SPL Saturday September 15th

Dundee 0

Celtic 4

0:1 Larsson (45); 2:0 Larsson (59); 0:3 Petrov (69); 0:4 Maloney (87)

Att: 9,842

MIB:

Celtic: Douglas; Balde, Mjallby, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert, Lennon (Maloney 79), Moravcik (Petrov 55), Thompson; Sutton (Hartson 72), Larsson

A paltry few thousand tickets for the travelling support meant that most of the troops were reduced to having to watch one of the more anticipated away fixtures on TV. The sight of empty sections in the home support made this all the more galling.

Despite this, Celtic comfortably dispatched Bonetti's clootie dumplings and set themselves up nicely for a voyage of discovery to Turin.

Ivano's ragged collection of footballing conquistadors still cut quite a swash and threatened early doors to buckle the Celtic rearguard, only for Rab D to emerge as Celtic's El Dorado and block their efforts.

Before long it was the original golden one, Mr Larsson, who relieved the pressure, netting with a header at the end of the half and sending Bonetti's mercenaries back among the more primitive cultures that inhabit the rest of the SPL.

The second half saw Dundee lost in an emerald green forest, with Del Rio red carded as the hoops piled on the pressure, with Larson, then Petrov, on in place of Lubo, putting the game beyond doubt.

The eastern block theme was echoed on the terraces as the troops chanted "Send the H**s to Daghistan, but please don't kidnap Kontermann!"

A fine goal from Maloney capped the display at the death and set Celtic nicely up for the trip to the New World in the Champions League. Lets hope they don't bring any old world habits with them, like emulating the legions of Attila over the past few years.