| Match Pictures | Matches: 1998 – 1999 | 1998-1999 Pictures |
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Trivia
- In the week prior to the game a series of photos had appeared in one of the newspapers revealing the Andy Goram’s links with terrorist groups in Ulster. Motherwell backed Goram, despite the reports linking him to the UVF. The originator of the ‘scoop’ was Goram’s ex-wife who also said that she had destroyed photographs of Goram with balaclava’d members of the UFF.
- West Ham Utd were interested in making a bid for Phil O’Donnell.
- With the FIFA deadline for payment of the full Viduka transfer fee to Croatia Zagreb, the club refused to pay them the remainder of the fee and opted to submit it’s reasons to FIFA in writing.
- Jim Kerr said that his ‘consortium’ of Jim McAvoy and Kenny Dalgleish would walk away from Celtic and buy another club unless they were ‘dealt in’ by Fergus McCann. Whoop dee doo!!!!!
- Leeds Utd were in the process of making a bid for Alan Stubbs.
- Stubbs was out with an ankle ligament injury, Boyd was missing with a chest infection. With Annoni also injured with a calf muscle tear this meant a make-shift three man central defense partnership between Riseth, Mjallby and Mahe with wingbacks McNamara and McKinlay.
Review
Another hatrick for the King of Kings and a superb double act between Larsson and Lubo. However, the whole team came out of this well – everyone of them having a decent game.
Teams
Celtic: Gould, Mjallby, Riseth, Mahe, McNamara, Lambert, Moravcik, O'Donnell (Blinker 48), McKinlay, Brattbakk, Larsson (Burchill 68).
Subs Not Used: Kerr.
Goals: Larsson 26, 31 pen, Brattbakk 38, Larsson 41.
Dunfermline: Butler, Shields, Tod, Millar (McGroaty 79), Thomson, French, Ferguson (Huxford 65), Petrie, Graham, Smith,Shaw (Nish 66).
Booked: Mjallby, Moravcik (Celtic) Tod, Petrie (Dunfermiline.
Ref: E Martindale (Glasgow).
Att: 47,194
Articles
- Match Report
Larsson leads a landslide win for green party
Sunday Herald 14/02/1999
Celtic 4, Dunfermline 0
HENRIK Larsson made life easy for the man from Tennents. The custom at each Scottish Cup tie is for the sponsors to distribute Man-of-the-Match forms for the media to complete by full-time. Protocol prevented the slips being collected after 41 minutes yesterday, but by then Larsson's name had been inked in.
The striker's finishing lacerated Dunfermline and continued the thrilling entertainment Celtic fans have come to expect in home fixtures.
The statistics are awesome. Thirty goals have been dispatched past their opposition in the last seven home games, with not one conceded in the last five. Celtic, and Larsson, are in irresistible, magnificent form.
The Swede's total alone now stretches to 27, a breathtaking figure for a man whom few, even yet, would immediately consider an out-and-out goal scorer. There is so much sophistication to Larsson's game it seems unfair to value him only for his ability to finish, but such a lavish haul has defined Celtic's season.
They are currently such a powerful, confident side it seems odd that their year could hang by the tenuous thread of Scottish Cup success.
There is too much ground to make up in the championship, even for a team no longer prone to squandering points. Apart from being cup opponents, Dunfermline happen to be one of Celtic's Premier Division peers, yet for the third time this season they simply could not live with them.
By four minutes before half-time, an afternoon of hope and expectation had been turned into one of damage limitation. Having endured two 5-0 defeats on league visits this season, it is an experience Dunfermline are used to.
Their eager opening spell ensured Celtic were awake from the start. Jonathan Gould even made the first save of the match, from a diving Andy Tod header. But few within Parkhead believed Dunfermline's advances would be more than an irrelevance to the main acts on the Parkhead bill.
Nowadays that cast list rarely includes Tosh McKinlay, but it was the left-sided midfielder, starting his first game since the beginning of November, who helped Larsson to his opening goal with a near-post cross which the Swede rose to meet with a powerful, angled header.
Instantly, Celtic opened up on Dunfermline with a punishing range of movement and passes. Larsson and the Slovakian sorcerer, Lubomir Moravcik, were constantly probing and toying when they took possession, striving for the magical pass which might put the other, or Harald Brattbakk, through again.
It was Brattbakk who played a one-two with Jackie McNamara after 31 minutes, and when the Scot's shirt was tugged by Andy Tod, the penalty allowed Larsson to score his second.
By then, the tie had raced away from Dunfermline. Caretaker manager Dick Campbell could only prowl around his technical area, exhorting his players to recover but haunted by a jocular midweek remark that he would "settle for 4-0" from the tie. That already looked optimistic.
Brattbakk intruded on Larsson's private parade with a deft goal which spread more joy through the 46,000-or-so Celtic supporters. Vidar Riseth passed to Larsson, whose lay-off allowed Brattbakk the space to strike a soft but accurate left-foot shot which found the corner of Lee Butler's net.
It was a quality finish, but one which was entirely overshadowed by the goal which secured Larsson's hat-trick four minutes before half-time.
McNamara lofted in a pass as Larsson pulled away into space behind the Dunfermline defenders who had been sucked towards the touchline, and the striker chipped his shot high over Butler. Larsson had spun away to celebrate long before the ball finished its journey.
Inevitably, the second half was a tortuous affair for Dunfermline, a protracted attempt at containing a rampant side in rampaging form. Still Celtic pushed forward, with Paul Lambert and Mark Burchill forcing Butler into quick reactions and Tod heading a Regi Blinker cross on to his own bar.
No further goals materialised to punctuate their pressure and thoughts began to stray. Celtic fans tried to convince themselves the presence of former Ranger Derek Ferguson was offensive and jeered him as he was replaced, but their hearts were only really in it when Larsson was withdrawn to a joyous standing ovation mid-way through the half.
Even a 90th minute penalty miss by Brattbakk, after a Greg Shields foul on Burchill, was endured by the fans with weary good grace.
In fact, Parkhead had been in the mood for fun all day. Comedian Frank Carson went through a routine in the centre circle at half-time, earning his biggest laugh for dryly encouraging Dunfermline to make life difficult for Celtic in the second period. The Irishman was trying to leave his audience in stitches, but he had been upstaged. Larsson had already picked away and left Dunfermline torn apart at the seams.
- Manager Interview
Dr Jo Venglos, post match
“Of course I am satisfied with the result – but it was not so easy especially at the beginning.
“Dunfermiline worked hard but we slowly adapted to the situation and we found the way to work the breakthrough.
“After we scored we were hitting on the break with counter-attacks and Henrik Larsson is outstanding in that role.
“In the second half we had more freedom to play our usual game and with there being no pressure we created more chances.
“I feel we have a very good situation here at the club in that the players are very close and are playing for each other.
“Henrik is playing well but he is very mush part of a team and that is a strong part of his personality.
“Vidar did well and covered a lot of space with Stephane and John reading their defensive duties well.
“Paul Lambert played a lot of important passes with some good moves and I was pleased for Jackie and Tosh who needed time to settle with the tempo of the game.
“After the team got to grips with the game they all adapted but give credit to Dunfermiline, they were a better team than the result suggests.”
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Dunfermiline | |
| Bookings | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 13 | 12 |
| Shots on Target | 10 | 5 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Offside | 6 | 3 |