McDonald puts Celtic back in gear

Patrick Glenn at Celtic Park
Sunday February 17, 2008
The Observer

The scoreline may have been more convincing than the overall performance, but Celtic's players will have done their confidence no harm with a comprehensive victory over consistently awkward rivals ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match against Barcelona.

Hearts had won on their previous visit here in the CIS Cup and had drawn with the champions on their last league meeting at Tynecastle. But the goals provided by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Scott McDonald and Andreas Hinkel brought Celtic's total to 13 in their past three games.

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Even if just over 14 minutes had been played, the lead established by Vennegoor of Hesselink was already overdue. Celtic had imposed themselves from the start, as if intent on extending the sequence of big victories they had secured on their two previous outings.

It was only a little bad luck that had prevented them from going ahead much earlier, from a free-kick that firmed up Shunsuke Nakamura's reputation as Scottish football's foremost set-piece specialist. From outside the area to the left of goal, Nakamura was almost parallel to the goal-line when he hit the shot, the ball curling and dipping across the goalmouth, away from goalkeeper Steve Banks, before smacking the inside of the far post and rebounding out.

Nakamura would prompt an important save from Banks soon after, when his low, bobbling drive, from a pass by Vennegoor of Hesselink, had the goalkeeper diving low to his right.

Hearts had spent no noticeable time in Celtic's half before they fell behind. It was an unspectacular goal, Aiden McGeady taking possession 20 yards from goal and scooting out to his left before chipping back into the area. Vennegoor of Hesselink simply stretched out his right foot and stabbed the ball past Banks from close range.

Home supporters expecting another conclusive lead by half-time, however, were deeply disappointed by the manner in which their team then appeared to lose their rhythm. As their play deteriorated towards raggedness, Celtic encouraged Hearts to take the initiative and the visitors, breaking quickly and with conviction, should have been level before the interval.

Andrew Driver stole into the penalty area on the left and his low drive towards the far corner had Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal stretching to parry. The ball ran towards Andrius Velicka and, although he was out to the right of goal, he should have done better than drive the ball into the outside of the net. It was a proper opportunity wasted.

Celtic had to survive another scare early in the second half before producing the goal that put a more comforting gap between themselves and their guests. It was when Driver outpaced Gary Caldwell and Hinkel - the home defenders looked as though they were running through molasses - through the inside-left channel before sending a feeble shot straight at Boruc.

If Hearts had been guilty on several occasions of unconvincing finishing, however, Celtic's second goal was a terrible indictment of their defending. Nakamura had won a corner on the left by shimmying past two defenders and forcing Banks into a save with a right-foot drive. But, when he delivered the ball to the heart of the box, even he must have been astounded at the lack of attention paid to McDonald, the little striker utterly isolated as he sent a free header high past Banks from six yards.

It was not the most exhilarating goal ever witnessed, but it was enough to finally discourage a Hearts side who had contrived and squandered enough opportunities at least to have kept the score level. Instead, their day got worse when Hinkel scored the third.

Nakamura's cross from the right was held up by McGeady and then back-heeled into the path of the Germany right-back and he smashed the right-foot drive, from a very tight angle, into the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer