Aberdeen 1-2 Celtic – Time for Some Definitive Ratings | OneFootball

SANDMAN’S DEFINITIVE RATINGS: CELTIC @ THE TUNDRA…

Viljami Sinisalo celebrates.Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

VINDALOO – 7.5/10 – Save of the season. Required every inch of his youthful athleticism to get the stretch in for that one and flip it over with his ‘wrong’ hand. Great reactions and feet to get anywhere near the pace of the header. Saved the jerseys – at 1-1, going 2-1 down ten minutes into the second-half, wouldn’t have fancied the chances of a sluggish outfield to claw back anything. Confidence is everything for a keeper and he has it in abundance, which translates to his defence. One thing he has to realise, though – he’s not prime Maradona; only Dios can put his foot on the ball facing three opponents and say, “‘Mon then…”. Advice for Vinny would be to put his foot right through it more in future…

Kieran Tierney celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

KATIE – 7/10 – Appeared the only Celt who desired to score in the first-half. Saw red (literally) every time the Beach End loomed, and KT did his best to thunderstruck anything within range of goal. Of course, his thirst for more blood after Sunday’s thumping header led to a poacher’s pick-off – poking a volley into the net and setting up what felt like a pumping at the time. However, his commitment was required in all areas of the park as they made a battle of it. And when you’ve got green-blooded Celts who’ll die for the cause like KT, the war can be won in spite of the team’s lapses.

Julian Araujo. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

AZTECO – 6.5/10 – All energy and dynamism and no-nonsense. Picked up where he left off Sunday, keen and lively. Didn’t quite synch with Yang properly – or maybe vice-versa – but we know now what we get from the Cartel Agathe and it’s a valuable contribution in the traditional Celtic attacking full-back role.

Liam Scales with Viljami Sinisalo. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

OF JUSTICE – 8/10 MOTM – The Ginger Baresi? Try the Redheid Romario – five minutes in and we’ve got hitch-kick tributes to the diminutive Brazilian God setting up our opener, then hitch-kicks became calf-kicks as Liam got mugged for the penalty. But back he came, scrapping, tussling, coaxing his young sidekick, organising, intercepting, anticipating – it was frantic and he handled it really well through our midfield malfunctions that put the defence on the back foot continuously.

Edges MOTM for me due to one unheralded bit of defensive brilliance – 85th minute, they get in behind down the left wing, whip across a deadly ball only requiring contact to knock it in, three red shirts haring onto it… Then Liam executes a diving header towards his own goal, twisting to make contact and somehow divert the ball up and away, contrary to the probabilities of known physics. Matchwinning.

Benjamin Arthur. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

PENDRAGON – 6.5/10 – The bhoy who would be king. “You’re in, kid.”…’In where, Jamesy? Who is she?’ Then the boss told him to get stripped – but not like in the Forrest Files – and before you know it a relaxing stint wrapped up on the bench with his Nintendo Switch becomes an anxious 90 minutes among a bunch of fellas he’d never played with before, on a slippery surface against an unforgiving team of bitter cloggers eager for an upset. Has to be said the big lad performed well under pressure; nervous for a while, obviously, but settled and when the barricades were up at the death he was throwing himself on grenades to preserve the lead. One he can be proud of. Not the hair, mind. We’re knights here, not fair maidens…

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Callum McGregor celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

CALMAC – 6/10 – I thought he looked leggy. Definitely a toll taken by Sunday’s Herculean comeback effort because at 1-0, with them on the ropes, the game was made for Calmac to take control and orchestrate a ceremonial sheep burial. But he didn’t, or couldn’t. Soon as they got some intensity in midfield and their numbers swamped our playmakers, with their press fully-functional, Calmac lost dominance and spent half the time in a slugfest for possession and space. However, he did manage to pick them off as they faded mid second period and that ten minute spell of ball superiority was enough to find the openings, a goal, and secure the win.

