Thursday, August 6, 2009

Brilliant Bhoys in final reckoning


Celtic created history as they overcame a first-leg deficit to beat Dinamo Moscow 2-0 in their Champions League third qualifier.

The Hoops had never won a European tie after losing the first game at Parkhead but Scott McDonald's header a minute from the break in the Arena Khimki levelled the tie 1-1 on aggregate.

The game looked to be heading for extra-time but in the final minute a sensational goal by substitute Georgios Samaras, on for McDonald, sent the Parkhead side into the Champions League play-offs and ended a six-year drought on their European travels.

The Parkhead side should also give an extra bonus to Andreas Hinkel, as the German defender made both goals and knocked two Dinamo efforts off the line in a pulsating night in Russia.

When the draw is made on Friday, Celtic will be in the hat with names such as Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Stuttgart, Lyon and Fiorentina, and it is a place they richly deserve.

The visitors eventually took the lead a minute from the break when striker Marc-Antoine Fortune, relatively anonymous thus far, knocked the ball back to Hinkel on the right.

He curled a high ball to the back post and the unmarked McDonald headed past Gabulov for the simplest but most important of goals.

There was still time for Hinkel to clear an effort from Dinamo skipper Dmitri Khokhlov off the line as the home side responded but it was a deserved interval lead Celtic took into the break.

It was a charged-up Celtic side who came out after the break determined to add to their lead.

With Brown driving Celtic forward, the Hoops went for the second goal and Maloney should have scored two minutes from the end when he was sent through by the Scotland midfielder but Gabulov brilliantly blocked.

Then in the final minute, Samaras took a long, searching Hinkel pass inside the box, weaved past three Dinamo defenders and slotted past Gabulov, before taking the acclaim of the small band of happy Hoops fans.

Afterwards boss Tony Mowbray said: "I think we got what we deserved in the end."

"I think over the two 90 minutes, the better team came through the tie.

"I said all along they're a very good side, a very organised side, but they at times lacked the individual quality that I thought we had and that's shown tonight.

"I thought we controlled the game for long, long spells and got our rewards in the end."

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