fox free-kick shortly after the half hour mark looked promising, but Samaras miscued his shot and the ball was finally cleared.
The stalemate was broken four minutes from the break when Samaras headed in from close range after Hinkel powered down the right and flighted in a searching ball for the Greek international.
Following the restart, Boruc was forced into a double-save from Riordan's 18-yard shot and subsequent corner.
Celtic looked confident on the counter-attack, with Maloney sending a ball across the face of the Hibs goal in the 55th minute with which Samaras failed to connect.
Souleymane Bamba missed an opportunity to level the scores as the hour mark approached, sending the ball over from six yards out with only Boruc to beat.
In the 63rd minute, McGeady was issued his second yellow of the day and sent in for an early bath following a challenge from Hanlon.
Referee Dougie McDonald decided that no contact had been made and the Republic of Ireland international was dismissed for simulation.
Moments later, Wotherspoon blasted in a spectacular half-volley from 25 yards out that Boruc pushed on to his right-hand post.
Riordan was again denied by Boruc from a searching corner, when the Polish keeper parried a curving shot after the ball landed at the feet of the Hibs striker.
Hibs keeper Stack was forced into a similar save late in the match from a Chris Killen shot as 10-man Celtic piled on the pressure.
Samaras could have sealed the points in the dying minutes when he broke free with only Stack to beat, but he fired his shot straight at the English keeper.
A frantic period of added time produced some heart-stopping goalmouth scrambles, but Celtic's defence held out to deny their hosts a point.
Hibernian manager John Hughes:
"It was end-to-end stuff, and we were a bit cavalier - that was my disappointment.
"Even at 11 v 10, we were We were a bit open, but we gave it plenty, so I'm disappointed not to take anything from the match.
"Celtic were in front in the first half, and we only got an advantage when Aiden McGeady was sent off, and we were unfortunate not to take advantage of that.
"I can't ask any more of the boys' commitment, on another day, something might have fell for us.
"People get booked for nothing, and if we keep going the way we're going, we'll be playing with slippers on.
"It's a contact sport, and you need to get stuck in. Tackling is an art.
"Even if Aiden McGeady take a dive, is it not just a case of saying 'let's get on with it'?
"Where's the common sense? It spoils the game.
"You never want to see that, especially with a talent like Aiden McGeady.
"I'm the opposition manager, I want to see him doing his stuff and see if my boys can handle him."
Celtic manager Tony Mowbray:"I was disappointed with the quality of my team today, but we stood our ground.
"I hope as we go along, we're going to build a reputation as a team that can not only win battles, but a team that can play you off the pitch.
"There was a lot of things that weren't right today, not just from our team, but things on the pitch.
"We've all made a patch about not criticising officials, but for me it's an understanding of the game. I've been shown it in isolation. McGeady ran 40 or 50 yards before the incident and skipped past a couple of tackles - a third tackle has come in and he went down before he anticipates the challenge and gets a sending off.
"If you put it into context of the week we've just had with the Eduardo sensation, if we hadn't had the week we've had in the media. I would suggest the referee would never have made it a sending off.
"It was right in front of me. I saw it and I know exactly how it happened. In my opinion, it's a lack of understanding of the game from an official who is a very honest guy, who gives his best the way the players give his best, but he made a wrong decision regarding Aiden McGeady."
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