| Match Pictures | Matches: 2013 – 2014 | 2013-14 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic top of the league on 39pts, Inv Caley second on 32pts.
- Now we are down to the domestic matches alone, the league and cup with our European adventures all over.
- Some would even say the league is done and dusted already with some justification.
- Pukki scores for first time in a long time to give himself some breathing space.
- Remembrance ceremony held by Celtic Graves Soceity for Peter Scarff.
- Charity Kano Foundation has now taken 2000 children to Celtic games. Wonderful achievement.
- Rumours of Sammy to Hull in January.
- UEFA has imposed a 50,000-euro fine on the Club following the display of illicit banners at the recent match against AC Milan (the Green Brigade banners of William Wallace & Bobby Sands with the accompanying message).
- Some GB supporters claiming intimidation by stewards in their new seats at Celtic Park.
- Cult hero Shunsuke Nakamura has won the J-League Player of the Year award for the second time. His Yokohama side lost out on the title on the final day of the season.
- Police are investigating comments and images posted on the website of nasty arch-Hun group the Vanguard Bears. The site contains photos of prominent Celtic fans who have died with crosses over their faces. Sick & disgusting.
Review
(Milligan’s Island of KDS)
Understandably a bit flat performance,not helped by the conditions either.
Thought biton was cool and effective in the centre for us,izzy a bag of energy up and down all day (his dive was cringeworthy though) and commons worked his socks off. Hopefully teemus goal will see him get a boost, he is nowhere near as bad as some make out.
Hibs were a let down today, everyone behind the ball and kick the feck out of our players with bobby maddens seal of approval. Only in the 2nd half did they start committing numbers forward but even then they offered little creatively without huge assists from matthews and ambrose.
Still unbeaten into december though, something we couldn't manage last season with hooper and wanyama.
Teams
Celtic
- 01 Forster
- 23 Lustig (Matthews – 73' )
- 03 Izaguirre Booked
- 06 Biton
- 04 Ambrose
- 05 van Dijk
- 08 Brown
- 16 Ledley
- 10 Stokes
- 15 Commons
- 20 Pukki (Samaras – 58' Booked )
Substitutes
- 02 Matthews
- 09 Samaras
- 17 Baldé
- 24 Zaluska
- 37 Atajic
- 41 Fisher
- 53 Henderson
Goals
- Pukki 29′
Hibernian
- 01 Williams
- 23 Forster
- 03 McGivern
- 08 Robertson
- 05 Nelson
- 04 Hanlon
- 11 Cairney (Zoubir – 68' )
- 10 Craig
- 14 Collins
- 19 Handling (Cummings – 63' )
- 16 Stevenson (Thomson – 85' )
Substitutes
- 17 Tudur Jones
- 18 Maybury
- 21 Murdoch
- 27 Zoubir
- 29 Caldwell
- 35 Cummings
- 38 Thomson
Ref: Bobby Madden
Att: 46,065
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
- Audio Report: Paradise Report
Pictures
Forum
MOTM
- Voting Thread
- Result Thread
- Winner –
- 2013-14 Winners
Stats
Celtic Hibernian
Possession
38% 62%
90mins
Shots
10 9
On target
6 2
Corners
8 2
Fouls
7 12
Articles
Celtic 1-0 Hibernian: Pukki picks up the pace
by TOM ENGLISH
Published on the 14 December
2013
17:37
AT A cost of £2.4m, Teemu Pukki hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees since his arrival from Schalke in the summer, his manager, Neil Lennon, constantly having to make allowances for his flatness in front of goal, his inability to get to the pitch of the Scottish game.
SCORER: Celtic – Pukki 28
The Finn had not scored in 15 games before this dour victory. Not many people would have exited the stadium into the wind and rain with a smile on their face but Pukki was surely one of them. His goal came at last – and it was decisive. Celtic are now unbeaten in 15 matches in the league.
The goal came early and for a moment there was a thought that Celtic were going to continue their recent goal blitz on the domestic front, but such ruthlessness was absent. For Celtic, this wasn’t even a return to their wasteful ways following a brief interlude of clinical finishing against Hearts and Motherwell. They had so much possession in this game, so much pressure and yet they created very little. What shots they had were normally from distance and Ben Williams was equal to them.
