Scotland: Celtic thrash Aberdeen and reach League Cup Final
Celtic 6 - 0 Aberdeen
Daizen Maeda delivered an outstanding performance at Hampden, scoring a hat-trick as Celtic stormed into the Scottish League Cup final with a commanding 6-0 victory, halting Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin's unbeaten season start in dramatic style.
The match began with pre-kick-off pyrotechnics filling the national stadium with smoke, causing a 13-minute delay. Once the view cleared, Brendan Rodgers' team dazzled with a display of sharp, attacking football.
Celtic’s momentum started early when Cameron Carter-Vickers powered in a header from Arne Engels' corner. Just three minutes later, the brilliant Maeda sped past defenders to set up his fellow Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi, who confidently drove in Celtic's second goal.
Rodgers' side, still undefeated after 13 domestic games this season, added a third before half-time. Nicolas Kuhn split the defence with a sublime pass, allowing Maeda to net his first goal of the evening.
Match report: Aberdeen 2 - 1 Rangers
Aberdeen had mounted a two-goal comeback against Celtic just two weeks ago, but there was no repeat of that fightback here. Maeda slotted in a back-post rebound to make it four, and then Kuhn capped off his impressive display by scoring Celtic’s fifth just before the hour mark.
Maeda completed his hat-trick and Celtic’s sixth with a brilliant finish at the end of a slick, free-flowing move.
While Aberdeen remain level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership, this heavy defeat offers a stark reminder to Thelin of the formidable challenge Celtic pose in Scotland.
A closer look at what happened
Both sets of fans created a fantastic atmosphere at Hampden Park. Check out this video showing some of the best moments, uploaded onto the European Super Football YouTube account.
The Celtic manager wants his side to play with a certain style, and they did that with aplomb against Aberdeen. Every game that comes along now, especially in the Champions League, is a huge occasion. The players should enjoy it and embrace this challenge.
From an Aberdeen perspective, they can't let this game define them. They have to move on. There's still a chance that they could have a fantastic season and will certainly be thinking that Champions League qualification is a possibility.
