NafisaCeltic dominated Aberdeen as they geared up for the Scottish Cup final in emphatic fashion with a 5-1 triumph.
Brendan Rodgers shuffled his pack at Pittodrie, giving fringe players like Johnny Kenny a valuable opportunity in the senior squad, with eight fresh names included in the starting line-up while keeping an eye on the upcoming final.
Maik Nawrocki appears set for a departure in the summer but may have given Rodgers something to consider after shining on his return, breaking the deadlock with a superb header from a set piece.
Aberdeen responded following Nawrocki’s opener through Kevin Nisbet just before the interval, after a short delay due to a crowd incident. Nisbet outjumped Jeffrey Schlupp and nodded past Viljami Sinisalo.
In the eighth minute of first-half injury time, Hyun-jun Yang found the net from close range after brilliant work from James Forrest.
Luke McCowan then continued Celtic’s momentum as he calmly collected the ball from Forrest, shifted onto his stronger foot, and smashed it into the top corner.
Johnny Kenny compounded Aberdeen’s misery by scoring on his full debut for his boyhood club. The Dons were then reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute when Alfie Dorrington picked up a second booking.
In the dying moments, Adam Idah slotted home his 20th goal of the campaign from point-blank range.
With that, here’s how we assessed the individual displays of the Celtic players on the night:
Celtic player ratings vs Aberdeen
Viljami Sinisalo – 6
Could argue he might’ve done better for the goal, but otherwise had a fairly uneventful evening.
Anthony Ralston – 6
A steady enough shift, though nothing particularly memorable. Unlikely to feature again this term with Alistair Johnston back in action from the bench.
Maik Nawrocki – 9
Outstanding from Nawrocki, who stood out from the rest. Took his goal well, defended with assurance, and might have forced his way into Rodgers’ plans for the final. Why hasn’t he played more?
Auston Trusty – 6
Not quite as convincing as Nawrocki and played a part in Aberdeen’s equaliser.
Jeffrey Schlupp – 5
The poorest performer on the night. Easily beaten aerially for the goal, struggled positionally, and was outdone by Shayden Morris multiple times.
Callum McGregor (C) – 6
Not his most influential display but kept things organised and added composure in midfield.
Luke McCowan – 6
His first start since March and a decent return. His early second-half strike sealed the outcome.
Paulo Bernardo – 6
Delivered a lovely cross for the opening goal and had a couple of attempts himself. Not dazzling, but effective and got valuable minutes under his belt.
James Forrest – 7
Two assists for the veteran winger, who tormented Graeme Shinnie all night down the flank.
Had a pair of decent chances to score and has two games left to do so.
Hyun-jun Yang – 8
Another standout for Celtic. Produced some clever flicks, used his pace to great effect, and got himself a goal. Emerging as a strong bench option for the final.
Johnny Kenny – 7
Capped his full debut with a goal and it was thoroughly merited. Grew into the contest and constantly looked to exploit space behind the defence.
A promising prospect who should get more chances next season.
Substitutes:
Alistair Johnston – 6
Reo Hatate – 6
Adam Idah – 6
Nicolas Kuhn – 6
Sean McArdle – 6
Nafisa
