Duran nets again as Celtic maintain perfect start while Shankland edges Rangers to win

Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun were also on target as Celtic killed the game off against Aberdeen before the break.

DURAN DURAN: Celtic's Camilo Duran celebrates after scoring his sides first goal. Pic: Steve Welsh/PA Wire.

Camilo Duran scored another stunner as Celtic continued their perfect start to the William Hill Premiership season with a 3-0 win over Aberdeen.

Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun were also on target as Celtic killed the game off before the break.

Aberdeen hit the bar through Gavin Molloy just before Yang’s strike but manager Stephen Robinson had seen enough and made four changes at the interval.

Duran has now scored six goals in five matches and Martin O’Neill might find it difficult to put him back on the wing when fellow centre-forward Kasper Hogh recovers from a thigh injury.

The Colombian opened the scoring out of the blue in the 14th minute with the latest in a series of spectacular strikes since joining from Qarabag in the summer.

There appeared to be little on when Duran collected Nygren’s pass but he thumped a 20-yard strike in off the bar with limited backlift.

Duran also forced four first-half saves from Marius Muller and fired over from a bouncing ball after Yang’s cross had caused chaos in the Dons defence.

Sir Kenny Dalglish was given a warm ovation on the pitch before the match as he recounted how grateful he was to Jock Stein, Celtic and the fans for helping him launch his career. The 75-year-old revealed earlier this year that he was receiving treatment for cancer.

Celtic had Callum McGregor back in the team after illness while Liam Scales started at left-back in place of the injured Kieran Tierney.

They controlled possession early on before Duran netted from the first sight of goal.

Ayoub Mouloua, making his first start for Aberdeen, headed wide from a decent chance and Dons defender Nesta Guinness-Walker had a long-range strike held in between some of Duran’s chances.

The second goal came in the 34th minute after Haissem Hassan’s cross bounced off Aberdeen midfielder Afeez Aremu. Nygren met the loose ball first time with his right foot and Muller could not keep the shot out.

The fine margins were against the visitors when Molloy headed Alexander Briedl’s corner off the bar and Celtic broke down the pitch. Duran fed Yang’s run and the South Korea winger drilled home with his left foot.

Robinson brought on midfielders Lewis Smith and Connor Ronan and strike pair Toyosi Olusanya and Mitchy Ntelo for Aremu, Briedl, Kevin Nisbet and Mouloua.

The visitors competed better in the opening stages of the second half and Smith forced a decent save from Viljami Sinisalo.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill sent on two of this week’s signings, Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen, and on-loan Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka.

Both had chances. Mheuka forced a good one-handed stop from Muller after some positive strike play and Sorensen skewed a first-time left-footed shot well off target.

Muller also made saves from Scales and substitutes Mika Baur and James Forrest as Celtic finished strongly.

Skipper Lawrence Shankland emerged as the Rangers matchwinner for the second successive game with a double in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Falkirk.

With Gers boss Derek McInnes in the stand serving the first of a two match touchline ban for comments made as Hearts manager about a Celtic penalty last season, the Scotland striker, who scored from the spot in the 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday, fired the visitors ahead with a fine strike in the seventh minute.

The Light Blues looked in control but full-back Kosta Nedeljkovic, making his first start since signing on loan from Aston Villa, turned an Ethan Ross cross into his own net just before the break.

The goal unsettled Rangers and the Bairns bossed the start of the second half but Shankland, who signed from Hearts in the summer, curled in a second in the 79th minute albeit John McGlynn’s side will rue some good chances they missed after the break.