HEARTS 2

CELTIC 5

after extra time: 90 mins 2 - 2

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill praised his three goal-scoring youngsters last night after his team eventually crushed Hearts

5-2 after extra time at Tynecastle to reach the semi-finals of the CIS Insurance Cup.

Stephen Crainey and Jamie Smith were on target either side of half-time and Colin Healy grabbed a vital third in extra time to help ease Celtic through in a tense struggle against the troubled Edinburgh side. Lubo Moravcik and Jackie McNamara killed the game in the dying minutes. Hearts' goals were both scored by Colin Cameron from the penalty spot.

O'Neill said: ''The scoreline does not reflect the game at all. Hearts were in it until the very end of extra time, when we scored our last two goals. It was very, very tight up until these goals.''

It was the earlier goals which had mattered most, and all three of them had been scored by young players drafted in by O'Neill as he gave his more experienced men a rest from the rigours of European and Premier League football. Celtic went into the game without seven of those who had played against Motherwell at the weekend, and, ultimately, they prevailed.

O'Neill insisted: ''I thought it was a fantastic game and I felt that the three young players all took their goals well. Indeed, I thought that Colin Healy was outstanding. He scored a great goal in extra time but he was playing with great confidence. We can take a lot from the way the young lads played tonight.

''But I was happy with everybody. It was not an easy game for us. Hearts played their part in making it a thrilling match. We actually made chances galore but we kissed them.''

Healy added: ''It was great to be back in the team and obviously I enjoyed getting that goal. I think it was good that all three of the younger players scored. We did not know until just before the game that we were going to play. It was a little bit of a surprise but I think we did well. I scored last season so this was not my first goal - but it was a really important one.''

Hearts were disconsolate at the end. They had been missing players, too, and after 13 minutes had Gary Locke and Thomas Flogel stretchered off after a clash of heads. Later, the news from the dressing room was good on both players.

''Nothing too serious, just sore heads,'' said Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, before he went on to examine the game.

''Forget the scoreline,'' he said, with a shake of his head. ''We just ran out of steam and Celtic were able to push on a couple of substitutes in extra time, which we could not do. The fresh legs gave them an advantage and, of course, when they scored we had to push forward, and that left us short at the back.

''Before that we held our own. We might even have won the game in the 90 minutes. But extra time belonged to them. It is disappointing to lose like this - but the performance was good. We had come into the game following two bad defeats and I said to the lads that this was a time to stick together and work hard, and they all did that.''

The passion and commitment which the Tynecastle team threw into the game was reflected in the number of bookings collected by the Parkhead team. Six yellow cards were shown - to Alan Stubbs, Alan Thompson, McNamara, Healy, Vidar Riseth, and Smith. In contrast, Hearts had only Scott Severin cautioned for a first-half tackle on Thompson.

Cameron added: ''We thought we had a chance when Celtic had so many players missing. And I have to say that I thought we matched them over the 90 minutes. In extra time, we were just exhausted. We had nothing left.''

Celtic join Rangers, St Mirren, and Kilmarnock in the semi-final draw tomorrow.

If Hearts felt the fates had been against them recently, they had further cause to believe that was the case in only 13 minutes when Locke and Flogel both went for the same ball deep in the Celtic half. There was a clear clash of heads and both players were stretchered off as Jefferies hurriedly threw on Juanjo and Robbie Nielsen to fill the gaps.

It was Juanjo who began to cause Celtic problems and it required a well-timed tackle from Riseth just inside the penalty box to stop the little forward as he threaded his way through.

Severin was booked for a tackle on Thompson in 23 minutes and moments later Antti Niemi had to get down to hold a header from Healy after Tommy Johnson set up the opportunity.

It was on the half-hour mark that the first serious scoring chance arrived. Cameron sent a dangerous curling ball across the face of the Celtic goal. Jonathan Gould went down to collect it and allowed it to spill from his grasp and it was scrambled away as Nielsen moved in menacingly.

Five minutes after that Hearts took the lead. Kirk raced clear of Stubbs down the left and whopped the ball into goal before being cruelly scythed down by the Celtic defender. The ball reached Juanjo, Riseth sent him sprawling and Kenny Clark awarded the penalty. Stubbs was yellow-carded for the tackle on Kirk, Thompson received the same punishment for dissent, but Cameron allowed none of this to affect him as he stepped forward and guided the ball out of Gould's reach.

Celtic hit back as the game moved towards half-time. Johnson crossed, the ball seemed to curl away from goal, and as it dropped out of the penalty box, Crainey drove low past Niemi.

Before half-time McNamara was the third Celtic player cautioned, this time for a foul on Severin.

The pace remained as fierce as ever after the interval and the earliest strikes for goal came for Hearts. First, Juanjo sent a left- foot shot high. Then Kirk went past Stubbs and let fly with a vicious drive which Gould somehow turned on to the cross bar.

These efforts apart, Celtic were looking more positive and O'Neill had tinkered with his team at half- tie drawing Moravcik back into an orthodox role and sending Smith through the middle to partner Johnson.

That paid off in the sixtieth minute when McNamara pushed a ball between two Hearts defenders and Smith raced on to the ball and sent a glorious drive past Niemi.

Still Hearts were not finished. Nine minutes after that blow they equalised. Kirk cut along the bye-line and when he attempted to chip the ball past Valgaeren, the big Belgian thrust out a hand to scoop it clear. It was an obvious penalty and once more Cameron took it and once more he coolly struck the ball past Gould. Healy and Riseth were both cautioned as they attempted to end the Hearts challenge.

Johnson might have done it when he broke free down the bright but he sliced his finish high and wide. So, it was into extra time. Healy put Celtic into the lead in 99 minutes and after that Hearts wilted. They did get the ball in the net before Moravcik scored the fourth three minutes before the end, but Andy Kirk was clearly offside. McNa-mara scored just before the whistle to round off the victory.

Hearts - Niemi; Locke, Pressley, Petric, Murray Fulton; Flogel, Tomaschek Cameron, Severin; Kirk. Substitutes - Juanjo; Milne, Neilson, O'Neil, McKenzie.

Celtic - Gould; Riseth, Valgaeren, Stubbs, Crainey; McNamara, Thompson, Healey, Smith; Johnson, Moravcik. Substitutes: Boyd, Petta, Petrov, Mjallby, Kerr.

Referee - K Clark.