Football: Mahe and Brattbakk see Celtic through to last eight

Dunfermline Athletic 1 Celtic 2

CELTIC held off a late rally by Dunfermline at East End Park last night to reach the quarter-finals of the Tennents Scottish Cup.

After a lacklustre opening half, the Frenchman Stephane Mahe put Celtic ahead and Harold Brattbakk made it 2-0 before the Dunfermline substitute, David Bingham, pulled a goal back nine minutes from time.

It took an instinctive save on the half-hour by Jonathan Gould from Andy Tod's header to ensure Celtic were still on level terms after a first half of few chances for either side.

Another rare moment of excitement before the interval came when Celtic did have a goal disallowed. Morten Wieghorst converted a Mahe cross from close range, but when the effort was ruled out for offside the Dane's sustained protest earned him a booking.

Craig Burley signalled a brighter second half when he surprised Ian Westwater with a well-struck 30-yarder when it as only three minutes old. The goalkeeper spilled the shot badly before the ball was scrambled to safety. Dunfermline's reprieve was short-lived. Two minutes later, Celtic went ahead through the unlikely source of Mahe after he was played clear by Wieghorst.

Mahe's route to goal looked to be blocked by Greg Shields, but the full- back swivelled and fired a stylish low drive beyond the reach of Westwater.

After 67 minutes Harold Brattbakk turned in Jackie McNamara's low cross from close range to put Celtic firmly in the driving seat.

Dunfermline Athletic: Westwater; Shields, McCulloch, Tod, Barnett, Fraser (French, 45), Shaw (Bingham, 77), Robertson, Smith, Biemen (Curran, 65), Petrie.

Celtic: Gould; Boyd, Mahe, McNamara (Donnelly, 89), Rieper, Stubbs, Larsson, Burley, Brattbakk (Jackson, 90), Lambert, Wieghorst. Substitute not used: Annoni.

Referee: W Young (Clarkston).