Full time: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic | OneFootball

Celtic went up to Aberdeen with Brendan Rodgers making just one change to the team that started in last weekend’s victory over St Mirren. Yang was replaced by James Forrest.

The start of the game was fiery with the referee’s whistle being heard a lot, along with groans from the Aberdeen supporters but replays did show the free kick calls were correct. It took until 7 minutes for the first bit of quality to be shown, when Auochiche thundered a shot towards the top corner, which Kasper Schmeichel did very well to save at full stretch.

Both teams were poor in possession, with blocks and tackles meeting stray passes and overran dribbles. However, in the 26th minute Kieran Tierney drove past his man and fizzed a low cross at shin height, which Nygren turned in with a controlled volley. It was a carbon copy of the Swede’s run last weekend, except this time he found the back of the net rather than the woodwork.

Three minutes later, Tierney burst up the left wing with great pace again. He cut the ball back to Hatate, whose swerving shot was palmed out to Nygren but this time he blazed over the bar rather than doubling his goals for the afternoon.

Clear cut chances were few and far between. Aberdeen failed to register a shot for the remainder of the half after Auochiche’s early strike. Meanwhile, Celtic struggled to open up a deep lying Dons defence. It was Celtic who were very much controlling things though.

Half time arrived with the scoreline Aberdeen 1-0 Celtic.

The second half began in much the same manner as the action which preceded it. Celtic broke forward with Maeda, who had largely been anonymous in the first half. His cross was deflected behind.

On 52 minutes, Celtic worked the ball down the right and Maeda made a run inside to meet a cross from James Forrest on the half volley. He did very well to keep the shot down but the goalkeeper was able to tip the ball over the bar to keep Aberdeen in the game.

Scrappy play ensued for the next ten minutes. Aberdeen offering nothing in attack and Celtic lacking the quality to find enough openings themselves. It was James Forrest who was Celtic’s main threat, probing the defence and looking to make things happen.

The match looked in danger of fizzling out as Celtic’s safe possession took the sting out of things. However, that all changed on 65 minutes when the enterprising Forrest slid a pass along the touchline for Nygren, who had linked well with the winger all afternoon. The Swedish midfielder then smartly cut back to Hatate and the Japanese star smacked a right footed shot into the back of the net via the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the box.

That goal prompted a double change. Idah and Tierney came off, Trusty and Yamada came on, Scales moving to left back.

Moments later another Japanese Celt looked set to score when Maeda made a brilliant run in behind the Aberdeen defence. He was found with a long ball and used that tremendous pace for which he is famed to burst in on goal, only to stumble and lose his footing!

As the game approached its final quarter, Maeda latched onto a pass out wide and whipped in an early left footed cross. It was begging to be buried but there were no takers. At the other end, Celtic were caught napping and somehow Aberdeen failed to score from five yards, with their first shot on goal for 70 minutes. Kasper Schmeichel was able to save the one on one to deny the Dons on that occasion.

James Forrest was replaced by Luke McCowan on the 77th minute. His final contribution was a delightful pass through to the overlapping Johnston, who had no choice but to shoot from an acute angle. Forrest’s substitution came at the same time as Arne Engels entering the pitch in place of Hatate.

Celtic controlled possession and comfortably saw things through until the final whistle.

Full time: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic. Celtic move onto six points from two games and Aberdeen are condemned to two defeats from their opening two games for the first time since 2003.