Aberdeen 0 - 6 Celtic

Aberdeen’s long unbeaten run came to an end at Hampden Park, beaten by a Celtic side revitalised by being able to bring back six players rested against Dundee in midweek while the Dons were beating Rangers. A long delay to kick-off scarcely helped the nerves either, but on the day, Celtic’s attacking threat simply proved too much to handle. 

Following the Dons’ 2-1 win over Rangers on Wednesday night, Jimmy Thelin named an unchanged starting XI and bench for the trip to Hampden Park.

Celtic beat Dundee 2-0 at Celtic Park on Wednesday night and made six changes for the semi-final with Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo, Yang Hyun-Jung and Luis Palma replaced by Alistair Johnston, Alex Valle, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda.

Kick-off suffered a 15 minute delay as the smoke from the pre-match pyrotechnics took an age to clear sufficiently so that we could actually see the pitch, the players from both sides having to go through another brief warm-up before the game finally started. 

The delay and the inevitable tension of the occasion contributed to a scrappy opening to the fixture as both sides struggled to really settle, overhit crosses and misdirected passes very much the order of the day from both sides in a combative opening quarter of an hour. 

Slobodan Rubezic collected the game’s first booking, catching Kyogo from behind on halfway on 16 minutes. Maeda made a dangerous run in behind a couple of minutes later, but he misread the flight of McGregor’s pass and it went safely behind.

McGregor was booked on 25 minutes after catching Sivert Heltne Nilsen late and high some 30 yards out, to the left of the D. Jamie McGrath struck the free-kick at goal, but it was way over the bar. Duk was booked a minute later.

A muddle at the back for Aberdeen ended with them conceding a corner on 28 minutes and from the flag kick, Carter-Vickers soared above everyone to head Engels’ cross into the net for 1-0. 

Aberdeen got a corner of their own a couple of minutes later, but Rubezic glanced his header wide. From there, Celtic regained the ball and though Aberdeen tried to keep them penned in, a pass forward from Kuhn to Maeda had him bearing down on goal. Dimitar Mitov and Jack MacKenzie looked to deny him, but he had spotted the run of Kyogo inside and he had time to steady himself and smash the ball in off the bar. 

Ester Sokler and Gavin Molloy were both carded in short order around the 35 minutes mark before Topi Keskinen went slaloming towards goal two minutes later, only for the ball to be taken off his toe as he looked to get off a shot at goal. 

On 40 minutes, it was 3-0 Celtic, Maeda doing the damage this time from another swift counter-attack that ended with Kuhn playing a disguised reverse pass into the area where Maeda had run free to curl a shot around Mitov and into the net. 

HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 CELTIC 3

Aberdeen introduced Shayden Morris and Ante Palversa for Topi Keskinen and Duk at the break. 

It was 4-0 on 49 minutes, Kuhn making a mesmerising run through the inside-right channel over 40 yards. When he got into the box, he got a fortunate ricochet off Kyogo as the ball looked to have got away from him, allowing him to get in a shot. Mitov saved, but his parry went across goal to give Maeda a tap-in at the back post. 

Just before the hour, it was five for Celtic. Getting a fortunate bounce of the ball, Engels took full advantage, sliding a pass out to Kuhn on the right edge of the box, Kuhn stepping inside to drive a ferocious shot in off the bar. 

Scales, Taylor and Bernardo came on for Celtic after 64 minutes, replacing Carter-Vickers, Valle and Engels.

Sokler might have grabbed a goal back for Aberdeen, MacKenzie curling in a lovely cross on 69 minutes. Sokler got beyond the defender but placed his header wide of the target. It was his last involvement as he and Heltne Nilsen were replaced by Peter Ambrose and Leighton Clarkson. Idah replaced Kyogo at the same time. Forrest came on for Kuhn three minutes later. Vicente Besuijen replaced McGrath after 82 minutes. 

Maeda completed his hat-trick on 85 minutes. Quick interpassing through their inside-right channel opened Aberdeen up, enabling Johnston to square the ball through the six-yard box for Maeda to come in at the back post and force the ball into the net. 

Kick off delayed 15 minutes due to smoke from flares.
2 minutes added at end 1st half.
0 minutes added at end 2nd half.