Aberdeen 1-1 Celtic - Scottish Cup 09/03/08

[DavidMc]

Aberdeen v Celtic
Scottish Cup 1/4 Final
Sunday 9th March 08
Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen

Aberdeen's Jamie Smith has returned to training and may be available for Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final.
But Darren Mackie, Steve Lovell and Jackie McNamara are injury doubts, Zander Diamond is struggling through illness and Barry Nicholson is banned.

Derek Young, Richie Byrne and Stuart Duff are missing through injury.

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown is suspended but Andreas Hinkel returns to the squad after being cup-tied for the Champions League defeat by Barcelona.


On-loan striker Georgios Samaras may be given a start by the visitors and the Greek international is determined to make his mark in Scotland.

"I believe that we can win the cup and the league," he said.

"I will do my best to go back home for my holidays with two medals around my neck."

Meanwhile, Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood reckons his side must make the most of home advantage.

"I think if we are going to go through then we will need to win the game here in Aberdeen because it will be difficult to go back to Parkhead and do that," he said.

"Obviously if you are losing one nil and you score in the last minute then you would settle for going to Parkhead.

"But at this moment in time if we are going to progress then we have to give winning at home our best shot.

"We have caused some upsets here before and looking at our home record this season, it has not been too bad."



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Aberdeen (from): Langfield, Mair, Maybury, Diamond, Considine, Bus, Foster, Walker, Severin, Aluko, Miller, Maguire, Jamie Smith, De Visscher, Touzani, Dan Smith, Jonathan Smith, Soutar.

Celtic (from): Boruc, Hinkel, Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Hartley, McDonald, Donati, Sno, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Samaras, Mark Brown, Pressley, Robson, O'Dea.

[DavidMc]

Aberdeen 1-1 Celtic (Match goes to replay)

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink netted in the last minute to keep Celtic in the Scottish Cup after an entertaining quarter-final at Pittodrie.
Derek Soutar made good earlier saves from the Dutchman with Scott McDonald also hitting the woodwork as Celtic pressed with no reward.

Andreas Hinkel cleared de Visscher's header off the line in the second-half.

Aberdeen went ahead in 78 minutes when Jeffery de Visscher slammed the ball under Artur Boruc inside the box.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan made four changes to the side that lost to Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek for the trip north.

Andreas Hinkel returned from suspension to replace right-back Mark Wilson and Darren O'Dea came in for left-back Lee Naylor.

Evander Sno replaced the suspended Scott Brown in midfield and top scorer McDonald came back into the side at the expense of Massimo Donati, who started on the bench.

Aberdeen midfielder Karim Touzani came in for the suspended Barry Nicholson while Jamie Smith returned after a hamstring injury to replace the injured Steve Lovell.

Jimmy Calderwood's men had reasons to be fearful, with a 5-1 SPL hammering by their opponents still fresh in the memory, as well as no wins in their last eight games.

But the Dons started brightly, and, in fact, had the ball in the net as early as the second minute when Lee Miller stabbed the ball beyond Artur Boruc from six yards, but the striker was a fraction offside.

McDonald - back in the Hoops starting line-up after being benched in Barcelona - also found the net from an Aiden McGeady cross but he too was flagged offside.

The in-form Australian was denied by the woodwork in the 24th minute, when he poked the ball just past Derek Soutar, after the keeper palmed away Vennegoor of Hesselink's powerful header.

As Celtic pressed, Darren O'Dea put in a dangerous cross from the left and Vennegoor of Hesselink glanced a header off the post, with McDonald failing to capitalise on the rebound.

As the SPL champions gathered momentum, they could consider themselves unfortunate to go into the interval still level.

McGeady, who had earlier been quiet, got to the byline minutes after the break, and supplied a tantalising cross which Vennegoor of Hesselink yet again spurned, when the Dutchman should have put the visitors ahead.

Despite their missed chances, Celtic continued to look in the mood.

The increasingly busy Soutar denied them again, spreading himself in front of Nakamura to deny the Japanese midfielder from only eight yards.

The Aberdeen custodian was constantly protecting his porous defence, and his reaction stop after 58 minutes from a fierce Evander Sno shot was excellent, as was his save from a 30-yard Nakamura free-kick.

At the other end, Jeffery de Visscher managed to get on the end of a set-piece, but the Dutchman's header was bundled off the line by the alert Hinkel, as the Dons pushed for the opener.

Boruc tipped over a Sone Aluko left-foot 20-yard blast, with the Pole having to be at his best to keep out the Reds who were enjoying their best spell.

And the Dons doggedness paid dividends when De Visscher - signed last May from De Graafschap - put them ahead.

Scott Severin slid a forward pass which the midfielder exhanged passes with Miller before finishing calmly under the exposed Boruc.

With time running out, the woodwork denied Celtic yet again, this time Paul Hartley hitting the post from distance.

Boruc turned away a Severin shot and a Miller header on the goalline as the game spun to an increasingly exciting climax.

Vennegoor of Hesselink saved the Hoops when, in the dying seconds, he was first to meet Giorgios Samaras' low cross from the right, with the striker finally getting his reward for an inspiring performance.