MOTHERWELL 0 CELTIC 4
LETHAL Liel Abada fired in a double salvo as Celtic overwhelmed Motherwell at Fir Park this evening to book their place in the Premier Sports League Cup semi-final draw.
The holders were ruthless after the interval as they took control of the game and killed off their hosts with a two-goal burst in four devastating minutes to make certain of victory.
It was the hard-working Abada who got the opener near the end of the first 45 minutes and the lively winger claimed a second in the 56th minute before moments later Reo Hatate netted a third after a wonderful piece of improvisation.
It was all over by the time Kyogo Furuhashi rolled in No.4 in the 76th minute after a low drive from Abada had clattered off the inside of the right-hand post and rebounded straight to his feet and he couldn’t miss from six yards.
ON A WING AND A SLAYER…Liel Abada was a two-goal hitman at Fir Park.
It was an encouraging performance from the Parkhead men who rediscovered their killer touch in the second period.
The Hoops had to wait until a minute from the interval to get the breakthrough goal their dominant play so richly deserved.
It was an inspired one-two movement between Greg Taylor and Sead Haksabanovic that sent the left-back racing clear in the box to fire in an inviting low cross.
Abada’s timing was absolutely spot on and the Israeli winger thumped the ball home from close range with the home defence totally shredded.
It was the barrier-breaking strike the visitors had been working for throughout a mainly one-sided encounter.
Kyogo could – and maybe should – have had a hat-trick in the opening half.
The Japanese hitman was cruelly robbed of a goal with a brilliant long-range effort that hammered against the underside of the crossbar, bounced down on the line and was eventually cleared.
However, a confident Kyogo would surely have opened the scoring in the 13th minute after Abada and Hatate had combined superbly on the right for the midfielder to pick out his countryman running free inside the box.
But, amazingly, the club’s top marksman hit his shot from six yards wide of the post with only Liam Kelly to beat. It should have been a goal.
BY THE LEFT…Kyogo Furuhashi fires in a drive watched by Cameron Carter-Vickers.
And Kyogo displayed a lack of his customary composure in the 28th minute after a sweet one-two with Hatate left him one-on-one with the keeper.
The fans were expecting him to tuck the ball in a corner, but he elected for power and walloped his effort off the advancing Well No.1 and the ball ricocheted harmlessly over the crossbar.
But Kyogo was right out of luck in the 18th minute after Matt O’Riley and Aaron Mooy had combined to set him up 30 yards from goal.
He took one touch before launching a left-foot drive that looked a certain scorer from the moment it left his boot. It swept over the hands of the stretching Kelly, but, alas, struck the underside of the crossbar, rebounded onto the line and Abada was clattered by Paul McGinn as he attempted to get on the end of the loose ball.
His off-balance header was gratefully scooped up by the thankful Kelly.
There was a warning for the Hoops, though, in the 24th minute when some slack play from Moritz Jenz on the left allowed Connor Shields to whip over a low cross for the unmarked Stuart McKinstry.
Fortunately, for the Hoops, the youngster slashed at the ball and sent it high and wide of Benji Siegrist’s goal.
IN CONTROL…non-stop Reo Hatate claimed a clever goal against Well.
The Hoops stand-in keeper, getting his second first-team outing in place of Joe Hart, had to look lively at the start of the second-half when he had to get down smartly to his left to push a scorching drive from Matt Penney round the post.
Well were up for the challenge, but they had the stuffing knocked out of them in the 56th minute after an astonishing period of play over 17 hectic SECONDS.
Abada started it with a low shot from just outside the box that was scrambled clear by Kelly at his left-hand post.
The ball rebounded to Mooy who fired in a low right-wing cross. The keeper was there again to divert the ball away from his net.
It fell to Josip Juranovic who thundered in a swerving 20-yarder that was pushed away by the Well captain and this time he had no chance as the ricochet fell to Abada who skilfully first-timed a low drive into the exposed corner of the net.
Four minutes later, Hatate claimed an exquisite third goal. Extraordinarily, the Japanese star started the move deep in his own half when he collected a pass from Jenz and passed to Taylor who moved the ball onto Mooy.
DIDN’T HE DO WELL…Matt O’Riley was a stand-out at Fir Park.
The Australian midfielder sent it onto Abada who cut it back to Hatate who bamboozled Kelly with a quick switch of feet before nonchalantly rolling a left-foot effort into the net.
O’Riley, who had been outstanding, was replaced by Oliver Abildgaard in the 61st minute and 11 minutes later James McCarthy and Daizen Maeda came on for Mooy and Hatate.
In the 76th minute, Kyogo breathed a sigh of relief when he got on the scoresheet with the fourth goal when he snapped up the rebound from Abada’s shot off the post that denied the Israeli a hat-trick.
Giorgos Giakoumakis then came on for Haksabanovic in the 80th minute with Postecoglou looking ahead to Saturday’s clash with Hearts at Tynecastle.
All round, a satisfying display from the holders who return to Hampden in January for the semi-final.
TEAM: Siegrist; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Taylor; Mooy (sub: McCarthy 72), O’Riley (sub: Abildgaard 61), Hatate (sub: Maeda 72); Abada, Kyogo, Haksabanovic (sub: Giakoumakis 80).
