2010-03-07: Falkirk 0-2 Celtic, SPL

Match Pictures | Matches: 2009 – 2010 | 2009-2010 Pictures

Trivia

  • Celtic stay ten pts behind the huns. League is over anyhow.
  • Keane scores his first double.
  • Scott Brown red card from last week was not rescinded. Pathetic!

Review

Robbie Keane netted both Celtic goals in a scrappy win at Falkirk to narrow the gap on Rangers to 10 points at the top of the Premier League table.

Teams

Falkirk

  • 01 Olejnik
  • 02 Barr
  • 03 Scobbie
  • 06 McLean; yellow card
  • 04 Twaddle; yellow card
  • 08 O'Brien
  • 10 Arfield
  • 11 Flynn
  • 23 Lima (Moutinho 80)
  • 24 Healy
  • 15 Showunmi

Substitutes

  • 29 Wagenaar,
  • 30 Duffy,
  • 34 Bloom,
  • 19 Lynch,
  • 28 Compton,
  • 33 Davidson,
  • 07 Moutinho

Celtic

  • 01 Boruc
  • 02 Hinkel
  • 21 Braafheid
  • 38 Thompson
  • 48 O'Dea
  • 06 N'Guemo
  • 17 Crosas
  • 46 McGeady
  • 07 Keane
  • 09 Samaras; (McGowan 90)
  • 19 Rasmussen; (Wilson 90)

Substitutes

  • 24 Zaluska,
  • 03 Naylor,
  • 12 Wilson,
  • 52 Caddis,
  • 18 Ki,
  • 27 Zhi,
  • 55 McGowan

Goals:

  • Keane 34
  • Keane 79
Ref: Winter
Att: 6,792

Articles

Pictures

KStreet

MOTM

Stats

Possession

  • Falkirk 41%
  • Celtic 59%

Attempts on target

  • Falkirk 5
  • Celtic 8

Attempts off target

  • Falkirk 6
  • Celtic 1

Corners

  • Falkirk 9
  • Celtic 8

Fouls

  • Falkirk 10
  • Celtic 10

Articles

Falkirk 0 – 2 Celtic

BBC

By Martin Conaghan

Robbie Keane netted both Celtic goals in a scrappy win at Falkirk to narrow the gap on Rangers to 10 points at the top of the Premier League.

The first arrived on 34 minutes, Keane firing in a low, close-range strike.

The Irishman doubled his tally with a cute flick 11 minutes from the end after latching on to a long-range Marc Crosas free-kick.

Vitor Lima had a clutch of good chances to open Falkirk's account, but failed to hit the mark with all three efforts.

The win kept Falkirk rooted to the bottom of the table, three points adrift of Hamilton, while Celtic continue to hope for a Rangers slip-up to keep their title chances alive.

Keane's strike in the fourth minute was deflected out by Falkirk keeper Robert Olejnik for a corner, then Enoch Showumni headed over the Celtic crossbar from eight yards out at the other end.

The London-born Nigerian put Celtic keeper Artur Boruc under pressure on the counter-attack in the 14th minute and forced a corner, but the hosts failed to capitalise on the advantage.

Falkirk enjoyed a good spell of pressure as the match settled down, putting Celtic on the back foot and Lima came close in the 20th minute with a route-one strike from the edge of the D that Boruc managed to smother.

The Portuguese midfielder followed up his effort with a volley that sailed over the bar after he broke free and latched on to a searching corner.

As the half hour mark approached, Keane broke free to collect a threaded ball from Morten Rasmussen, firing his late shot of the legs of Olejnik.

Boruc had to be on full alert to collect a Darren Barr header, then Olejnik did well to parry out a powerful left-footed Keane strike from 18 yards.

The hosts continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack, and Scott Arfield was unlucky not to reach a Ryan Flynn cross.

Keane broke the deadlock with his fourth goal of his loan spell from six yards out in the 34th minute when Rasmussen split the Falkirk defence and the Republic of Ireland captain slotted home.

As the half-time interval approached, Boruc kept out a Flynn overhead kick as the hosts pushed for a leveller.

On the stroke of half-time, Showunmi passed up a chance to restore parity after some good work by Arfield, sclaffing his shot wide of Boruc's left-hand post.

The tempo of the first half dropped after the restart, although a Crosas corner threatened the Falkirk goal, but Olejnik made the save.

Barr threatened at the other end with a goal-line cross that Darren O'Dea was quick to clear.

