Celtic's class tells again

Celtic FC coasted to a 2-0 win in Lithuania tonight to put the seal on a comfortable 10-1 aggregate victory in the UEFA Cup first round against FK Suduva.

Worthy winners
The Scottish champions left behind several key players for the away leg after all but assuring their progression a fortnight ago. Despite the new look to the side, Celtic still had too much guile for their opponents and were worthy winners on the night.

Carbon copy
David Fernandez opened the scoring for Celtic on 13 minutes, lobbing Gytis Padimanskas in the Suduva goal. The second came 12 minutes later with a carbon copy of the first from English midfield player Alan Thompson.

Missed penalty
Celtic should have added to their tally just before half-time. Didier Agathe's solo run on 44 minutes ended up with him being brought down in the Suduva penalty area. John Hartson stepped up to take the penalty but sent it wide of the goal.

Fine goalkeeping
Celtic hit the woodwork twice in the second half, and Padimanskas had to be at his best to deny the Scots on several occasions. Suduva, for their part, had virtually no clear-cut chances.

Coach happy
"After a rout away from home we did not want it to happen to us in front of our home fans, and we did well," said Suduva coach Algimantas Gagrys. Celtic manager Martin O`Neill was pleased to progress but said he expected a better performance from his youngsters.