Aberdeen 0 Celtic 2 – Nygren & Hatate strike as Hoops exact cup final revenge to pile more misery on struggling Dons

Scottish Sun

10-08-2025

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CELTIC cruised to Cup Final revenge with an effortless victory at Pittodrie.
Goals from Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate saw them comfortably home 78 days after the heartbreak of the Hampden Cup Final.
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Benjamin Nygren scored his first Celtic goal
Credit: PA
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Reo Hatate crashed in a brilliant second for the Hoops
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
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Brendan Rodgers' men are top of the table
Credit: PA
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It's testing times for Jimmy Thelin and Aberdeen
Credit: PA
They have also opened up a four-point lead over Rangers - which could extend to seven if they beat Livingston on August 23 and Rangers' scheduled game against St Mirren the following day is postponed to boost their European prospects.
That would mean the Ibrox Old Firm meeting on August 31 would see Celtic firmly in control of their own destiny.
It's early days to discuss title prospects, of course.
But the manner in which Celtic made it two Premiership wins out of two and chalked up a second successive clean sheet indicates they're in their groove early.
You could quibble that they started shakily as Aberdeen tried to rouse their support, or that Adam Idah continues to look a long way from the answer up front.
But once Nygren had put them ahead and they got a grip of midfield, it was one-way traffic against a very limited Aberdeen side.
Nygren scored 15 goals from midfield for Danes Nordsjaelland last season - as well as two for Sweden's national team - and there looks as though there could be more to come for him this season.
A visit to Pittodrie is theoretically a difficult fixture for Celtic, but it isn't, really.
The Dons' day of Cup Final glory already seems a distant memory.
Aberdeen now haven't won any of the last 28 league meetings of the sides, a pitiful run that goes all the way back to Andy Considine's Celtic Park winner on the last day of the season in May 2018.
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This, unfortunately for their boisterous support, was more of the same.
After a decent start, there was no zip or initiative about Aberdeen and they succumbed to the inevitable with little fuss or fight.
A save from Adil Aouchiche first-half and a scrambled stop from Dante Polvara late on were the only times Kasper Schmeichel was called into serious action.
Aberdeen now face a tricky Premier Sports Cup visit to Morton next weekend followed by a Europa League play-off first leg against either Romanian champions FCSB or Drita of Kosovo on August 21.
Again, it's too early to seriously scrutinise their start to the season. But two games, two defeats and no goals scored are unlikely to be statistics to give the home fans any warm fuzzy feelings as they survey the months to come.
Their boss Jimmy Thelin made two changes from the side beaten by Hearts on Monday, Nicky Devlin and Alfie Dorrington in for Leighton Clarkson and groin injury victim Mats Knoester.
34-year-old James Forrest for Yang Hyun-jun was Celtic's only change from the opening-day win over St Mirren.
The home side started brightly. Alexander Jensen's fizzing cross was kneed out for a throw then Sunderland loanee Aouchiche's long-range drive was saved by Schemichel as the decibel level rose around Pittodrie.
But Aberdeen failed to build on their lively and robust opening. Gradually Celtic began to dominate possession and there was a sense of inevitability about the opening goal after 26 minutes.
And how Thelin would have been cursing the weaknesses that his side showed in both build-up and finish to it.
First Kieran Tierney went past Nicolas Milanovic far too easily on the left, then when his cross came in, Nygren got in front of fellow Scandinavian Sivert Heltne Nilsen to turn the ball past the exposed Dimitar Mitov.
The goal ruptured Aberdeen's confidence. Celtic were allowed to take a stranglehold on proceedings and did pretty much as they pleased for the remainder of a one-sided first-half.
Aberdeen's cause wasn't helped when Devlin required a lengthy period of treatment just before the break after going down in the box, though he was eventually able to continue.
The manner in which Aberdeen had drifted out of the game was encapsulated in the final minute of the first-half when Topi Keskinen nut-megged Nygren in midfield and sent the ball through for Kusini Yengi to pursue.
However the Aussie frontman carelessly allowed the ball to slip under his foot and out for a goal-kick, to the frustration of the home support.
Celtic, however, started the second-half exactly as they'd indeed the first - in control.
Nygren and Forrest combined well in midfield and the winger's cross was met by Daizen Maeda, who forced Mitov into a smart save.
However it was little surprise when Celtic extended their lead after 64 minutes.
Callum McGregor and Forrest combined on the right and again the home defending was sluggish as the ball came in to Hatete, who curled an accurate right-footer high into Mitov's net from the edge of the box.
That was the game pretty much over and a series of substitutions and bookings disrupted what little flow there had been to the game.
However it did nothing to alter the fact that Celtic were in total control and showing no signs of relinquishing it.
One of the replacements, Shin Yamada, had the chance to make Celtic's win more emphatic with a driving run down the left but his cross was weak and dealt with by the Dons back line.
Celtic saw it out very straightforwardly against an Aberdeen side lacking in both inspiration and cutting-edge.
Aberdeen XI: Mitov; Jensen, Milne, Dorrington, Devlin; Shinnie (c), Aouchiche, Heltne Nilsen; Milanovic, Yengi, Keskinen.
Mitov; Jensen, Milne, Dorrington, Devlin; Shinnie (c), Aouchiche, Heltne Nilsen; Milanovic, Yengi, Keskinen. Aberdeen subs: Suman (GK), Polvara, Clarkson, Boyd, Palaversa, Sokler, Morris, Molloy, Kjartansson.
Suman (GK), Polvara, Clarkson, Boyd, Palaversa, Sokler, Morris, Molloy, Kjartansson. Celtic XI: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor (c), Hatate; Forrest, Idah, Maeda.
Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor (c), Hatate; Forrest, Idah, Maeda. Celtic subs: Sinisalo (GK), Trusty, Yang, McCowan, Yamada, Kenny, Engels, Bernardo, Ralston.
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