HOOPS KEEP HOPES ALIVE
CELTIC rode their luck and a rollercoaster of emotion as a solitary Georgios Samaras goal deservedly sealed all three points in a nail-biting encounter with Aberdeen.There were a few nervous moments towards the end of the match, and relief when Zander Diamond's late strike for the visitors was fortuitously ruled out by referee Iain Brines for an apparent hand ball by Barry Nicholson.However, Celtic ultimately deserved the victory which maintains the winning run after Wednesday’s stunning derby win over Rangers and puts them back on top of the SPL.Gordon Strachan was forced to make four changes to the team which started during midweek, with Bobo Balde, Mark Wilson, Massimo Donati and Georgios Samaras stepping in place of the suspended Gary Caldwell and the injured trio of Lee Naylor, Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.The game started in the most incredible of circumstances, with Celtic Park thrown into stunned silence on five minutes as Aberdeen almost took the lead from Scott Severin’s speculative effort from the edge of the box.The midfielder’s low drive cracked off one post, spun across the goal-line and then hit the other before rolling back into the arms of Artur Boruc. It was a remarkable and unexpected start, but Celtic recovered and moments later Georgios Samaras had a goal ruled out for offside.Gordon Strachan’s men were enjoying the bulk of possession but couldn't create any clear-cut chances in a frustrating first 45 minutes.Aberdeen, however, faced a far more urgent and determined Celtic after the restart, though the Hoops were forced to make a chance with Paul Caddis on for the injured Andreas Hinkel. The home side pushed forward and the teenage right-back immediately contributed with a number of good runs and crosses.Shunsuke Nakamura, Scott McDonald and Aiden McGeady all came close with chances and then, on 56 minutes, Celtic finally took the lead through their Greek striker. Barry Robson curled in a free-kick which Samaras met perfectly with his head at the near post and Celtic were 1-0 up.In the wake of the goal, Celtic took control of the game, battling for every ball, with Samaras coming close with another header. Their hard work was not rewarded with another goal, though, and in the closing stages some nerves began to creep into the home support.Those concerns were hardly alleviated when a lucky break of the ball put through Barry Nicholson and he then laid the ball across the six-yard box where a number of his team-mates were rushing in to score.But Caddis, who had earlier gone off to receive stitches after a nasty clash of heads, slid in with a beautifully-timed challenge and hooked the ball to safety.Celtic enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the remaining minutes of the match, although there was one horrible moment in where Aberdeen had the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for a Nicholson hand ball that replays suggested may not have been the case.The tension in the crowd remained palpable, but Celtic held their nerve and claimed the crucial three points which maintains their bid for a third consecutive title.
CELTIC rode their luck and a rollercoaster of emotion as a solitary Georgios Samaras goal deservedly sealed all three points in a nail-biting encounter with Aberdeen.There were a few nervous moments towards the end of the match, and relief when Zander Diamond's late strike for the visitors was fortuitously ruled out by referee Iain Brines for an apparent hand ball by Barry Nicholson.However, Celtic ultimately deserved the victory which maintains the winning run after Wednesday’s stunning derby win over Rangers and puts them back on top of the SPL.Gordon Strachan was forced to make four changes to the team which started during midweek, with Bobo Balde, Mark Wilson, Massimo Donati and Georgios Samaras stepping in place of the suspended Gary Caldwell and the injured trio of Lee Naylor, Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.The game started in the most incredible of circumstances, with Celtic Park thrown into stunned silence on five minutes as Aberdeen almost took the lead from Scott Severin’s speculative effort from the edge of the box.The midfielder’s low drive cracked off one post, spun across the goal-line and then hit the other before rolling back into the arms of Artur Boruc. It was a remarkable and unexpected start, but Celtic recovered and moments later Georgios Samaras had a goal ruled out for offside.Gordon Strachan’s men were enjoying the bulk of possession but couldn't create any clear-cut chances in a frustrating first 45 minutes.Aberdeen, however, faced a far more urgent and determined Celtic after the restart, though the Hoops were forced to make a chance with Paul Caddis on for the injured Andreas Hinkel. The home side pushed forward and the teenage right-back immediately contributed with a number of good runs and crosses.Shunsuke Nakamura, Scott McDonald and Aiden McGeady all came close with chances and then, on 56 minutes, Celtic finally took the lead through their Greek striker. Barry Robson curled in a free-kick which Samaras met perfectly with his head at the near post and Celtic were 1-0 up.In the wake of the goal, Celtic took control of the game, battling for every ball, with Samaras coming close with another header. Their hard work was not rewarded with another goal, though, and in the closing stages some nerves began to creep into the home support.Those concerns were hardly alleviated when a lucky break of the ball put through Barry Nicholson and he then laid the ball across the six-yard box where a number of his team-mates were rushing in to score.But Caddis, who had earlier gone off to receive stitches after a nasty clash of heads, slid in with a beautifully-timed challenge and hooked the ball to safety.Celtic enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the remaining minutes of the match, although there was one horrible moment in where Aberdeen had the ball in the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for a Nicholson hand ball that replays suggested may not have been the case.The tension in the crowd remained palpable, but Celtic held their nerve and claimed the crucial three points which maintains their bid for a third consecutive title.
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