BENJAMIN NYGREN is obviously a great believer in the motto that goes along the lines of the team that sticks together wins together.
The Swede came off the substitutes’ bench at Pittodrie last night and contrived to score the vital winner with only his fifth touch of the ball.
Nygren, who claimed his first Hoops strike at the same venue in the champions’ 2-0 victory in August, netted his 19th goal of a remarkable debut campaign in the 67th minute just moments after replacing Luke McCowan.
DELIGHT AND DESPAIR…Benjamin Nygren races away after scoring Celtic’s winning goal while Kevin Nisbet, scorer of Aberdeen’s penalty-kick equaliser, can only look on.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 – following Kieran Tierney’s early opener and Kevin Nisbet’s penalty-kick equaliser – the visitors threaded a superb passing movement together that saw Reo Hatate roll the ball to Julian Araujo who picked out James Forrest on the right.
A shimmy from the evergreen winger made an opening and he whipped in a low ball to Nygren who reacted with lightning reflexes to knock the ball wide of the stranded Dimitar Mitov.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game and, after a VAR review and a few nervy moments, Martin O’Neill’s men had secured the victory that saw them leapfrog their Ibrox rivals by a point to edge five behind Hearts with nine league games to go.
Nygren, who also scored against the Dons when Celtic won 3-1 at Parkhead in December, said: “Aberdeen is a difficult away game and it was a hard-fought win.
“In the end, though, I think we deserved that result.
“I’m very happy to be able to contribute to the team and that is what I want to keep on doing.
PITTODRIE APPLAUSE…Benjamin Nygren (second right) and his Celtic team-mates acknowledge the travelling support after the 2-1 win in the north east.
“That has always been my mentality since I was a small kid, that when you come off the bench, you want to come in and decide the game.
“Especially when it was 1-1.”
The Swedish midfielder, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “We needed to get the win and go forward.
“So, I’m happy to score.
“It is so many games, but we have been staying together the whole season and we will continue to do that.”
Nygren and his team-mates will get the opportunity to display their ‘one-for-all-and-all-for-one’ attitude when they face Danny Rohl’s side in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon.
SWEDE DREAMS AS BENJI STRIKES AGAIN
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