Football
Smoke Delays Kick-Off As Celtic Storm To 3-0 Semi-Final Lead
Celtic go into half-time with a 3-0 lead against Aberdeen at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, thanks to goals from Cameron Carter-Vickers Kyogo Furuhashi, and Daizen Maeda.
However, the match didn’t start without its hiccups.
Referee Kevin Clancy was forced to pause the Game due to a pre-match pyrotechnics display, which left the pitch covered in smoke and significantly hampered visibility.
Concerns over the VAR system’s ability to effectively monitor the Game under such conditions were raised, as drawing lines for offside and making crucial decisions could be impacted by the lingering haze.
With Kyogo Furuhashi winning a corner from the left side of the Aberdeen penalty area, Arne Engels stepped up to take the set piece.
⚽️GOAL Celtic 1-0 Aberdeen | Carter-Vickerspic.twitter.com/Bvzaf2dCWJ
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) November 2, 2024
Since his record-breaking summer signing, Engels has become a real asset for Celtic with his corner deliveries.
This time, he delivered a perfectly placed ball that Cameron Carter-Vickers rose to meet, powering it into the net to score the opener in the 29th minute.
However, it didn’t take long for Celtic to extend their lead just three minutes later.
A brilliant through ball from Nicolas Kuhn found Daizen Maeda, who faced off against Jack Mackenzie and Dimitar Mitov.
Instead of rushing, Maeda held the ball expertly, waiting for Kyogo Furuhashi to make his run into the box.
When the moment was right, Maeda delivered the perfect pass.
Kyogo Furuhashi makes it double leadpic.twitter.com/N9PsmFS3St
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) November 2, 2024
Kyogo unleashed a stunning shot that struck the bar and then bounced into the net, showing his clinical finishing and giving Celtic a 2-0 lead.
Maeda and Kuhn weren’t finished yet.
Kuhn played another brilliant through ball, this time into the Aberdeen box, taking advantage of a miscommunication in the Dons’ defence.
⚽️GOAL Celtic 3-0 Aberdeen | Daizen Maedapic.twitter.com/qZLYZDquNw
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) November 2, 2024
Maeda found himself one-on-one with Mitov and, showing great composure, calmly slotted the ball home.
With that goal, Celtic surged to a 3-0 lead in the 40th minute, scoring three times in just 11 minutes.
The Hoops are clearly in control and looking to make their mark in this semi-final, by laying down a marker.
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