2014-09-13: Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen, SP

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Trivia

• 2014-09-13: Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen, SP
• Giudetti signs for Celtic.
• Back after the world cup break, Scotland losing gallantly two-one to new world champions Germany.
• Return of Scott Brown to side after injuries.
• Debut appearances for players.
• Aberdeen have made a complaint regarding alleged racial abuse by Aleksander Tonev towards defender Shay Logan.
• Tensions rising as the Scottish independence referendum is next week. Celtic support mostly appear on the surface you support independence. Most important decision in Scottish history for 300 years.

Review

(remy mcswain of KDS forum)
Enjoyable game but we fell to bits after Brown tired (and that was after about 35 minutes). We gave Aberdeen far too much space in the second half and they had a right good go. I didn't see any of Tonev's much vaunted pace, Scepovic had some good movement for no reward- McGregor (now he isn't scoring he really is an average and greedy player) had an easy square ball to him for a tap in and he tried a harder pass, Guidetti looked very good.

Great touch and I reckon he'll be starting before Scepovic soon.

Glad Stokes is now 3rd choice (his rightful position) and delighted that Griffiths too has found his true position at Celtic (enjoy Hibs again).

A good win but we really aren't firing yet. A decent team will create chances against us. We are very fragile.

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Stats

Celtic Aberdeen
Possession
51% 49%
90mins
Shots
19 10
On target
4 5
Corners
4 4
Fouls
12 7

Articles

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29090522
By Andrew Southwick BBC Scotland

Celtic survived a spirited Aberdeen fight-back to gain their first win in five games.

Jason Denayer put Celtic into an early lead and Kris Commons made it two just after half-time virtue of a helpful deflection off Dons defender Shaleum Logan.

David Goodwillie headed Aberdeen back into the game before Craig Gordon pulled off a string of saves.

The Dons continued to attack but could not find an equaliser.

It is a welcome three points for Celtic boss Ronny Deila after the Champions League knock-out to Maribor and a failure to win on the road away to Inverness and Dundee.

Aberdeen's second-half performance will give manager Derek McInnes some encouragement, but it is a third defeat in five games as the Dons struggle for the same consistency they had last season.

Celtic were boosted by the earlier than expected return of captain Scott Brown, who made his first appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, while Aleksandar Tonev and Stefan Scepovic also made the starting line-up.
David Goodwillie scores for Aberdeen

David Goodwillie dives in to head home for the Dons but Celtic held on to win 2-1

Jonny Hayes managed to shake off an ankle knock for the visitors but was forced to pull out due to his wife going into hospital to give birth.

It was a bright start from Aberdeen and they looked the more likely of the two teams early on, but they shot themselves in the foot with poor defending at Celtic's first corner.

Logan's header away fell to Efe Ambrose, who hammered a shot into the net via team-mate Denayer, who did not know much about it.

The Dons were trying to attack Celtic at pace but were being constantly caught out when the hosts broke from deep.

Commons should have made it 2-0 when Emilio Izaguirre picked him out in the middle, but somehow he headed wide with the goal gaping.

Scepovic then had the ball in the net but was adjudged offside.

The game was flowing from end to end. Goodwillie should have done better when Brown knocked the ball into his path inside the box, but he spun his shot far and wide.

Jamie Langfield then had to deny Commons and Callum McGregor with good saves.

It was not the last time the pair would get a sight of goal before half-time; both firing shots wide of the the left-hand post.

Only 24 seconds of the second half had been played when Celtic doubled their lead.

McGregor picked out Commons just inside the box and his low shot deflected off Logan and past Langfield.

The Dons recovered well and Peter Pawlett forced Gordon into his first meaningful save of the match with a vicious shot.

Commons was inches away from a third when he again was left unmarked at the edge of the box – firing just over – but the Dons fought back with Goodwillie grabbing his first goal since signing for the club in the summer.
Celtic's recent signing John Guidetti

Celtic new boy John Guidetti tries to work himself a yard of space in the Aberdeen box

Logan's cross found Andrew Considine at the back post and his header across goal was nodded in by the Dons striker.

It could have been all square when Goodwillie's back-heel sent Niall McGinn clear and Gordon had to beat the Northern Irishman's shot away from close range.

It was all Aberdeen now and Willo Flood was next to force a save with a blistering effort from outside the box.

McInnes made a statement of intent with 15 minutes left when he sent on top goalscorer Adam Rooney for Considine.

The move was always going to leave gaps at the back and, when Commons got the ball caught under his feet, McGregor whistled a shot just wide of the post.

The Dons thought they should have had a penalty when McGinn's free-kick appeared to be handled by Commons and, moments later, McGinn had a shot deflected over from Rooney's knockdown.

