Scotland: Celtic eventually ease to win over Dundee
Dundee 0 - 3 Celtic
Paulo Bernardo and Mikey Johnston emerged as the unexpected goal heroes for Celtic in their match against Dundee.
However, there is now a concern about Cameron Carter‑Vickers' injury ahead of the upcoming clash with Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday.
Bernardo slotted in the opening goal in the 52nd minute at Dens Park, marking his inaugural goal for Celtic. Johnston, coming on as a substitute, netted his first two goals for the Hoops since December 2019, securing a 3-0 victory.
Despite leading by five points, the champions face a challenge from Rangers, who have two games in hand, including their midweek match against Ross County at Ibrox on Wednesday.
Manager Rodgers stuck with the same starting lineup from the 2-0 win against Livingston. Dundee, on the other hand, had Cammy Kerr in for the absent Ricki Lamie, and Zak Rudden returned as one of the two strikers.
Celtic took control early on without breaking down Dundee's defence. Kyogo Furuhashi's header went into Trevor Carson's hands, and Luis Palma missed a decent chance by shooting over the bar. Dundee had their moments too, with Lyall Cameron delivering a ball across the goal, and Rudden's looping header was saved by Joe Hart.
The visitors began to create better opportunities after 20 minutes had passed. Liam Scales narrowly missed a header from Palma's corner, and Matt O'Riley had a chance but shot straight at Carson.
Despite Celtic's possession, their best chance of the half came from a loose ball after a Dundee throw-in. O'Riley played the ball forward, and Furuhashi had a clear chance. The Japanese striker chipped the ball over Carson with his right foot, but it drifted just wide.
O'Riley and Bernardo missed half-chances, and Callum McGregor's shot was blocked before he set up Palma for a free header, which the Honduran sent wide.
Dundee found themselves under pressure after Rudden was ruled offside, and Palma threaded the ball through for Bernardo's run. The on-loan Benfica midfielder stretched to poke the ball through Carson's legs.
Although Stephen Welsh replaced the injured Carter‑Vickers, it was Johnston who secured the victory. In the 83rd minute, the winger cut in from the left and unleashed a 22-yard strike that Carson could only deflect into the net.
Carson made saves from Oh Hyeon-gyu and Bernardo before Johnston executed a one-two with O'Riley, drilling the ball into the bottom corner from 16 yards in stoppage time. The Republic of Ireland international came close to a hat-trick when he curled a shot wide in the closing seconds.
Some of the best reaction
This video from Football Mad on YouTube shows clips of the excellent atmosphere that Celtic fans created on the night.
Sean, a Celtic fan from Glasgow, went to the match. He told us: "A few positive signs continuing from the last game. The team are putting in the effort, though it's a little messy at times, but at least they are keeping the tempo up and occasionally playing direct. I was really glad to see Bernardo score. Hopefully, he can settle into the team now as I think he is good tactically and is always in good positions. "
Peter, is a Dundee fan. He was happy with some elements of his side's performance but believed they lacked a cutting edge. He said: "I thought the first goal really fortunate. However, once they got it, you couldn't see them slipping up."
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