Lions find pride in defeat despite Celts’ superiority

Sep 25 2008 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THE Livi Lions were tamed in the Jungle this week as the First Division leaders were dumped out of the CIS Cup by SPL champions Celtic.

Roberto Landi’s young charges have stormed to the summit of the First Division but they found the scalp of the Glasgow giants too much as they fell to a 4-0 defeat at Parkhead.

Goals from Glen Loovens, Scott Brown and a double from Georgios Samaras ensured a comfortable passage into the quarter final for the Hoops, but it could have been so different for Livingston had they converted their early dominance into a goal.

The almost 24,000-strong crowd were kept quiet as the West Lothian side moved the ball around, confidently forcing the Glasgow millionaires to defend early in the period.

Home keeper Artur Boruc was forced into the game’s first save after just three minutes when he blocked a low drive from Dave Mackay.

And just two minutes later Livingston had their second sight of goal when Callum Elliott found space wide on the side of the box but he fired high and wide.

At the other end Scott McDonald was denied a shooting chance by a perfectly timed last-ditch tackle from Lions skipper James McPake.

The opener arrived after 24 minutes when Dutch defender Loovens headed home a Paul Caddis cross in the middle of the Livi penalty area.

Taking the lead gave Celtic a lift and only the reflexes of Roddy McKenzie in the Livi goal kept the hosts at bay until the break.

McDonald, Massimo Donati and Caddis were all thwarted by the keeper as Livi held firm until the break.

In fact, they could have gone in at the interval on level terms had a fizzing drive from Jason Talbot not taken a nick off Stephen McManus and drifted past the post.

After the break Celtic upped a gear with the ineffectual Donati replaced with Scott Brown and off-form Scott McDonald making way for Shaun Maloney.

With only a goal in it the home support were clearly jumpy and when Paul Hartley rattled the crossbar with a free kick the groans suggested they feared it wouldn’t be their night.

Just a few minutes later, though, and Celtic went one better to grab the crucial second goal and finally break the brave Livi resistance.

Aiden McGeady floated a cross to the back post where Loovens side footed the ball back across the face of goal for Samaras to make an easy finish from barely two yards.

McGeady was revelling in the chance to drift around the pitch and he was hugely unfortunate to make a fine solo run that ended with his poked effort coming back off the inside of the post and into McKenzie’s arms.

Two goals in the final nine minutes added gloss to the scoreline for Celtic but it was unfair on Livingston whose performance merited a more flattering scoreline at the hands of the Glasgow side on the night.

Brown grabbed his first goal of the season after 81 minutes, linking up with Samaras before dinking the ball over McKenzie into the far bottom corner to make it 3-0.

The fourth and final goal came from the penalty spot after Mackay had tripped Maloney.

With Barry Robson and Maloney both missing from 12 yards in recent weeks, spot-kick duties have been passed to Samaras.

And the Greek made no mistake, netting comfortably to claim his ninth goal in his past five games.

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, McManus, Loovens, Naylor, Caddis, Donati (S Brown 64), Hartley, McGeady; McDonald (Maloney 76), Samaras. Subs: M Brown, Caldwell, Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Livingston: McKenzie, Mackay, McPake, Innes, Talbot (Miller 73), Quinn, Davidson, Fox (Giarizzo 60), Hamill; McParland, Elliot (Cuenca 54). Subs not used: McDonald, Martini.