Reo Hatate at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

HAKUNA HATATE – 6/10 – Looked good for an opening span where Reo was in cruise control beside the skipper. But that also got lost in a torrid contest when Aberdeen got gallus. To his credit, Reo stuck in when we’ve seen him chuck it this season, and played his part in wrangling the victory with a relentless intent to get hold of the ball and play some football as the surface cut up and legs tired.

Luke McCowan at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

HIGHLAND TOFFEE – 5/10 – Another good start from Luke, but… Luke, the game’s 90 minutes. If he’s not getting the damage done, his fade costs him a yard and makes all the difference because his silky style relies on peak sharpness. Also takes a corner worse than Ayrton Senna.

Sebastian Tounekti at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

TUTANKHAMUN – 6/10 – Did okay for a midweek Mikey J expedition to the Frozen North. If you’re Tunisian it would feel like a polar bear hunt, but he ignored the unintelligible abuse off the stands full of what he though must be eskimos, and put in a display which, while frustratingly impotent when it came to a final ball, still deserves recognition for the workrate and willingness to play for the team effort.

Tomas Cvancara at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

CARAVAN – 5.5/10 – Nearly, but nope. Gave as good as he got against a dirty beast of an opponent who did take a card, but also did what the hell he liked whenever the ball got in range of the big streak of green and white. That said, a Celtic centre-forward needs the little extra to nullify Sunday League eccentricities (Ah, the nipple-twist whilst running past off the ball… The oxter-hair tug at corners…The sudden, startling, full-kiss right on the lips as they square up to you… Happy days…) and have the quality to punish them. As yet, the big ghuy hasn’t proved he’s got that.

Yang at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

YING – 5.5/10 – Mr 100th game. And if you’d asked me to guess – and I watch every  kick of every ball – I’d have estimated around thirty, lol. And that kind of maybees-aye, maybees-naw anonymity again tonight sort of summed up his Celtic tenure. 100 games and we still don’t know quite what we’ve got, or if it’s worth keeping.

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SUBS –

Benjamin Nygren scores the winner. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Benjamin Nygren celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

NYLON – 6.5/10 – Whit? Don’t know. Yassss!! Exactly how does he do that? Don’t know. Did anybody see him come on? Don’t know. Is he really great, or really mince? Don’t know. Yet there he is, almost comically floating around like Invisible Boss in Chewin’ The Fat, and BAM! “There’s yer supper, Sheep, and here’s the points, Sellic.” Incredible. Or is it? Don’t know.

Daizen Maeda at Pittodrie. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

LORD KATSUMOTO – N/A – FFS, Daizen. Wanders on with his hair dyed the hue of perhaps some sort of exotic coleslaw you’d get in a quirky Japanese restaurant. And after a few mad-mental comical inputs we realise it’s coleslaw indeed – because his football brain also appears to be 90% cabbage at the moment.

James Forrest at Pittodrie. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

JAMESY – 6/10 – A Sunday Skelper fills time to waste time, and yet still manages to set up some glory and get a yellow. The Sheep proudly proclaim their fondness for mutton, then the Prestwick Pele rocks up, throws in the winning assist, and there’s no contest; Silence of the lambs.

Marcelo Saracchi at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

SCRATCHY – N/A – Up for it, as always, and was the first hooped shirt to actually put a ball in behind them after 80 minutes or something. Starts Sunday if KT rested/injured? No problem. Zombies won’t know what hits them; it’ll be double South American sicarios, actually…

Colby Donovan at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

MELLOW YELLOW – N/A – Big lunk gives away a last-gasp corner and spikes the valium share price.

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Pittodrie stadium. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

FATHER MARTIN AND SAMWISE GANGEE – 7/10 – How’s yer blood pressure, boss? A wee midweek daytrip to a seaside tearoom on the Aberdeenshire coast is what most 74 year-olds might be doing. Not prowling touchlines in the deep chill watching a Celtic side make tough work of finishing off the local under-performers. Four changes were made from the Mordor marathon, and a surprise pain in the rear-end enforced a fifth as Calamity Dane decided to implode before kick-off on this one. So MON whip-cracked away and threw a raw performer onto the Deadwood stage to rustle some sheep. Thankfully, every perceived gamble paid-off and the points were won.

