Brendan Rodgers has praised Benjamin Nygren after the Swede scored his first goal for Celtic in the 2-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Nygren, making just his second competitive appearance for the club, opened the scoring midway through the first half after meeting a pinpoint cross from Kieran Tierney. His overall display was key to Celtic securing back-to-back league victories.
Rodgers highlighted Nygren’s versatility and goal-scoring instinct as major reasons for his summer arrival, noting the quality of the team move that led to the opener.
The Irishman also reflected on the build-up to Reo Hatate’s stunning second goal, praising the way his side played through Aberdeen’s pressure to create space.
He said: (TCW), “He was excellent. It’s the reason we brought him in; he’s a player that can play as an eight, a ten, or off the side, but his intuition is to get in the box and score goals.
“The first goal was great, how we worked it side-to-side and then penetrated through the middle with him making the run. Kieran (Tierney) shows his quality, beats his man, crosses, and Benjamin finishes it well.
“For the second goal, because Aberdeen are tactically well set up, we had to entice them out. Our back four were very good at circulating the ball to play through their pressure, which resulted in us working the ball into space for Reo (Hatate) to finish so well.
“We had other chances, and their keeper made a brilliant save. Overall, I’m so pleased, and it’s a really good start by the team.”
The assist for Hatate’s goal underlined his vision and ability to contribute beyond simply scoring.
With two influential performances in his first two league matches, Nygren has quickly shown why Celtic moved to bring him in during the summer window.
Rodgers will now hope the Swede can maintain this early momentum as the season’s demands start to intensify.
