Soccer-Celtic earn Cup replay with late strike against Aberdeen

By Kenny MacDonald

GLASGOW Mar 9 (Reuters) - Holders Celtic earned a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay with Aberdeen when Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink stabbed in a dramatic close-range equaliser in stoppage time on Sunday.

Aberdeen looked to have clinched a semi-final place against second division Queen of the South courtesy of a late goal from Jeffrey De Visscher.

The Dutch midfielder slid home a 12-yard shot following a neat exchange of passes on the edge of the box with Lee Miller to prise open Celtic's defence in 79 minutes.

But Celtic's Dutch striker Vennegoor of Hesselink hurtled in to meet a low, diagonal cross from Greek substitute Georgios Samaras on the right to prod it under the keeper.

Celtic's Australian striker Scott McDonald struck the right post on 23 minutes and Aberdeen keeper Derek Soutar brilliantly beat out a header from Vennegoor of Hesselink as the rebound eventually found him.

Vennegoor of Hesselink came close to breaking the deadlock five minutes from the interval with a downward header that bounced off the bottom of the right post and flew across goal as McDonald narrowly failed to connect with the ball at full stretch.

Soutar kept his side in the game with a series of fine saves, starting with a brilliant block on Vennegoor of Hesselink in 44 minutes following a poor pass back by Sone Aluko then another terrific point blank save in 54 minutes from Shunsuke Nakamura.

Rangers play Hibernian later on Sunday in their fifth-round replay with the winners facing Partick Thistle (II) in the quarter-finals.

Celtic will play Aberdeen in the replay on March 19. (Editing by Miles Evans)