Celtic celebrations at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

He’ll be particularly pleased to get the win – not too fussed with the stodgy manner of it – because he’s wily enough to know that points make more than just prizes at this stage of a season – they also ramp up the pressure on those pretenders to our crown who’ve been all talk and swagger. The old fox is now perfectly positioned to out-fox the hyenas.

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Referee Nick Walsh. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

MIBBERY – 5/10 – Nice try. Little Nick did his best to ignore their roughhouse approach to defending and midfield skullduggery, even got the shorts-tenting buzz of awarding a penalty against the champions in a crucial match; a VAR softie but you just knew they were giving it. But, ultimately, there was a sense of impending inevitability about their handling of the game; they knew we were winning this and, surprisingly, didn’t take their line-drawing to excruciating pernickerty extremes at the decisive goal offside assessment.

Kieran Tierney celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

OVERALL – 6.5/10 – After ten minutes the finest Cubans were getting cut and lit and a brandy poured to sit back in the leather Chesterfield in front of the roaring open hearth and have the butler rack up a plate of smoked salmon and cress (or is it just moss?) sarnies while the Celtic dismantled the Sheep on their way to eliminating the Zombie Twins’ goal difference. After half an hour it was spilled Superlager and robotic munching of a family bag of Doritos to quell the nerves, watching crouched behind the stained and threadbare DFS twin-seater that’s still racking up insane interest payments on the never-never.

Benjamin Nygren celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

As struggle in the North, akin to Victim A’s Aviemore ski-slope ‘encounter’ with Al Mac that’s yet to be trialled. Allegedly. I mean, what really would the need be for a man to be wandering bare-bottom among snowy pines beside the piste in January, your honour? I digress… Glenn Fry sang, ‘The Heat Is On’ – a mince 80s ear-worm that is the preserve of mobile DJs at landmark birthday parties in boolin’ club function suites. “And it could be on for you tonight, ladies, if you play your cards right, ‘cos heeeeeere’s Jamesy!”...I digress again.

Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

But the heat is most definitely now on for the  bigot brothers as the Celts glide up into second spot without yet igniting all cylinders, and momentum is surging our way. Belief will grow from nights like this, purely a case of dirty jobs done dirt cheap, and with minimal damage.

We get a fun weekend at Hammer House Of Horrors in the hope of sending a few of them flying without wings by Monday morning, before the REAL title decider takes place with the next league match Saturday week. Motherwell, I tell ye – that’s the one to win. They’re the team to beat.

Kieran Tierney at Pittodrie. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Meanwhile, 29 down, 9 to go. Celtic bang in the mix. Vibes shifting positive. There’s somethin’ in the air, Gregory…

Go Away Now

Sandman

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“He’s popped up again,” Martin O’Neill praises Celtic’s match winner in his post match media conference at Pittodrie…

Benjamin Nygren celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

A relieved Martin O’Neill spoke to the mainstream media after Celtic picked up the crucial three points at Pittodrie with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Aberdeen with goals from Kieran Tierney and  Benjamin Nygren. Here’s everything that was said…

Pittodrie stadium. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: How significant is your squad in getting to this stage?

Martin O’Neill: “Substitutions in recent weeks have made big contributions to us, so that’s important for us. So our third game in six days, I knew it was going to be a tough game, it proved to be, but we saw it through in the end.”

Benjamin Nygren scores. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: There are two players significantly that I’m sure you’d want to credit for getting the win. One’s the keeper and Nygren, 19 goals, he’s very much an unsung hero in this team?

Martin O’Neill: “Well I don’t know about that, whether he is unsung in that sense, he’s doing something that is the most difficult thing in the game, to score goals. He’s popped up again, it proved to be the winning goal. The goalkeeper made a really great save and has absolutely done fine in the matches that he’s played, in all three games.”