As the hour mark approached, Aiden McGeady blasted in a powerful shot that Tam Scobbie blocked, then a Georgios Samaras effort inched wide.

Falkirk continued to press for an equaliser but Showumni was lacking support from his fellow Bairns up front.

In the 68th minute, Barr crossed for Flynn to head towards the Celtic goal, but it sailed over.

Lima should have levelled the scores with 20 minutes to play when he turned near the penalty spot and lofted his shot over the crossbar.

Boruc kept out a long-range drive from Arfield with 12 minutes to play, then Keane expertly executed his second goal of the day to double Celtic's tally.

The on-loan Spurs man beat the offside trap to collect a long-range Crosas free-kick and skip past the drowsy Falkirk defence and flick a cute shot past Olejnik.

Arfield came close with another long-range shot as the final minutes ticked out but Boruc was enjoying a comfortable day in the Celtic goal and held well.

  • Final Result
  • Full Time
  • 90:00+1:22 The final whistle goes and the game is over.
  • 89:28 Substitution Mark Wilson replaces Morten Rasmussen.
  • 89:28 Substitution Paul McGowan on for Georgios Samaras.
  • 89:05 Pedro Moutinho takes a shot. Blocked by Josh Thompson.
  • 86:42 The assistant referee signals for offside against Robbie Keane. Direct free kick taken by Robert Olejnik.
  • 84:38 Andreas Hinkel gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Ryan Flynn. Brian McLean takes the free kick.
  • 83:55 Scott Arfield takes a shot. Save by Artur Boruc.
  • 80:24 Edson Braafheid delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, Robert Olejnik makes a save.
  • 80:24 Booking Booking for Marc Twaddle.
  • 80:15 Marc Twaddle challenges Morten Rasmussen unfairly and gives away a free kick.
  • 79:42 Substitution Pedro Moutinho is brought on as a substitute for Vitor Lima.
  • 78:36 Marc Crosas provided the assist for the goal.
  • 78:36 GOAL – Robbie Keane:Falkirk 0 – 2 Celtic Robbie Keane finds the net with a goal from inside the penalty area to the bottom right corner of the goal. Falkirk 0-2 Celtic.
  • 78:26 Unfair challenge on Landry N'Guemo by Scott Arfield results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Marc Crosas.
  • 77:59 Artur Boruc takes the direct free kick.
  • 77:59 Booking Brian McLean booked for unsporting behaviour.
  • 77:14 Inswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Ryan Flynn, Artur Boruc fouled by Brian McLean, the ref awards a free kick.
  • 76:56 Scott Arfield takes a shot. Save made by Artur Boruc.
  • 76:00 Foul by Scott Arfield on Aiden McGeady, free kick awarded. Landry N'Guemo takes the direct free kick.
  • 74:59 Outswinging corner taken by Edson Braafheid, clearance made by Enoch Showunmi.
  • 72:07 Vitor Lima takes a shot from just inside the penalty box which clears the crossbar.
  • 71:17 Unfair challenge on Darren Barr by Georgios Samaras results in a free kick. Robert Olejnik takes the direct free kick.
  • 70:46 Thomas Scobbie gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Robbie Keane. Andreas Hinkel restarts play with the free kick.
  • 69:47 Aiden McGeady gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Ryan Flynn. Ryan Flynn delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from left wing, Georgios Samaras manages to make a clearance.
  • 67:45 Darren Barr crosses the ball, Close range header by Ryan Flynn goes over the crossbar.
  • 66:44 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Ryan Flynn by Marc Crosas. Thomas Scobbie restarts play with the free kick.
  • 66:16 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Andreas Hinkel by Scott Arfield. Marc Crosas takes the free kick.
  • 64:43 Corner taken by Colin Healy from the left by-line to the near post, save made by Artur Boruc.
  • 63:51 Corner taken by Colin Healy from the left by-line to the near post, Landry N'Guemo manages to make a clearance.
  • 59:37 The assistant referee signals for offside against Enoch Showunmi. Artur Boruc takes the indirect free kick.
