Football: Scottish Coca-Cola Cup - Burley's strike sends Celtic into the final after squandered chances
Celtic 1 Dunfermline
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Your support makes all the difference.Craig Burley swept a 69th-minute shot into the net at Ibrox to carry Celtic into the final of the Scottish Coca-Cola Cup, their first under Wim Jansen. Yet the Celtic coach would have greeted the final whistle with a mixture of pleasure and relief.
His side had dominated the game and squandered numerous chances until Burley struck and with two minutes remaining, it required a fine save by Jonathan Gould to deny Dunfermline the chance of extra time.
The goalkeeper dived to his right to palm aside a shot by Hamish French but by then Celtic should have given themselves a comfortable lead. Simon Donnelly and Henrik Larsson were at times over-elaborate, electing to pass when more direct action might have proved fruitful.
From the start Celtic dominated with Jackie McNamara seeing his cross cleared by Dave Barnett, then a Donnelly shot was deflected wide. Regi Blinker saw his shot tipped over the bar by Ian Westwater.
Dunfermline bared their teeth at the end of the first half as David Bingham eluded the defence to collect a long clearance, but he dragged his shot across goal.
Gould saved from Andy Smith at the start of the second half but thereafter the only real danger to the Celtic goal, apart from French's late effort, would come from their own nervousness.
Celtic continued to create chances, with Marc Rieper having a diving header saved and Burley shooting just over before the international midfielder provided the finish on one of the games sweetest moves.
McNamara crossed from the right, Larsson played the ball back, allowing Burley the chance to shoot powerfully home from 18 yards.
This victory was well received by the Celtic supporters, despite the fact that the European place has been taken away from the winners of the tournament.
They will congregate again for the final, which will be either against Aberdeen or Dundee United.
Dunfermline (4-4-2): Westwater; Shields, Tod, Barnett, Millar (Miller, 56); French, Duarte (Den Bieman, 81), Curran, Bingham (Britton, 69); Moore, Smith.
Celtic (4-4-2): Gould; Boyd, Rieper, Stubbs, Mahe; McNamara, Burley, O'Donnell, Blinker (Thom, 88); Larsson, Donnelly. Substitutes not used: Hannah, Annoni.
Referee: W Young (Clarkston).
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