The foul weather didn’t help the occasion, that’s for sure. Hibs tried to hound and harry their hosts, tried to frustrate the life out of them, but it wasn’t enough and it made for a grim afternoon at times. Terry Butcher’s team hit a Celtic post in the second half but they didn’t deserve a point, even if they had reduced Celtic to a bit of a mess by the end, the home team hanging on at the death and looking to win a game-clinching second goal courtesy of a penalty appeal from Emilio Izaguirre after he tumbled in a tackle from Michael Nelson. The Honduran was booked for diving. Lennon said the referee, Bobby Madden, got it right.
There wasn’t much noise in the place either but Lennon made a point of praising those who sang in this new age of the broken Green Brigade.
A rare piece of precision won the day and it came just before the half-hour when Scott Brown put Joe Ledley away down the left, the Welshman then squaring for Pukki to put it away. It was the Finn’s first goal since 21 September and only his third for his club and, bhoy, was it needed.
“It was a boost for him,” said Lennon. “It was a good striker’s goal, the way he got in front of the defender at the near post. He finished well. He’s a shy boy, you know. I want him to bring out more of his personality on the pitch and off the pitch. I’ve been pleased with his contribution at times. He’s not prolific and he never will be, but he’ll weigh in with his fair share of goals and has something to offer.”
It was helpful for Lennon that his team began their recovery from the midweek mauling in Barcelona against a side that cannot score as opposed to the Spaniards who could barely stop. Butcher’s job at Hibs is a multi-layered project: firstly, solidifying his defence and bringing some resistance and consistency to the team – he seems to be getting there on that one – and, secondly, trying to introduce an element of goal threat. That’s a task that might take some time and require new personnel.
They had their moments, including a Liam Craig shot that slapped off Fraser Forster’s post in the second half, but the bottom line is that they have scored only one goal in their last eight matches and are attempting the impossible. No team has ever made strides while having the equivalent of a water pistol for an attack. If there is one player that this team is crying out for then it was one Butcher knows better than anybody. If the Hibs manager could prise Billy McKay away from Inverness Caledonian Thistle then he might get somewhere a whole lot quicker than if he has to stick with what he has got. You wouldn’t dismiss them on this performance, but quite plainly Hibs have precious little firepower.
“The gameplan was to frustrate them,” said Butcher. “Apart from the goal they haven’t really cut through us. They haven’t hurt us, but we haven’t hurt them either. We had Liam’s shot and a few skirmishes, but I’m really pleased with the effort and the commitment. We’re becoming hard to beat and resilient. We’re making progress and taking baby-steps forward.”
In his inimitable way, Butcher spoke of his pre-match team-talk, an epic by the sounds of it. “I mentioned Lawrence of Arabia, David and Goliath and George Washington,” he said, before admitting that his players probably hadn’t a clue what he was on about but that he felt pretty pleased with himself in saying it. “We’re building foundations,” said the Hibs manager.
“We’re getting a strong base in place and then we can add the glamour bits like pace and craft. We don’t want to build a two-up, two-down, we want to build a luxury penthouse.”
Celtic’s victory, but for undiluted optimism Butcher really does take some beating.
The Scotsman
BBC
By Alasdair Lamont Senior football reporter, BBC Scotland at Celtic Park
Celtic began the process of erasing the disappointment of their Champions League humbling by Barcelona with another domestic victory.
It was a much less emphatic win than their last two in the league, but on balance a deserved one.
The only goal came from Teemu Pukki, one of the players who had looked most out of his depth in Camp Nou.
Hibs were always in the match, but the closest they came to an equaliser was a Liam Craig effort that hit the post.
The result maintains Celtic's unbeaten domestic run this season and keeps their seemingly inevitable title defence on course.
The goal that secured another three points for the champions was impressively executed.
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Scott Brown, looking like a player with something to prove, picked out an excellent pass to find Joe Ledley inside the penalty area and the Welshman's first-time cross was cutely turned into the net by Pukki.
Though Celtic dominated in terms of chances created, Hibs passed up a glorious one to equalise.
Craig found time and space inside Celtic's penalty area and though he might consider himself unfortunate to see his shot come off the inside of the post, Paul Cairney really should have bundled the rebound over the line and only he will know how he failed to do so.
Both sides had taken some time to settle, understandable given the conditions.
Pukki's strike was really the first test of Ben Williams, who subsequently had to produce a fabulous save to keep the deficit at just one, sprawling high to his right to push Anthony Stokes's powerful left-foot drive away.
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If that was outstanding from Williams, his next intervention was bizarre and almost very costly as he misjudged a ball fizzed in from the left by Ledley and the keeper could consider himself fortunate to see it come off his heel and head behind.
