Celtic’s frustrating afternoon at Celtic Park ended in a 2-2 draw against Aberdeen, with a brief spell of sloppiness proving costly for Brendan Rodgers' side. Despite taking a commanding 2-0 lead through first-half goals from Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi, a 10-minute lapse early in the second half allowed Aberdeen to snatch a point and keep pace at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The match started with Celtic in control, asserting their dominance from the outset. Arne Engels came close to scoring after a misplaced clearance from Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov, his shot hitting the crossbar from distance. Celtic’s pressure soon paid off in the 24th minute when Engels found Kyogo, whose cut-back allowed Hatate to fire into the net from the edge of the box.
Just three minutes later, Celtic doubled their advantage. Daizen Maeda’s ball into the box caused chaos in the Aberdeen defense, with a deflection falling kindly to Kyogo, who slotted home to give the Hoops a comfortable cushion. Aberdeen had struggled to threaten, and Celtic looked to be cruising as they headed into the break with a two-goal lead.
However, much like their Champions League collapse against Borussia Dortmund, a momentary lapse in concentration was all it took for Aberdeen to turn the game on its head. Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin made key changes at halftime, introducing Ester Sokler and Duk, and it paid off almost immediately. Sokler scored within five minutes of coming on, finishing coolly after a clever through ball from Jamie McGrath.
Just as Celtic were trying to regain their footing, they were caught out again. A sweeping Aberdeen counter-attack saw the ball fall to Graeme Shinnie, whose shot from the edge of the box took a deflection and found the back of the net in the 60th minute. Suddenly, the momentum had swung in favor of the visitors, and Celtic were left chasing a game they had previously dominated.
Rodgers responded by bringing on James Forrest and Paulo Bernardo, but Celtic couldn’t find the decisive third goal. A late flurry saw the Hoops push for a winner, with Forrest and Adam Idah both coming close, but Aberdeen’s defense held firm, and the hosts were left to rue their missed chances.
Celtic had the ball in the net twice during stoppage time, but both efforts were disallowed—one for a foul by Alistair Johnston and the other for handball after a VAR review. Despite 32 attempts at goal, Celtic couldn’t break through Aberdeen’s resolute defense in the frantic final moments.
Rodgers was understandably frustrated after the match, pointing to his side’s brief loss of control as the key reason they dropped points. "We were just careless," he admitted, highlighting the same defensive vulnerabilities that have plagued Celtic in recent European games.
The result leaves Celtic and Aberdeen tied on points at the top of the table, but Rodgers will know his side needs to address these lapses in concentration, especially with a crucial Champions League tie against Atalanta looming next week.
