Football: Berkovic inspires stroll for Celtic

Ninian Park Cwmbran Town 0 Celtic 6

A BRACE of goals by Henrik Larsson helped Celtic to book their place in the second round of the Uefa Cup as they completely overwhelmed poor Cwmbran Town here last night.

The Scottish Premier League leaders should really have reached double figures as Eyal Berkovic orchestrated a predictably easy victory against a team including a couple of teachers, an aircraft fitter, a postman and a fireman.

In front of a crowd of nearly 9,000 - most of them from Glasgow - the thirdbest team in Wales were simply swept aside by superior skills, organisation and fitness.

The last time Celtic visited Ninian Park, they put the League of Wales side Inter Cable Tel to the sword in the first part of an eventual 8-0 thrashing. Two years later, with a new-look team and management and much talk of a new European record of 22 goals being set, it was the turn of Cwmbran Town to face the green machine. Eight goals in Celtic's first two League games did not augur well for the Welsh part-timers, who had hired the home of Cardiff City for the night.

With Cardiff currently celebrating their formation by a group of cricketers in 1899, there were fears that Ninian Park would be too appropriate a setting for the first mismatch of the new season. A cricket score looked on the cards from the very first minute when Pat O'Hagan was forced to tip over Larsson's header from Berkovic's free-kick on the right. From the resultant short corner, Berkovic let fly from the edge of the box to score with a dipping half-volley.

Celtic may have been missing five players through injury or suspension but you would hardly have noticed. Men against boys, it was also the Bhoys against the Crows with Celtic indulging in a spot of shooting practice at Cwmbran's expense. The floodgates were in danger of opening but, to their credit, Cwmbran stood firm. After Craig Burley had fired over, the home side managed to win their first corner in the 12th minute which Jonathan Gould flapped at unnecessarily.

With Cwmbran understandably chasing shadows, another goal - or two - looked inevitable. In the 20th minute, Oliver Tebily bundled in a Berkovic corner which had been crossed by Burley and headed to the far post by Mark Viduka.

In an attempt to stem the flow of Celtic's fluid passing game, Cwmbran decided to put the wing-back Lee Dyson on Berkovic, but he could do nothing but watch as the former West Ham maestro stroked over a free-kick from the right for the unmarked Larsson to head home from six yards on the half-hour.

Alan Stubbs eased his way back into action just 41 days after a cancer operation but found himself having to defend in the final minute of the first half as Cwmbran won another corner. Gould again was less than convincing.

The visitors went further ahead eight minutes after the break when O'Hagan failed to hold Paul Lambert's shot. Larsson retrieved possession before setting up Viduka who easily scored from about 12 yards.

Just after the hour the Australian returned the compliment by sending in the Swede on the left for Larsson to nonchalantly slide the ball past the onrushing O'Hagan.

Cwmbran's record 7-0 defeat by National Bucharest two years ago looked in real danger when the substitute Harald Brattbakk fired home the sixth with six minutes left. Celtic need another 16 in the second leg to beat Chelsea's 18-year-old European aggregate record.

Cwmbran Town (3-5-2): O'Hagan; Blackie, John, O'Brien; Dyson, Evans (Thomas, 60), Moore, Wigley (Aizlewood, 72), Wills; Summers (Hughes, 84), Graham. Substitutes not used: Morris, Pattimore, Goodridge, Sturch.

Celtic (4-4-2): Gould; Riseth, Stubbs, Tebily, Mahe; Burley, Lambert, Petta (Blinker, h-t), Berkovic; Larsson (Johnson, 81), Viduka (Brattbakk, 81). Substitutes not used: Wieghorst, Healy, McKinlay, Kerr (gk).

Referee: M Ross (Northern Ireland).