In a frantic finale, Stefan Johansen could have sealed victory when he broke clear, but he tried to walk it past Langfield and the chance went a-begging.

Celtic's Aleksander Tonev accused of racial slur by Aberdeen

Aberdeen have accused Celtic's Bulgarian winger Aleksander Tonev of racial abuse directed at their defender Shay Logan.

Referee Bobby Madden received the complaint which will also feature in SPFL delegate John Connelly's report.

The incident is said to have occurred early in the second half of Saturday's Premiership match at Celtic Park.

BBC Scotland has approached Celtic for comment on the matter but the club has yet to make a statement.

The Scottish Football Association expects to receive the report on Monday, following which the compliance officer will decide what action it should take.
Aberdeen defender Shay Logan

Shay Logan accused Celtic's Tonev of a racial slur during Saturday's match in Glasgow

Tonev and Logan were direct opponents for much of the match which Celtic won 2-1 .

Logan spoke to the match referee during the game and also told his captain Mark Reynolds about the incident, who also had a word with Madden.

Tonev was making a belated debut for the Scottish champions having signed on loan from Aston Villa in the summer, though injury delayed his bow.

Fraser Wishart, chief executive of PFA Scotland, said it would be "inappropriate to comment at this time" because the incident could result in an investigation by the SFA.
Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, Celtic 2, Aberdeen 1.
90:00 +3:14 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Celtic 2, Aberdeen 1.
90:00 +0:30

Foul by John Guidetti (Celtic).
90:00 +0:30

Mark Reynolds (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the right wing.
84:02

Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
84:02

Shaleum Logan (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the right wing.
80:20

Attempt blocked. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is blocked.
79:42 Booking

Booking Efe Ambrose (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
79:37

Shaleum Logan (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
79:37

Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
78:51

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
76:05 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Aberdeen. Adam Rooney replaces Andrew Considine.
75:08

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ash Taylor.
74:54

Attempt blocked. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
74:14

John Guidetti (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
74:14

Foul by David Goodwillie (Aberdeen).
72:48

Attempt missed. John Guidetti (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
70:33

John Guidetti (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
70:33

Foul by Ash Taylor (Aberdeen).
70:20 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Nir Bitton replaces Aleksandar Tonev.
69:57

Foul by David Goodwillie (Aberdeen).
69:57

Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
66:53

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
65:16

Attempt saved. Willo Flood (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
63:49 Booking

Booking Ryan Jack (Aberdeen) is shown the yellow card.
63:43

Foul by Ryan Jack (Aberdeen).
63:43

Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
62:48

Attempt saved. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
61:26 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Aberdeen. Jeffrey Monakana replaces Nicky Low.
61:06 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Beram Kayal replaces Stefan Scepovic.
60:56 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. John Guidetti replaces Scott Brown.
60:00 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 2, Aberdeen 1. David Goodwillie (Aberdeen) header from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrew Considine.
59:27

Shaleum Logan (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
59:27

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
55:56

Kris Commons (Celtic) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box.
54:59

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
53:50

Foul by Shaleum Logan (Aberdeen).
53:50

Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
52:39

Attempt saved. Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
52:07

Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
52:07

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
51:07

Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Jason Denayer.
50:20

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high.
46:51

Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
46:51

David Goodwillie (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
45:22 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 2, Aberdeen 0. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
45:00

Second Half begins Celtic 1, Aberdeen 0.
45:00 +1:09 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, Celtic 1, Aberdeen 0.
44:18

Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
42:56

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
40:35

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
39:03

Attempt missed. Nicky Low (Aberdeen) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
35:50

Attempt blocked. Ryan Jack (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
34:17

Attempt blocked. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
31:53

Attempt missed. Ash Taylor (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
31:07

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
31:07

Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
30:15

Attempt missed. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
29:14

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
29:14

Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
25:11

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
24:14

Foul by Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic).
24:14

Willo Flood (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
23:32

Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
20:09

Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
20:09

Foul by Andrew Considine (Aberdeen).
19:24

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
18:44

Attempt missed. David Goodwillie (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
17:18

Foul by Jason Denayer (Celtic).
17:18

Nicky Low (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
16:05

Attempt blocked. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
15:53

Attempt blocked. Aleksandar Tonev (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
13:00

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Niall McGinn.
12:29

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Shaleum Logan.
11:01

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) header from very close range is close, but misses to the right.
9:44

Attempt saved. Andrew Considine (Aberdeen) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal.
8:57

Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Jason Denayer.
6:57 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! Celtic 1, Aberdeen 0. Jason Denayer (Celtic) with an attempt from the left side of the six yard box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Efe Ambrose.
6:18

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Willo Flood.
6:03

Attempt blocked. Kris Commons (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
3:03

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
3:03

Nicky Low (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
1:44

Foul by Mark Reynolds (Aberdeen).
1:44

Stefan Scepovic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
1:18

Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
1:18

Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the left wing.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

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Celtic 2 – 1 Aberdeen: Celtic’s split personality

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/celtic-2-1-aberdeen-celtic-s-split-personality-1-3540815

by ANDREW SMITH

Updated on the 13 September
2014
20:26

Published 13/09/2014 14:54
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101 comments Have your say!

