Celtic won 1-0 on opening night, but the sharper story was Kasper Høgh’s debut. Benjamin Nygren headed the only goal in the 52nd minute, after Høgh had already passed up three good chances and the champions had looked short of rhythm for long spells.
Høgh's debut frustrates Celtic
Høgh missed his first chance in the 9th minute, then another in the 13th, before failing again in the 85th minute. Chris Sutton did not dress that up. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "That's an awful finish."
The waste was hard to ignore because Celtic were not carving Dundee open with ease. They managed just one shot on target before Nygren scored, and Martin O'Neill admitted it was "all a bit flat" as his side struggled to get into their stride while the visitors posed problems.
Celtic's new front line still needs time, and this looked like a fair reminder. The club-record striker had chances, but not the composure to finish them.
Dundee keep Celtic honest
Dundee did not just hang around and hope. They finished with 11 shots despite losing at Celtic Park, and Viljami Sinisalo had to make a big save in the 82nd minute to stop Ashley Hay's header going in. Callum McGregor then hit the post in the 85th minute after Dundee had stayed in the contest.
That late sequence mattered because it showed the game was not comfortably under control. Celtic got the points, but Dundee forced them into a proper scrap and Steven Pressley will have taken enough from the performance to know there was a game there.
Nygren’s header still carried the biggest weight. He scored 21 goals last season, and he was the one player who made Celtic's slow start count when the match needed a finish.
The title holders leave with three points, but the opening-night evidence is plain enough. Nygren is already delivering, while Høgh and the rest of the attack still have work to do before Celtic vs Dundee starts to look like a settled frontline rather than a work in progress.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