  • 58:47 Aiden McGeady takes a shot. Thomas Scobbie gets a block in. Georgios Samaras has an effort at goal from outside the area which goes wide right of the goal.
  • 55:50 Free kick awarded for a foul by Darren O'Dea on Colin Healy. Free kick crossed by Burton O'Brien, Georgios Samaras manages to make a clearance.
  • 54:59 Ryan Flynn produces a cross, Josh Thompson manages to make a clearance.
  • 53:49 Outswinging corner taken by Colin Healy from the right by-line, Josh Thompson makes a clearance.
  • 51:56 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Marc Crosas, Robert Olejnik makes a save.
  • 50:29 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Brian McLean by Morten Rasmussen. Free kick taken by Robert Olejnik.
  • 50:00 Morten Rasmussen challenges Thomas Scobbie unfairly and gives away a free kick. Robert Olejnik restarts play with the free kick.
  • 45:01 The referee starts the second half.
  • Half Time
  • 45:00+0:03 The ref blows to signal half-time.
  • 44:18 Effort from deep inside the area by Enoch Showunmi misses to the right of the target.
  • 41:16 Foul by Scott Arfield on Morten Rasmussen, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Landry N'Guemo.
  • 38:13 Free kick awarded for a foul by Colin Healy on Marc Crosas. Direct free kick taken by Artur Boruc.
  • 37:13 Corner taken by Colin Healy from the right by-line, Ryan Flynn has an effort at goal from 6 yards. Artur Boruc makes a fantastic save. Short corner worked by Colin Healy.
  • 36:42 Foul by Landry N'Guemo on Colin Healy, free kick awarded. Burton O'Brien takes the free kick.
  • 35:37 The referee penalises Morten Rasmussen for handball. Indirect free kick taken by Colin Healy.
  • 33:45 Assist on the goal came from Morten Rasmussen.
  • 33:45 GOAL – Robbie Keane:Falkirk 0 – 1 Celtic Robbie Keane grabs a goal from close range low into the middle of the goal. Falkirk 0-1 Celtic.
  • 32:20 A cross is delivered by Ryan Flynn.
  • 30:42 Shot by Robbie Keane. Robert Olejnik makes a save. Inswinging corner taken by Marc Crosas, clearance made by Marc Twaddle. Marc Crosas takes a outswinging corner from the right by-line to the near post, Effort on goal by Josh Thompson from 12 yards. Darren Barr gets a block in.
  • 29:40 Darren Barr takes a shot. Save made by Artur Boruc.
  • 29:05 Corner taken by Colin Healy from the left by-line to the near post, clearance made by Landry N'Guemo.
  • 27:44 Edson Braafheid takes the inswinging corner, save by Robert Olejnik.
  • 25:49 Centre by Aiden McGeady, Brian McLean makes a clearance.
  • 25:09 Robbie Keane takes a shot. Robert Olejnik makes a save. Edson Braafheid takes a short corner.
  • 21:04 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Colin Healy played to the near post, Shot on goal by Vitor Lima from inside the box goes harmlessly over the target.
  • 19:39 Shot from just outside the box by Vitor Lima misses to the left of the goal.
  • 18:46 Georgios Samaras gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Scott Arfield. Brian McLean takes the free kick.
  • 17:08 Foul by Georgios Samaras on Darren Barr, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Darren Barr.
  • 14:30 Corner taken by Colin Healy from the right by-line, clearance by Georgios Samaras.
  • 7:45 Unfair challenge on Darren O'Dea by Enoch Showunmi results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Josh Thompson.
  • 6:41 Georgios Samaras takes a shot. Thomas Scobbie gets a block in. Corner taken by Edson Braafheid, clearance made by Marc Twaddle.
  • 5:15 Scott Arfield delivers the ball, Enoch Showunmi has a headed effort from close in and clears the bar.
  • 3:40 Robbie Keane produces a drilled right-footed shot from 20 yards. Burton O'Brien gets a block in. Edson Braafheid takes the inswinging corner, clearance by Darren Barr.
  • 0:20 Foul by Colin Healy on Landry N'Guemo, free kick awarded. Artur Boruc takes the free kick.
  • 0:00 The match begins.