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Benjamin Nygren celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: It looked like a really tight call for offside at Nygren’s goal?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, absolutely, because it took a long time. And then when the fourth official was saying to me that they’re looking at perhaps two events in the thing, but then you start to really worry about it. But thankfully we saw it through. I don’t know about you, but I thought it looked a penalty for us in the first half. You haven’t seen it yet? His hand was out there, I thought, in an unnatural position. It was a tough game, we saw it through and it keeps us going.

Benjamin Nygren celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Were you always confident the goal would come, Martin?

Martin O’Neill: “No, no. It’s hard to score goals. I thought that when we scored the first goal, and it came very, very early on, I thought that’s the time for us to really push forward and try and get the second goal if we can. I thought that we came off the game a little bit, allowed Aberdeen into it, they got the penalty and scored. That’s a tough old second half, you have to try and create things, you have to take risks and you have to take chances. I think that’s what you try to do, but at the same time, try and not concede a goal. That was always possible anyway. But Nygren comes out big with the goal, which was great.”

Brian Wilson, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay at Pittodrie. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: What did you think of James Forrest who made an impact as well?

Martin O’Neill:  “James did very well, James. Very well. He’s ready. He made the penalty for us on Sunday, and he can make an impact. I think he looks at me as if, do you think I’m really too old for proceedings like this here? But he’ll never get to my age.”

Q: On the back of the comeback on Sunday, did that feel like a big win?

Martin O’Neill:  “It was a big win. I don’t know whether you say on the back of, but it certainly helps. It keeps us, at least for a little while, it keeps us in the race.”

Q: You’re up to second as well, that’s a nice boost as well?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, that’s true. I hadn’t thought about that.”

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Q: What did you make of Benjamin Arthur?

Martin O’Neill:  “I thought he did fine, he stepped into the game. Half an hour beforehand his mind was thinking, I wonder will I get on at any given stage during the course of the match? And then the next thing he’s called upon to do it, to start the game. So you have to have almost a different mindset. So he comes back into the dressing room, gets himself ready, and I thought he really did fine. I think there is, whether it’s here or not, but I think there’s a definite player there.”

Q: What was the issue with Dane Murray?

Martin O’Neill:  “Dane, he felt his thigh, which is a concern for us, really.”

Q: Do you think Dane will be a doubt for Sunday?

Martin O’Neill:  “I would have to think he would be at this minute, but I don’t know at this minute. He’s just come in, he’s been treated, he’ll obviously be in for treatment tomorrow morning, and we’ll see. If you’re thinking about a thigh, I’m hoping that I’m not doom and gloom, but I’d be concerned about it.”

Kieran Tierney celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Is there a cause for concern that you’re letting teams get a wee grip in the game?

Martin O’Neill:  “This was going to be difficult. I’ve thought about this game obviously since Sunday was over. I felt this was always going to be difficult for us. It really was. It was the third game in six days, so it’s asking a lot, hence us using the substitutions. Sometimes it’s great that some of the substitutions have come on and the impact has been good. Sometimes it doesn’t.”

Q: Does the second half of the game, the weekend and the 95 minutes tonight, add together to give you confidence that you can get a 90-minute performance this weekend?”

Martin O’Neill:  “Wow! Oh, good Lord! Right…Good point. No idea!”

Kieran Tierney scores. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: How are you feeling about the game this weekend?

Martin O’Neill:  “Really, I honestly have not thought about it. I’m going to watch the Aberdeen game on the bus on the way back, and then I’ll start thinking about the game for tomorrow at some stage.”

Q: Do you expect it to be much different from last weekend, given it’s a cup game and you’ve got more fans?

Martin O’Neill:  “It’s a really good point, and you’d be better equipped than me. It’s a long, long time since I’ve been to Ibrox twice in three or four days. It’s not something I thought about a couple of months ago. So I will think about it. I don’t know. I’m hoping that just the points that you’ve made, us back in the second half performance and winning tonight, I’m hoping gives us a bit of a lift going there.”

Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order

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