Hibs' only shot on target in that first period came in its final moments, but it might have brought them the equaliser were it not for Fraser Forster getting down low to tip Scott Robertson's drive away.
The visitors created another terrific opening within seconds of the restart, but Danny Handling's composure deserted him with only Forster to beat and the striker blazed over the bar.
If the first half had been short on chances, the second was very different.
The opportunities fell principally to Neil Lennon's side, with Brown and Commons both having shots saved early in the half, but a right-foot effort from outside the box by Craig flew just wide to send a warning across the Celtic defence's bows.
Still, Celtic looked the more likely to score again and Stokes almost rounded off a fabulous passing move when his shot was deflected, but Williams reacted well to keep it out, as he did with another Commons effort shortly afterwards.
Live Text Commentary
Full time
Full Time Match ends, Celtic 1, Hibernian 0.
90:00 +3:29 Full time
Full Time Second Half ends, Celtic 1, Hibernian 0.
90:00 +3:26
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
90:00 +2:37
Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +2:37
Foul by Scott Robertson (Hibernian).
90:00 +1:04 Booking
Booking Georgios Samaras (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
90:00 +1:00
Jordan Forster (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +0:54
Foul by Georgios Samaras (Celtic).
89:09
Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
89:09
Kevin Thomson (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
88:26
Attempt missed. Liam Craig (Hibernian) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
87:53
Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
87:53
Abdellah Zoubir (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
87:10
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
87:10
Foul by Abdellah Zoubir (Hibernian).
86:06
Attempt missed. Abdellah Zoubir (Hibernian) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
84:33 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Hibernian. Kevin Thomson replaces Lewis Stevenson.
82:35
Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
82:35
Foul by Scott Robertson (Hibernian).
81:36
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
81:00
Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80:58
Foul by Ryan McGivern (Hibernian).
79:54
Attempt saved. Abdellah Zoubir (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
77:54
Foul by Nir Biton (Celtic).
77:54
Jordan Forster (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
76:46 Booking
Booking Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
76:39
Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) has gone down, but that's a dive.
75:00
Joe Ledley (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
74:52
Foul by Jordan Forster (Hibernian).
73:17
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Scott Robertson.
72:39 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Adam Matthews replaces Mikael Lustig.
72:18
Foul by Jordan Forster (Hibernian).
72:18
Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
69:39
Jordan Forster (Hibernian) wins a free kick on the left wing.
69:39
Foul by Anthony Stokes (Celtic).
68:43
Foul by James Collins (Hibernian).
68:43
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
67:21 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Hibernian. Abdellah Zoubir replaces Paul Cairney.
63:00 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Hibernian. Jason Cummings replaces Daniel Handling.
62:16
Attempt blocked. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
61:34
Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
61:34
Foul by Liam Craig (Hibernian).
60:39
Liam Craig (Hibernian) hits the left post with a left footed shot from the centre of the box.
59:28
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
59:28
Foul by Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian).
58:34
Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
57:09 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Georgios Samaras replaces Teemu Pukki.
55:53
Attempt saved. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
50:04
Attempt missed. Scott Robertson (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
49:32
Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
48:45
Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
48:45
Foul by Scott Robertson (Hibernian).
48:22
Attempt saved. Scott Brown (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
45:49
Attempt missed. Daniel Handling (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
45:00
Second Half begins Celtic 1, Hibernian 0.
45:00 +0:25 Half time
Half Time First Half ends, Celtic 1, Hibernian 0.
44:30
Corner, Hibernian. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
42:28
Attempt saved. Scott Robertson (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
38:38
Attempt missed. Teemu Pukki (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
37:51
Attempt missed. Jordan Forster (Hibernian) header from the centre of the box is too high.
36:56
Corner, Hibernian. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
34:17
Attempt blocked. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
33:51
Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
33:51
Foul by Scott Robertson (Hibernian).
33:09
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jordan Forster.
32:48
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ryan McGivern.
32:26
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ben Williams.
32:06
Attempt saved. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
28:05 Goal scored
Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Hibernian 0. Teemu Pukki (Celtic) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Joe Ledley with a cross.
24:02
Attempt missed. Scott Brown (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
17:49
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Paul Hanlon.
12:07
Liam Craig (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
12:07
Foul by Nir Biton (Celtic).
7:59
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Liam Craig.
7:31
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Paul Hanlon.
6:51
Foul by Jordan Forster (Hibernian).
6:51
Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
4:54
Attempt missed. Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
0:00
First Half begins.
0:00
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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