IT IS difficult to know what to make of Celtic right now. Certainly, Salzburg assistant coach Zsolt Low, whose side host the Glasgow club in a Europa League group opener on Thursday, will have been unsure whether to base judgments on a powerful and dominant first hour or a perilous last half hour.

Scorers: Celtic – Denayer 4; Commons 46; Aberdeen – Goodwillie 60

Maybe the unevenness of a Celtic display ultimately worthy of a 2-1 victory could in part be explained by the lack of game time for the reinforcements featuring in their first competitive game for Ronny Deila. The Norwegian certainly thought so. Maybe, the fact Celtic keeper Craig Gordon latterly was required to get his mitts on the ball plenty in the closing stages owed much to Aberdeen’s strength of character. Their manager Derek McInnes certainly thought so. He was equally convinced that only the failure to be awarded a penalty for a Kris Commons handball ten minutes from time deprived his team of a better outcome.

Yet, McInnes acknowledged that Commons’ impact extended to his footwork. He called the striker “problematic” as “Celtic started with a lot of energy”. The schemer made it 2-0 on the 60-minute mark for his tenth goal in 13 appearances against Aberdeen. When he did so after a thumping drive deflected off Shay Logan and past Jamie Langfield, McInnes admitted his side were second best. If not for long. “Celtic [then] played with confidence and swagger but that soon went when we got the goal back and started causing them a lot of problems,” he said. “I thought they were there for the taking, vulnerable, agitated and nervy. I thought we had enough of that play to get something.”

In reality, the headed effort that brought David Goodwillie his first goal in Aberdeen colours – a Logan cross from the right headed back across goal by Andrew Considine for the striker to nod in – should have belonged to the consolation category.

With Scott Brown restored after the hamstring problems that had kept him out from pre-season, and Commons at his string-pulling best, Celtic went after their visitors with real zeal. The pair’s contributions brought delight to Deila. “[Brown] is a leader and it is fantastic to have him back. In the first ten minutes I just had to start laughing. He was tackling the whole pitch. He is so important for us,” said the Celtic manager, who maintained his team were “fantastic” with their tempo, pressing and passing, for 60 minutes, and “should have killed the game” in that time.

Commons was the architect of such agonies for Aberdeen. It was his corner after four minutes that brought the bagatelle that ended with the visitors’ goal breached. A messy goal, the ball came off Jason Denayer either side of Efe Ambrose shooting for goal, the second unwitting intervention leading to the ball bouncing off the underside of the bar and in. “The first 60 minutes was the best I have seen of Kris this year,” Deila said of the attacker, who smacked the bar with a second-half shot. “He’s working hard, good in training and I think there is even more to go, to get his fitness even better. But he’s a special player.”

Their contributions of Commons and Brown – withdrawn in the 62nd minute after naturally tiring – overshadowed the full debuts from new striker Stefan Scepovic and winger Aleksandar Tonev, and even the bright late cameo from Manchester City on-loan forward John Guidetti. But with his new choices and old Deila sees his team coming together. “The central line today, with Kris and Scott and Stefan [Johansen] and the two central defenders and the goalkeeper was very good today. It makes me happy to see it and I know we are going to have a lot of fun with this team when we get more settled in and get more fitness in.”

The lively frontman Guidetti might provide much of that. Ineligible for the Europa League group stages following his beyond-the-deadline-confirmed temporary move, the Swede certainly sees his link-up with both Celtic, and Commons, as potentially being like hand in glove.

“I felt a good connection with the team and I feel it is going to be a perfect fit,” he said of his half-hour run-out. “[With Kris] it is perfect.

Guidetti admitted he is in an awkward spot because he cannot feature for Celtic in Europe this season unless they progress beyond the group and reach the last 32 stage next year. “It is going to put me in a situation where if the team is fantastic in Europe, the manager is not going to change the team. But this is life.

“Every time I play I will try to do my very best and the Europa League games are very difficult. It’s not like I want us to do badly – I want us to do well and then I have the chance to play later.”

Only if Celtic can start to sustain their performance levels will Guidetti have the opportunity to do that.