Kilmarnock 0 - 3 Celtic: Keane's class clinches Celtic passage

Published on Sunday 14 March 2010 23:29

ON DAYS such as this one, quality trumps endeavour. And in Robbie Keane, Celtic possessed the high-calibre cache capable of propelling them into tomorrow's Scottish Cup semi-final draw. For all Kilmarnock's first-half diligence and determination, it took the Republic of Ireland striker less than 20 second-half minutes to undo all their hard-work, with the kind of finishing others can only aspire to.

"Every team needs someone who can make the difference when things aren't going your way," said 19-year-old team-mate Josh Thompson. "Robbie can get a goal from anything, which he did here, and his first really settled down the boys. For a lad of my age to grow up watching Robbie at Liverpool in the Premiership and now to be on the same pitch as him is fantastic. He has shown that he's a different class of player. I'm just more than happy to be on the same team as him."

How the Kilmarnock defenders must have wished the same thing by the end of their duel with him. For most of the first hour, they actually contended well with the movement and pace of the on-loan Spurs star, limiting the number of opportunities he had to open the scoring. James Fowler was deployed in a man-marking role and will have been content with his first-half contribution, but quality seems to always find a way eventually. Keane's eight goals in eight games underlines that.

"At half-time you wouldn't have said that Robbie Keane was man of the match and yet he did what he does second half," said Celtic manager Tony Mowbray, who despite the fact that he tried to play things down last week, would have found himself under huge pressure had the team failed to maintain an interest in the only competition which could yet reap them silverware. "It was some great work from (Edson] Braafheid for his first, from (Georgios] Samaras for his second and then (Marc Antoine] Fortune for the third. You know, it's a team game and he is there to finish them off. That's why he is here, he can do that." Can't he just.

The first came in the 63rd minute from a long speculative ball from the left-back and instead of Kilmarnock keeper Cammy Bell coming off his line to clear, the ball was allowed to bounce between him and defender Scott Severin and Keane pounced, his first touch impeccable, and he left-footed it home from six yards.

Samaras and Fortune combined to set him up in the 81st minute and as Kilmarnock chased the game, Celtic hit on the counter-attack a minute later Fortune eluding a desperate tackle from Severin as he bore in on goal before squaring for Keane, who had saved the best for last.

"The quality of the strike was of a very, very high level," said Mowbray. "To be able to one touch, side-foot it and bend it into the top corner. That's a high-quality skill."

It was an exquisite finish but it was also a cruel one, giving the scoreline a lopsided appearance it didn't merit.

Kilmarnock had been the party– poopers the night Keane and a whole host of other January signings made their Celtic debuts. That had been a match where three league points had been an anticipated formality. But Jimmy Calderwood's men had combined well that evening and, unwilling to give the Old Firm side any time to settle on the ball, they had upset them. They started this game with a similar plan and, until half-time, it had looked just as effective.

They strangled any Celtic moves in their infancy, pressing the play. They were resolute and organised at the back and possessed the star performer on the pitch at that time in Craig Bryson, who not only dominated in midfield but was a constant ally to the attackers.

Their doggedness at the back was certainly a source of frustration for Morten Rasmussen, who was accused of lashing out intentionally at his marker, Fraser Wright. "He definitely swung an elbow at me and when we came off at half-time someone said the telly showed it was quite obvious he'd done it. I wasn't happy about it at the time but he just said he was trying to get free from me. He said: 'you shouldn't be close to me,' so I said: 'sure, I'll let you stand in the six-yard box and score.' But he definitely caught me.

"I think if it was one of us who'd done the same thing it would be picked up on. Someone has to have a look at it and if TV pictures prove he's done it then I'm all for him being done."

"In the first half we bullied them," added Wright, whose stitches for a head knock provided tangible evidence of the physical nature of the preceding 90 minutes. "We created a few chances and started the match well. But when you don't take your chances, and then lose the first goal, you're in trouble."

The home side had their chances but the bar denied Ally Russell in the early stages and the same player contrived to miss from a couple of yards out in the 55th minute.

Had either of those efforts found the net, the Celtic nerves would have really jangled and who knows if there would have been a fightback. But in Keane they, ultimately, found the ideal man to soothe those fears.