Celtic put their mauling in Madrid behind them with a symmetrical 6-0 win over abject Aberdeen in their cinch Premiership battle at Parkhead.
The Hoops had been crushed 6-0 by Atletico Madrid in their Champions League group stage game in Spain on Tuesday night after going down to 10 men, while the Dons exited the Europa Conference League on Thursday despite an impressive 2-2 draw with PAOK in Greece.
Back in the safer environs of the cinch Premiership, South Korean forward Yang Hyun-jun scored his first Celtic goal in the ninth minute before Japan striker Kyogo Furuhashi added a second seven minutes later in an utterly dominant first half.
Winger Luis Palma scored from the spot in the 77th minute and substitutes David Turnbull and Oh Hyeon-gyu, twice, notched in 10 minutes of added time to complete a comprehensive win for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Rangers had won 2-0 at Livingston earlier in the day to put some pressure on Celtic but a one-sided victory restored their eight-point lead over their Old Firm rivals going into the international break, albeit the Light Blues have a game in hand.
Unsurprisingly, both sides made changes following their European exploits.
Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm came in for Paulo Bernardo to make his first league start while 21-year-old Yang replaced Daizen Maeda, injured in the challenge that led to his red card against Atletico Madrid.
Bojan Miovski, Jonny Hayes, Leighton Clarkson and Dante Polvara returned for the visitors.
The minute’s silence to mark Armistice Day was disrupted by some inside the stadium, which was missing several hundred registered Green Brigade members who remain suspended from Celtic Park for “unacceptable behaviours”.
The Granite City men were immediately under the cosh and in the fourth minute keeper Kelle Roos made a fantastic save from Furuhashi’s powerful drive and midfielder Matt O’Riley somehow bounced the rebound over the bar from five yards.
Roos was soon beaten, however, when he missed a Palma cross from the left and Yang, who signed from Gangwon FC in the summer, gleefully headed in from close range.
Aberdeen slumped further behind when Yang’s clever reverse pass found O’Riley and his cut-back was slid in at the near post by Furuhashi for his ninth goal of the campaign.
The visitors were struggling to cope but they had a great chance in the 22nd minute when Polvara sent Hayes racing clear but the former Celtic player slashed his shot wide of the target.
Furuhashi sclaffed another chance at the other end and Roos tipped terrific efforts from Holm and then Palma over the bar, as Celtic continued to boss possession.
A robust challenge by Dons defender Slobodan Rubezic on Furuhashi early in the second half saw both players require treatment for head knocks, the former picking up a yellow card from referee Willie Collum.
Furuhashi, however, had to be replaced by Oh, while Holm made way for Turnbull, before a Miovski flick from a Nicky Devlin cross had Celtic keeper Joe Hart making his first save.
Yang took a cut on the face in a challenge by Jack MacKenzie which would soon see him replaced by James Forrest before Celtic were awarded a penalty.
Referee Willie Collum was asked by the VAR to have a look at his pitchside monitor after MacKenzie had wiped out Oh inside the box.
When Collum pointed to the spot, Palma took a slow approach before hammering his spot-kick past Roos.
Turnbull drove in off the post in the second minute of added time and Oh added a fifth with a header from a Palma cross, before running through to drive in a sixth from an O’Riley pass.
[(Monterrey) Strength]: 1. Monterrey lost to FC Cincinnati in the first round, ranking only 12th in the table. They have to win this game for a qualification spot, indicating full motivation.2. Veteran Sergio Canales scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Monterrey won 2 of the last 3 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line with expectations.[(Monterrey) N...
[(Molde FK) Strength]: 1. Molde FK are 13th in the league table, facing a risk of entering the relegation zone. Thus, they aim to take 3 points in this home game.2. Molde FK won 4-1 over Stromsgodset in the last league game at home, ending their 3-game losing streak and boosting their morale.3. In the last 5 encounters between both sides, Molde FK have the upper hand with 4 wins and 1 loss.4. The ...
[(KFUM-Kameratene Oslo) Strength]: 1. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo are 9th in the league table. Facing 5th-placed Rosenborg, they are eager to grab points in this game.2. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo won 3 league games in a row lately, with high morale. They secured a commanding 5-0 away win over Kristiansund BK in the last league game.3. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo were unbeaten with 3 wins and 1 draw in the last 4 hom...
[(Guadalajara Chivas) Strength]: 1. Guadalajara Chivas lost to New York Red Bulls in the first round. They have to go all out to win this game, if they want a qualification spot, indicating full motivation.[(Guadalajara Chivas) Neutral]: 1. Guadalajara Chivas scored 4 goals and conceded 5 in the last 3 games, revealing decent attack but unstable defense.2. Both sides have never met before, and thi...
[(HJK Helsinki) Strength]: 1. HJK Helsinki were unbeaten in the last 5 games, showing outstanding recent form.2. HJK Helsinki scored 13 goals in the last 5 games, averaging nearly 3 goals per game and indicating full offense.3. HJK Helsinki have the upper hand with 37 wins, 24 draws, and 14 losses in 75 encounters between both sides.4. HJK Helsinki won 4 of the last 5 games in AH, performing over ...
[(Santos FC) Strength]: 1. Alvaro Barreal scored 4 goals for Santos FC in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top scorer of the team.2. Tiquinho made 3 assists for his side in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top assist of the team.3. Santos FC won the last 2 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Santos FC) Weakness]: 1. Santos FC were win...
[(Valerenga) Strength]: 1. Valerenga are 16th in the table, only one point ahead of the relegation zone. They are motivated to take points to move up in this game.2. Mathias Grundetjern scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Valerenga were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in the last 2 home games, performing well at home lately.4. In the last 10 encounters between both...
[(Stromsgodset) Strength]: 1. Stromsgodset are only 2nd from the bottom of the table. They urgently need to take points to move up, showing full motivation in this game.2. Marko Farji played 16 league games this season, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists. He is important in the team's attack.3. Stromsgodset were unbeaten with 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 encounters between both sides, givi...
[(FC Akron Tolyatti) Strength]: 1. FC Akron Tolyatti showed multiple scorers on offense, having 5 players who scored in two league games in the new season.2. FC Akron Tolyatti forward Gilson Tavares scored a brace in the last Russian Cup game. He is expected to perform well in this league game.3. FC Akron Tolyatti won 2-1 over Baltika Kaliningrad in the last Russian Cup game at home. They were unb...
[(Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas) Strength]: 1. As the defending champions, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas are only 7th with 26 points, far away from the top team. To get back into the title race, the team must go all out to earn points, so their desire to win is beyond doubt.2. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas forward Arthur Cabral has performed impressively since joining from SL Benfica this summer, ...
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