Scottish champions Celtic continued their relentless defence of the league title with victory over Aberdeen away at Pittodrie on Saturday afternoon, with Ange Postecoglou’s side having picked up where they left off prior to the World Cup break.
While it wasn’t a vintage display from the Parkhead outfit – who restored their nine-point lead over rivals Rangers at the summit – the Glasgow side once again showed their resilience to shake off numerous missed chances to seal the win late on, with such dramatics having become “synonymous” with the Hoops of late, in the words of the manager (BBC Radio Scotland, 17/12/2022, 14:36).
The game’s telling moment came just minutes from time as returning captain Callum McGregor thundered home from just outside the box following a neat layoff from teammate James Forrest, with that a timely way for the 29-year-old to net his first league goal of the season.
The plaudits will no doubt go to the Scotland international for his smooth return to action following his recent stint on the treatment table, with the academy graduate having been on the sidelines since sustaining a knee injury in the Champions League loss away to RB Leipzig back in early October.
For all the euphoria of those heroics, Postecoglou may well have concern regarding the display of one of his key men in that clash, with striker Kyogo Furuhashi having proven somewhat profligate in front of goal on the day
While the Japan international does boast a haul of ten goals in the Scottish Premiership this season – including three in his last four league goals heading into yesterday’s meeting – the 27-year-old was notably wasteful in attack against Jim Goodwin’s men, having squandered a gilt-edged chance just after the break.
The former Vissel Kobe ace looked a certainty to get on the end of Liel Abada’s pullback, only for the centre-forward to fail to make adequate contact as the ball sailed wide, with Postecoglou likely to have been perplexed by that failure to convert.
Not only was Kyogo less than clinical against the Dons – having also fired an acrobatic effort wide in the second half – the diminutive gem also proved somewhat anonymous having recorded just 20 touches in his 72-minute outing, with that tally less than teammate Joe Hart in between the sticks (23).
The £19k-per-week man also recorded just ten passes and failed to win either of his two aerial duels, with that fact seeing him record a rather disappointing match rating of 6.7, as per Sofascore – the lowest of any of his teammates.
Such woes were also recognised by Glasgow Live’s Alan Galindo who noted that the 5 foot 8 speedster had endured a ‘quiet day by his standards’, with that wastefulness likely to be a concern for Postecoglou amid the continued uncertainty over fellow forward Giorgos Giakoumakis’ future.
As for that latest triumph, Kyogo’s struggles could well have proved costly had it not been for McGregor’s late show, with the Bhoys likely hoping that the 16-cap gem can put those missed chances behind him in Wednesday’s meeting with St Johnstone.