Superb Keane in a different class

08 March 2010

Provided by: The Times

Falkirk 0
Celtic 2 Keane 34, 79
Referee: B Winter Attendance: 6,792
It is probably too late to pretend that Robbie Keane can still win Celtic the title, but you can see the thinking behind his acquisition. He was the difference between the sides in Falkirk yesterday, producing a trademark performance that included two goals, his fourth and fifth since joining the club last month. As the visiting support made for the exits, they had only one question for their iconic striker: why hadn't he done that the week before?
Of course, it is easier to score two against Falkirk than it is against Rangers, but these impressive strikes, one delivered in each half, were the kind that few others could have managed. Each was delivered with speed of thought and feet, and calmly dispatched with the same right boot that has done for better opponents than these. For those of his fans who still believe in miracles, his team now trail Rangers by "only" ten points, with a game more played.
More to the point, Celtic needed him on a day when Falkirk fought for all they were worth and made enough scoring opportunities to deserve at least a draw. Profligacy on their part combined with another step in the Artur Boruc revival to ensure that they are still three points adrift of Hamilton Academical at the foot of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. No wonder their manager, Steven Pressley, was a frustrated man last night.
While Celtic aren't likely to admit that the championship is a lost cause, it looked for long spells as though this meant less to them than Falkirk. Despite relying on a solitary striker — the handful that is Enoch Showunmi — the home side more than held their own in midfield, remained steadfast at the back and several times burst clear to test Boruc. In fact, the only foot they seemed to put wrong was when their goalkeeper, Robert Olejnik, ran to the wrong end before kick-off.
Long before Keane had opened the scoring, Vitor Lima twice threatened to score, first with a poke wide after Scott Arfield's through ball, then with a first-time lash at Colin Healy's corner. By half-time, Darren Barr's header had been saved by Boruc, and a clearance by Marc Crosas had almost found the top corner courtesy of Arfield's body. Best of all was Ryan Flynn's overhead kick just before the interval. Healy's corner was flicked into the danger area by Marc Twaddle, and with his back to goal, the midfield player's ambitious effort forced Boruc to palm round the post. To their credit, Falkirk's fans were able to see beyond the halfway deficit and applaud their team off the pitch.
Celtic will not mind confessing that they had Keane to thank for their advantage. Playing behind Morton Rasmussen, and f lanked by Aiden McGeady and Georgios Samaras, he gave his team the X-factor they needed. However industrious the home side, they were occasionally f lummoxed by the way the Irishman ghosted in behind. When he latched on to Andreas Hinkel's ball round the back, Olejnik blocked the angled shot. Then, when Landry N'Guemo picked him out with a high ball through the middle, he faked past Tom Scobbie and let fly with his left foot. Olejnik again had to be lively, springing from his feet to tip it over.
The opening goal, which he scored 11 minutes from the break, was better still. The build-up was impressive enough, adeliciousflickbyRasmussenturning a Crosas ball into his path, but the instinctive touch with which Keane set himself up was crucial.
In one seamless movement, he seemed to take out the Falkirk defence, before sliding it under Olejnik with the outside of his right foot. On a pitch that wasn't exactly lending itself to the players' finer qualities, it was one to be proud of.
This, of course, had plenty of the vulgar stuff as well, especially in the second half, when the surface came out on top. Celtic seemed to be wondering if they had done enough, a state of mind that only encouraged Falkirk and their demonstrative manager.
Pressley's touchline histrionics could hardly have been more different from the stoicism of his Celtic counterpart. When Crosas fouled Flynn right in front of his dugout, Pressley seemed to demand a booking, which didn't please the Celtic assistant, Peter Grant. Then, when the Falkirk manager applauded Scobbie's clattering tackle on Keane, the latter responded with a sarcastic clap of his own.
"After the game, I shook his hand and it was fine," Pressley said later. "Just gamesmanship, nothing more than that."
Pressley's frustration was understandable. His team had carved out the best chances of the second half, only to find once again that it wasn't enough. Showunmi rose so well to meet Barr's cross that it earned him a free header, but he couldn't keep the ball down. Then Lima hooked another one over the top from 12 yards. By the time Boruc was turning Arfield's shot round the post, the locals had a fair idea that it was not to be their day.
Keane confirmed as much with 11 minutes left. Another intelligent run, after a quick free kick by Crosas, meant that he found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat. Calling upon the same poise that enabled him to pilfer the opening goal, he took the opportunity in his stride, easily poking it beyond the helpless Olejnik.
Ratings
FALKIRK 4-5-1 R
ROlejnik 6
DBarr 7
BMcLean 0 7
TScobbie 6
MTwaddle 0 6
VLima 6
CHealy 6
SArfield 7
BO'Brien 6
RFlynn 7
EShowunmi 6
Substitute:PMoutinho(for Lima, 80). Notused: JWagenaar, SLynch, JCompton,KDuffie, SDavidson, J Bloom. Next: St Johnstone (h)
CELTIC4-2-3-1
ABoruc 7
AHinkel 6
JThompson 6
DO'Dea 7
EBraafheid 6
MCrosas 6
LN'Guemo 7
AMcGeady 6
RKeane 8
GSamaras 6
MRasmussen 5