Fitness worry after Larsson hits scoring record in Kaunas rout

Kaunas 0 Celtic 4

The former Swedish international pulled up with a hamstring strain with 12 minutes left in Celtic’s 4-0 Champions League second qualifying round victory in Lithuania.

He had just equalled the European scoring record of 30 for a British club, held by Peter Lorimer and Ian Rush.

With a little more than a week to go before the domestic season kicks off, his manager admitted he was concerned about the injury. “He just felt something at the top of his hamstring,” sighed O’Neill. “There was no point risking him.”

Just 13 minutes into the campaign, Larsson showed he was as razor-sharp as ever to sweep the ball home.

Sutton doubled the lead in the 29th minute after he capitalised on a terrible blunder by Padimanskas to stroke the ball home from close range.

The visitors extended their lead further with a fluent passing move which was started by Thompson’s ball out wide to Larsson. The Swede steered the ball inside to Maloney, but despite having a lot to do Maloney comfortably raced beyond the Kaunas defence, before casually guiding the ball past the hand of Padimanskas.

Larsson was within inches of beating the record when a shot whistled past the upright from the edge of the box in the 70th minute.

Miller scored the fourth, his first competitive goal for Celtic, after converting Maloney’s cross from close range with five minutes remaining.

FBK KAUNAS: Padimanskas, Gvildys, Kancelskis, Petrenka, Regelskis, Papeckys (Opic 65), Gedgaudas, Sirmelis (Pastva 75), Zelmikas, Beniusis (Karalius 80), Barevicius.

CELTIC: Douglas, Agathe, Valgaeren, Mjallby, Varga, Petrov, Lennon (Maloney 46), Lambert, Thompson (Smith 70), Larsson, Sutton (Miller 73).