Celtic produced a commanding performance at McDiarmid Park to maintain their perfect start to the season, thrashing St Johnstone 6-0. With Kyogo Furuhashi leading the attack, Brendan Rodgers’ men were relentless, showing no signs of distraction ahead of their Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The tone was set early, with Celtic pressing high and moving the ball quickly. That said, St Johnstone were holding out. In the 26th minute, a Daizen Maeda volley was scandalously ruled out by VAR, but it didn’t deter the visitors. If anything, it angered them, and it wasn’t long before Kyogo put Celtic ahead. A perfectly timed through ball from Nicolas Kuhn allowed the Japanese forward to find the bottom corner, giving his side a deserved lead after 35 minutes.
The floodgates opened soon after. Paulo Bernardo doubled the advantage with a powerful strike from the edge of the box just minutes before half-time, and Kyogo added a third, heading in Greg Taylor’s cross to give Celtic a commanding lead going into the break.
The second half saw much of the same, with Celtic dictating the tempo. Callum McGregor, continuing his fine run of form, added a fourth goal with a long-range effort that left the seemingly unsighted St Johnstone keeper with no chance. The captain’s influence was apparent throughout the match, as he controlled the midfield and contributed both offensively and defensively.
Maeda’s tireless running paid off in the 72nd minute, as he finally got his goal, heading in a Bernardo cross to make it five. Despite being six goals up, Maeda showed his dedication late in the match, tracking back deep into Celtic’s half to make a key interception, drawing applause from the travelling supporters.
Adam Idah completed the scoring in the 83rd minute after a well-worked team move, finishing from close range to cap off a dominant Celtic performance.
St Johnstone struggled to create clear opportunities, managing only one real attempt that was comfortably dealt with by Kasper Schmeichel. The hosts, still without a permanent manager, couldn’t cope with the intensity and precision of Celtic’s play.
For Celtic, it was a perfect display of clinical finishing and high-energy pressing. With the win, they remain at the top of the Scottish Premiership, and the attention now turns to their crucial Champions League fixture in Germany. Based on this performance, Celtic will travel to Dortmund full of confidence despite the challenge ahead.
