Celtic Dominates Aberdeen 3-0 with Duran's Stunning Performance

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, the damage done ruthlessly before half-time on a night that underlined just how sharp Martin O’Neill’s side already look.

Duran steals the show again

Six goals in five games. That is Duran’s tally now, and the Colombian is making it increasingly awkward for O’Neill to even contemplate moving him back to the wing when Kasper Hogh returns from a thigh injury.

His opener, on 14 minutes, came from nowhere. Nygren slipped him the ball, but there seemed little danger with Aberdeen set behind it. Duran barely seemed to pull his leg back. One touch, one vicious, rising strike from 20 yards, off the underside of the bar and in. Another spectacular addition to a growing highlight reel since his summer arrival from Qarabag.

He did not stop there. Duran repeatedly tested Marius Muller, forcing four first-half saves and then lashing over from a bouncing ball after Yang’s cross had Aberdeen’s back line scrambling.

Celtic, with Callum McGregor restored to midfield after illness and Liam Scales in at left-back for the injured Kieran Tierney, controlled the early rhythm. They passed, probed, waited. Then Duran’s first real sight of goal ripped the contest open.

Nygren and Yang finish the job

Aberdeen did have moments. Ayoub Mouloua, handed his first start, nodded a decent chance wide. Nesta Guinness-Walker tried his luck from distance, but Viljami Sinisalo gathered comfortably between Duran’s flurry of efforts.

The second Celtic goal arrived on 34 minutes and carried a touch of fortune, but no one in green and white cared. Haissem Hassan’s cross ricocheted off Afeez Aremu and dropped loose in the box. Nygren reacted quickest, driving a right-footed effort that Muller got a hand to but could not keep out.

Then came the turning point for Aberdeen. The margins cut them down.

Gavin Molloy met Alexander Briedl’s corner with a firm header and watched it crash off the bar. From almost 2-1, Aberdeen were suddenly dead and buried. Celtic broke with purpose, Duran slid a precise pass into Yang’s path, and the South Korean winger drilled a low left-foot finish past Muller. One end to the other. 3-0. Game gone.

Stephen Robinson had seen enough. At the break he made four changes, throwing on Lewis Smith, Connor Ronan, Toyosi Olusanya and Mitchy Ntelo for Aremu, Briedl, Kevin Nisbet and Mouloua in a bid to salvage some pride.

Dalglish ovation and Celtic’s new faces

Before any of that, the evening had opened on a different note. Sir Kenny Dalglish stepped out to a warm ovation, the 75-year-old taking a moment on the pitch to express his gratitude to Jock Stein, Celtic and the supporters for launching his career. Having revealed earlier this year that he is receiving treatment for cancer, the reception carried extra weight.

On the pitch, Aberdeen’s reshaped side did respond after the interval. They pressed higher, competed harder, and Smith drew a solid save from Sinisalo with a low effort that briefly stirred the away end.

But Celtic always looked capable of finding another gear. O’Neill introduced two of this week’s signings, Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen and on-loan Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka, to fold them into a side already humming with confidence.

Both newcomers had chances to mark their home bow with a goal. Mheuka, lively and direct, forced Muller into an excellent one-handed stop after muscling space in the box. Sorensen arrived onto a first-time left-foot shot but dragged it badly off target.

Celtic still finished the stronger. Muller denied Scales, then substitutes Mika Baur and James Forrest, as the hosts kept pushing right to the final whistle.

The scoreline stayed at three, but the message was louder than that. Duran is on fire, the new signings are bedding in, and Celtic’s perfect start remains intact. If this is them still warming up, what happens when Hogh is fit and the season really bites?