Celtic Maintains Perfect Start with 3-0 Victory Over Aberdeen
Camilo Duran delivered another thunderbolt as Celtic swept aside Aberdeen 3-0 to maintain their flawless start to the William Hill Premiership season.
Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun joined him on the scoresheet as Martin O’Neill’s side had the contest wrapped up before half-time, long before Aberdeen’s reshuffled XI could muster any kind of response.
Duran steals the show again
Six goals in five matches. Duran is not easing his way into Scottish football; he is tearing straight through it.
There looked to be nothing on when he took Nygren’s pass in the 14th minute, 20 yards from goal, back to goal, Aberdeen bodies in front of him. One touch, a short backlift, then a vicious drive that cannoned in off the bar. Out of nowhere, Celtic were in front. Again, Duran had produced a highlight-reel moment since arriving from Qarabag in the summer.
He did not stop there. The Colombian repeatedly tested Marius Muller, forcing four first-half saves as Aberdeen struggled to get close enough to him. When Yang’s cross sparked panic in the visiting defence, Duran latched onto the loose ball and lashed over from a bouncing delivery, the only time his radar was slightly off.
With Kasper Hogh sidelined by a thigh injury, O’Neill has used Duran through the middle. On this evidence, shifting him back to the wing once the Dane returns will be no simple decision.
Celtic ruthless, Aberdeen rattled
The night had started on an emotional note. Sir Kenny Dalglish walked out to a warm ovation, the 75-year-old speaking on the pitch about his gratitude to Jock Stein, Celtic and their supporters for launching his career, months after revealing he was undergoing treatment for cancer. The reception was heartfelt, the applause long.
Once the whistle went, Celtic took control just as quickly. Callum McGregor returned from illness to anchor midfield, Liam Scales filled in at left-back for the injured Kieran Tierney, and the home side immediately dictated possession.
Aberdeen did have their moments early on. Ayoub Mouloua, handed his first start, headed wide from a decent opening. Nesta Guinness-Walker stepped forward from defence to test Viljami Sinisalo with a long-range strike. But those flashes were drowned out by waves of Celtic pressure.
The second goal underlined the difference in sharpness. In the 34th minute, Haissem Hassan swung in a cross that bounced awkwardly off Afeez Aremu. The loose ball dropped invitingly and Nygren reacted first, meeting it cleanly with his right foot. Muller got something on it but not enough; the shot had too much power, and Celtic were two up.
Aberdeen’s best spell of the half lasted seconds. Gavin Molloy rose to meet Alexander Briedl’s corner and his header crashed off the bar. That was the moment they needed to go in. It didn’t.
Celtic broke at pace, ruthlessly. Duran drove forward, picked out Yang’s run, and the South Korean winger strode into the box before drilling a low left-footed finish beyond Muller. One end to the other, 3-0, and the contest effectively done before the interval.
Stephen Robinson had seen enough. At half-time he ripped up his front line and midfield, sending on Lewis Smith, Connor Ronan, Toyosi Olusanya and Mitchy Ntelo for Aremu, Briedl, Kevin Nisbet and Mouloua.
New faces, same Celtic control
The changes gave Aberdeen more bite after the restart. Smith, in particular, tried to drag them forward and drew a solid save from Sinisalo with a driven effort as the visitors finally pushed Celtic back for spells.
They could not land a punch that mattered.
O’Neill responded by unveiling two of this week’s signings to the home crowd. Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen stepped into the fray, followed by on-loan Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka. Both immediately looked eager to impress.
Mheuka almost marked his debut with a goal, spinning his marker and forcing Muller into a sharp one-handed save after some aggressive centre-forward play. Sorensen arrived late in the box to meet a cutback but dragged his first-time left-footed effort well wide, a reminder that his shooting boots are still to be calibrated in Glasgow green and white.
Celtic finished strongly, refusing to coast. Muller had to deny Scales from distance, then substitutes Mika Baur and James Forrest, as the hosts kept driving forward rather than protecting what they had.
The scoreline stayed at three, but the message was clear enough. Celtic look slick, hungry and stacked with options, even before Hogh returns to fitness. With Duran in this kind of form and new signings already knocking on the door, the real question is not how long they can keep a perfect record going — it is who, exactly, is going to stop them.
