Hibernian 5 Dundee 1

August 12th 2000
Scottish Premier League
Attendance:

Scorers:
Hibernian: Agathe (2), Lehmann(2), Lovell.
Dundee: Caballero

This is a copy of Andrew Smith's report of the game as it appeared in the Scotland on Sunday on Sunday 13th August 2000

Wheels come off the Dens Parkers’ bandwagon as the sparks fly at Easter Road

Perhaps Hibs will become flavour of the month in Scottish football now. Then again, perhaps Gallic flair married to discipline and organisation, with a dash of Caribbean craft, seems a little too prosaic to droll over when compared to gifted, if temperamental, Latins.

It would be unfair to talk of Dundee’s bubble bursting following, what was ultimately, a thumping of sizeable proportions at Easter Road yesterday. Three goals in a four minute-burst inside the last 10 minutes, two from substitute Dirk Lehmann, put a slightly false complexion on the scoreline that owed everything to two sparkling examples of how to conjure goals from nothing by Didier Agathe.

Alex McLeish’s men were indisputably the better side and the spectacular manner in which Ivano Bonetti’s side fell apart when faced with a pressure situation raises questions about the brave new dawn that has been predicted for Dens Park. As much for keeping their heads when their opponents lost theirs, Hibs looked a far more balanced side than their visitors.

It was supremely careless for Dundee to end the contest two men short, Fabian Caballero red-carded for biffing Mathias Jack full in the face with a clenched fist in the 45th minute, while Patrizio Billio made it in to the dressing room only a couple of minutes before his disconsolate team-mates after picking up a second booking for a needless foul on Stuart Lovell with the contest a lost cause. It was that from the moment Caballero took exception to a wince-inducing challenge from Jack and administered his own retribution.

From then on the body language of the Dundee players was all wrong, signs of petulance all too obvious, and eyes all too readily sent turfwards.

The pity was that Caballero’s dismissal robbed the encounter of a thrilling frenzy which, until then, had kept the crowd in an excitable state. It was the product of an admirable approach from both teams, who possessed fluidity going forward and demonstrate a desire to play in their opponents half. Hibs were the more controlled - in every possible way - but it was the off-the-cuff artistry of Dundee that first took the breath away of those watching, with Caballero breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute with a blur of a drive from just inside the box that was of the rapturous variety. But Agathe was not to be outdone and in the 15th minute the Frenchman took on the appearance of a battering ram with a jet engine to plough half the length of the field before applying a delicate finish. In the 40th minute he benefited from a beauty of a diagonal pass from Russell Latapy, making amends for an unconvincing penalty attempt that was blocked by Rab Douglas nine minute earlier. Agathe was the beneficiary of the Trinidadian’s artistry, adding some of his own to bring Latapy’s pass under control and nonchalantly flicking the ball out of reach of the Dundee keeper.

The second period began rather anti-climatically with Hibs content to retain possession and stretch Bonetti’s men. It wasn’t until the 82nd minute that they stretched them to breaking point, John O’Neil whipping in a cross that Lehmann sent spinning high from his head beyond the beaten-all-ends-up Douglas.

The German substitute doubled his tally within a minute when he was left with a simple tap-in after a passing move involving Agathe and Ulrik Laursen. That Dundee had given up the ghost was demonstrated five minutes from time when Lovell added a fifth for the Easter Road men by simply waltzing through a non-existent defence. Billio’s subsequent red card was merely a footnote.

If it was difficult to asses the mindset of the Taysiders on the field, quite what their manager Ivan Bonetti had in mind with his post-match assessment was anyone’s guess. Predictably he pinpointed Caballero’s sending-off as the turning point. Unpredictably, the Dens Park boss quibbled over his side’s fighting spirit.

"There is not enough temper in the team," Bonetti claimed. "I’d like to see some of them toughen up." Has he overlooked the fact that Dundee have now had three players red-carded in their first three games? Bonetti fudged where he come down hard on his errant Argentine striker. "I didn’t see his sending-off and will have to look at the incident again on video," the Dens Park boss said. "But I did see their defender four times trying to kick my player 40 yards."

The Hibs player in question was Matthias Jack, who Alex McLeish admitted afterwards he had had to tell to cool it at the interval. The defender did and played his part in giving Hibs the look of a polished unit as they cantered to victory in a one-sided second period. McLeish, indeed, may not have too many better days than yesterday.

Agathe, taking his goals total for the season to four, displayed a sweet touch wedded to raw power which the Edinburgh club’s boss considered may have been a response to latest striking signing, David Zitelli, taking his bows before the home crowd before kick-off. The Frenchman has signed a two-year deal with the Easter Road men and suddenly McLeish has a number of attacking options.

The Teams:

Hibernian: Colgan, T Smith, G Smith, Fenwick, Laursen, Sauzee, Jack, J O’Neil, Latapy, Agathe, Paatelainen.

Dundee:

Tale from the Terracing - Fatty's View

What a game! Played as a cup tie from the start, the large crowd were treated to a breathtaking opening 45 minutes. It had everything - goals, a missed penalty, skillfull passing and a sending off.

After Dundee had taken the lead with a superb opener of their own Didier Agathe stole the show in the first half with two quite glorious goals. The first involved a run from the halfway line, avoiding four defenders intent on fouling him, followed by a delightful strike into the bottom right hand corner of the net. The second, after Russell Latapy had missed a penalty, was the culmination of a good Hibs break. Agathe finished it with a fine drive into the top right hand corner.

Dundee were then reduced to ten men. This affected Hibs as much as it did Dundee and as a result the second half started rather flat. It wasn't until Dundee started to throw men forward that Hibs woke up again. Substitutes Lehmann(2) and Lovell scoring three goals in a five minute spell late in the half.

All in all it was a fine Hibs performance. The players harried the continental Dundee players at every turn and you could see that it was an effective tactic early on. Every Hibs player played well, however Tom Smith perhaps got carried away at times and tried to do a few things he wasn't capable of.

Dundee did look good for the first half hour and I am sure that they will cause a few problems for Hibs and other teams this season.

HOME