Champions League Qualifying Round 2
1st leg
Wednesday July 30th 2003

Kaunas 0

Celtic 4

0:1 Larsson (13); 0:2 Sutton (29); 0:3 Maloney (54); 0:4 Miller (85)

Att: 3,000

Celtic
Douglas
Mjallby Varga Valgaeren
Agathe Lennon Lambert Petrov Thompson
Larsson Sutton

subs
Maloney for Lennon 46
Miller for Sutton 73

The Celtic road show hit Lithuania and recommenced its Euro service with a 4:0 drubbing of the Baltic minnows in the venerable St. Dariaus and St.Gireno Stadium.

Resplendent in the new Black away kit, complete with gold star for wining a proper football competition, it took Henke only 13 minutes to notch up his 30th European goal, equalling the record for European goals scored by a player with the same British club. Only Peter Lorimer (Leeds) and Ian Rush (Liverpool) have achieved a similar feat.

Totally in control and never looking uncomfortable, Celtic played at a canter. However, the injury to Larsson which led to him coming off midway through the second half provided more than enough of a concern.

OFM put out the same side as in Seville, with the exception of Varga in for Balde. The level of performance, however, could not have been more of a contrast, as Kaunas were poorer than a peasant village. Even Lennon managed a chance early on which was just cleared for a corner, before the locals rushed to slaughter the flying pig that had entered their air space.

Sutton doubled Celtic's lead in the 29th minute after he pounced on a gaffe of Sieve -like proportions by keeper Padimanskas, firing in from close range. The third came after fine interplay between Thommo, Larsson and Maloney (on for Lennon) which allowed the diminutive striker to race through the Kaunas defence, before slipping the ball low past the keeper. Larsson then almost nabbed a Euro record with a shot that scraped past the post before he limped off with a tugged hamstring. Celtic hearts sunk faster than the Kursk, as OFM had already brought on Miller and Jamie Smith for Sutton and Thompson.

Left with 10 men, Celtic still cruised, as Miller got his first competitive goal for the club on 86 minutes, meeting a Maloney cross to score. Based on the evidence of this game the home tie should be a boring formality.