Falkirk 0 - 2 Celtic: Robbie Keane dips Falkirk's pockets with slick double

Published on Sunday 7 March 2010 23:16

AT the third time of asking this season, Celtic finally got the better of Falkirk yesterday. Robbie Keane, as a richly remunerated striker should, made all the difference in a match where there was precious little else to distinguish between Tony Mowbray's team and their bottom-of-the-table opponents.

Falkirk, indeed, would have some justification in feeling like the victims of a mugging. For long periods of the afternoon, they were generally the more purposeful and often more threatening side. They were undone, however, by both their own lack of a cutting edge up front and the merciless finishing of Keane, who plundered both goals for his temporary employers.

Celtic also owed a considerable debt of gratitude to goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who made two outstanding saves at crucial stages of the game.

Although their pursuit of Rangers at the top of the table is now surely a forlorn assignment, Celtic could ill have afforded to drop more points against the side who held them to two damaging draws earlier in the campaign.

Falkirk remain three points adrift of both Hamilton and St Mirren at the foot of the SPL but on the evidence of this performance they cannot yet be discounted from fulfilling manager Steven Pressley's prophecy of survival.

They had notably excellent contributions from midfielder Scott Arfield and winger Ryan Flynn in an overall display which would give Pressley cause for encouragement as the business end of the season approaches.

While Keane's breakthrough strike was harsh on Falkirk, who forced Celtic onto the back foot for much of the first half, it could hardly be described as a complete surprise.

The Irish striker had twice previously been afforded a clear sight of goal, on both occasions being denied by decent saves from Robert Olejnik. The Falkirk goalkeeper could not deny Keane for a third time, however, as the Tottenham loanee gave Mowbray's men their flattering 34th-minute lead.

Receiving a clever pass from Morten Rasmussen, the Danish international making a rare starting appearance as Marc-Antoine Fortune was sidelined by injury, Keane's first touch was true and his second deadly as he speared a low shot through Olejnik's legs from around ten yards.

Pressley's animated display of frustration in the Falkirk technical area was understandable.

With towering lone striker Enoch Showunmi spreading mild panic throughout the Celtic back four, the home team had carved out enough openings to at least earn themselves parity at the break.

Showunmi himself had headed an Arfield cross just off target in the opening exchanges and then forced Boruc into a brave excursion from his line to beat the big forward to a through ball from Colin Healy which had split the Celtic defence.

As Falkirk pressed with energy and intelligence, Vitor Lima came close with a couple of long-range efforts. Darren O'Dea, restored to the Celtic captaincy in the absence of the suspended Scott Brown, made the first of several well timed interceptions to deny Flynn as the visitors looked ragged and vulnerable.

Keane's opener might have been expected to settle Celtic but it was the home side who continued to carry greater conviction. It required a marvellous intervention from Boruc, the big Pole instinctively sticking out his right hand to keep out Flynn's close-range overhead kick, to prevent Falkirk equalising just four minutes later.

Showunmi should certainly have made it 1-1 on the stroke of half-time when he was sent clear by Arfield's surging run and through ball but he rushed his shot and shanked it horribly wide of Boruc's left-hand post.

Mercifully for all concerned, it was an afternoon when referee Brian Winter was spared any moments of genuine controversy. Falkirk supporters, however, were less than impressed by the official's judgment in deciding a stern lecture was the only action required when Marc Crosas floored Flynn with a late and untidy challenge.

Celtic were digging in to protect their lead, albeit unconvincingly at times. O'Dea made another fine penalty area block, this time on Showunmi, before the Falkirk striker steered a header wastefully over the top from Barr's cross.

Falkirk continued to hunt ravenously for the goal which would earn them a precious point and Lima might have done better than shoot over from around 16 yards.

The relegation-threatened side probably sensed it wasn't their day when, with 13 minutes remaining, Boruc dived to his right to turn Arfield's stinging volley behind for a corner. Two minutes later, Celtic made sure the gap between themselves and Rangers would extend no further than ten points. A quickly taken free-kick from Crosas caught the Falkirk defence on their heels and allowed Keane to race clear and guide an unerring finish beyond Olejnik.

Had Georgios Samaras, who endured a fairly wretched afternoon, not botched a pass to Keane in the closing stages, a glorious hat-trick opportunity would surely have presented itself.

This was a day, however, when Celtic and their support headed home simply relieved to have secured a victory of any kind.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Robbie Keane (Celtic)

While Falkirk had several eye-catching individual performers, especially midfielder Scott Arfield, no-one had a bigger influence on the contest than Keane. The worth of Celtic's short-term investment in the striker remains open to debate but the quality of his finishing here was beyond question.