Glentoran 3-0 Linfield

A clinical Glentoran came out on top of the Big Two Boxing Day derby as they beat Linfield 3-0 at the Oval.

Elvio van Overbook opened the scoring in the 7th minute, a superb improvised finish after stealing half a yard of space in the box.

Paddy McClean's throw-in from the left had put the Blues under pressure, and Mark Haughey's clearnace only went as far as Navid Nasseri, 15 yards from goal. He hit it first time with his left foot, and with his low effort scuffing wide, it rolled right into the feet of van Overbeek who back-heeled it into the bottom corner from 6 yards.

5 minutes later, Linfield defender Jimmy Callacher almost equalised against his former club with a header from a Matthew Clarke corner, but Conor Pepper was on the line to hack the ball clear and keep the Glens in the lead.

Home keeper Marijan Antolovic then got lucky in the 31st after spilling Joel Cooper's shot from distance. The loose ball was was picked up by Andy Waterworth, with the Croatian keeper awkwardly fouling him before being saved by the linesman's flag being raised to call the Linfield striker offside.

Antolovic then dropped a corner just a mintue before the break, and was again lucky not to concede. This time, the balled bobbled around before Mark Haughey scooped his effort over the bar from 7 yards.

Into the second half, Waterworth had an effort that was easily saved, and Stephen Fallon shot wide from 20 yards as the Blues fought to finally get a foothold on the game.

The Glentoran keeper continued to look shaky on corners, again failing to deal with another delivery in the 67th minute. This time the ball eventually dropped to Jordan Stewart whose 20-yard strike clipped the outside of the post when it looked destined for the bottom corner.

Glentoran's Willie Garrett then thumped a 6-yard-header straight into the arms of Blues keeper Rohan Ferguson, before Waterworth saw a goal ruled out for offside in the 71st minute. The Blues striker then turned and shot from 10 yards aftr collecting Stewart's cross, but this time Antolovic dealt with it safetly, diving low to make the save. A goal felt inevitable, but it was difficult to see which team would take their chances.

It took until the 76th minute for the decisive moment, as Glentoran hit Linfield on the break to double their lead. Hrvoje Plum robbed Stephen Fallon on the halfway line, drove into acres of empty space, and then smashed a low shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Usually a specialist from free kicks from that distance, the Croatian did well to keep a cool head when he had decent options for the pass on either side.

The goal sucked the life out of Linfield, and with 83 on the clock things got even worse. Glens replacement Paul O'Neill was hauled down as he burst into the box leaving Ian McNabb no option but to award the penalty. Plum casually stepped up to convert from 12 yards, doubling his tally and making it 3-0.