Scottish Premier League on Easter Sunday or Vision of June?

April 18th, 2006 | by: Os Davis |

It’s championship time and the key Team Poland players are the center of attention…Maciej Zurawski scores the goal to equalize and bring home the championship with less than fifteen minutes of play remaining. And while keeper Artur Boruc once again gives Polska backers heart attacks with another show of what is becoming a disturbing run of shaky clutch play, Zbigniew Malkowski displays a nice bit of last-minute heroics to preserve a solid draw. There’s even a happy ending: Zurawski and his boys are presented with the trophy. And headlines back home are splashed with the names of the local heroes…

Not merely a dream of June for the Polish hopeful, but a tale played out last weekend in the 1-1 Celtic-Hibernian draw that preceded recognition of Celtic as the champion of Scottish Premier League. Like watching a Wisla Krakow or a Euro Cup highlight clip, the top of the Poland roster was on full display in Glasgow.

Zurawski got things going quickly on two breakaways inside of five minutes, rattling the Hibs defense early. Indeed, Celtic dominated possession time in the opening fifteen minutes with John Hartson twice getting shots at Zibi in Hibs’ goal, one on a cross fed from Zurawski. Zibi neutralized all the threats, as well as a slight scare from Stilian Petrov. Riordan nearly made Hibs day by manufacturing a shot that had the striker flicking the ball over the surprised Boruc for a shot that was literally inches wide.

After this flurry of action, things settled a bit for a bit of back-and-forth as Hibs played laid-back ball in the hopes of merely absorbing the Celtic attack. Hibs managed to reach the back of the net on a quick attack that had Stephen Glass rifle a low shot between the legs of the again-embarrassed Boruc.

At half, it was 1-0 Hibs when an interesting tactic took place while the squads were sequestered in locker rooms: Reportedly, the Celtic grounds crew took it upon themselves to water the already rain-soaked (in Scotland, imagine that) turf. Well, isn’t home pitch convenient…

In a rare attack from Hibs in minute 58, it was Riordan again evading traps to attack Boruc’ net, but this time the keeper was in proper position. Malkowski added another highlight to Team Poland’s goalkeepers’ reel with a nice save off a Maloney shot.

After what must have seemed like half a season to Celtic supporters, Zurawski’s tenacious play and repetitive burning of the Hibs D bore fruit. Taking Telfer’s cross, Zurawski was alone to send a shot past his helpless national team teammate.

The Poles in the match weren’t finished yet, though. With eight and six minutes remaining, Zibi salvaged the draw twice, the latter coming on a wide-open Zurawski header from about twenty feet out that the keeper deflected just enough.

And after the match could Boruc and Zurawski celebrate their early bagging of the trophy. Zibi and his squad could take (very) temporary solace in the result, part of the teeth-gnashing process of somehow making their currently fourth-place spot on the table respectable.

In Poland, though, Easter is made sweet with a few sweet tidbits promising the onset of spring and new hope for the future…

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Celtic – Hibernian 1:1 (0:1)

CELTIC: Boruc; Telfer, Varga, McManus, Wilson; Petrov (Maloney 46′), Lennon, Keane (Pearson 81)’, Nakamura; Zurawski, Hartson (Dublin 65′).

HIBERNIAN: Malkowski; Whittaker, Caldwell, Hogg, Murphy; Shields, Konde (Sproule 46′), Thomson (Shiels 70′), Glass; Fletcher, Riordan (Benjelloun 62′).

Referee: Kevin Toner.
Attendance: 60,047