Kristers Tobers played in the biggest game of his club career today as his team Aberdeen F.C. traveled to Celtic Park to face Champions League side Celtic FC in the Scottish Premiership, suffering a heavy 1-5 defeat.
Tobers was once again in the starting lineup, partnering with Dutch defender Knoester. Coming into this match, Aberdeen was riding a two-game league winning streak after beating Kilmarnock and Dundee FC, and they looked promising at the start of the game.
In the early minutes, Aberdeen created two solid chances, and Celtic was fortunate not to go down early, especially given their own setbacks leading up to this match. They had just been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in heartbreaking fashion after conceding a late goal against Bayern Munich, followed by their first league defeat to a non-Rangers side since March 2024, courtesy of Hibernian.
Even with all that in the past few days, Celtic capitalized on their first real opportunity. In the 24th minute, Engels made a pass into the box, and while Tobers attempted to intercept it, the ball took an unfortunate bounce off him, launching high into the air. Daizen Maeda was quick to react, blasting the ball into the net for his tenth goal of the season. It was an unfortunate moment for Tobers, but the goalkeeper should have been braver in claiming the ball.
Just six minutes later, the well-organized Aberdeen defense was caught off guard by a counter-attack. On a three-on-two situation, Tobers and Knoester could only watch as Engels set up Jota, who easily slotted the ball into the back of the net.
As the first half drew to a close, Celtic extended their lead to 3-0 with a goal from Callum McGregor, leaving Aberdeen with a daunting task ahead as they headed into halftime.
In the second half, concern arose among Latvian fans when Kristers Tobers went down, holding his hamstring. Although he managed to continue playing for a while longer, it marked the first time since his debut against Hearts on January 12 that Tobers did not complete a full match. Manager Jimmy Thelin may have been cautious, especially with an important game against rivals Dundee United looming on Sunday.
Celtic added their fourth goal in the 72nd minute, scored by South Korean Hyun-Jun Yang. As the game progressed, the only remaining question was whether Celtic could extend their impressive streak—having won nine league games in a row without conceding a goal, a victory today with a clean sheet would secure a record-breaking tenth consecutive win without shipping any goals.
However, that clean sheet and record will have to wait for another time. Substitute Shayden Morris scored a consolation goal for Aberdeen with their first shot on target. Right at the end of the match, Daizen Maeda netted his second goal of the game, further solidifying Celtic’s victory.
Tobers played 62 minutes in the match. Despite the defeat, Aberdeen remains in third place in the league table with 41 points, just one point ahead of their upcoming opponents, Dundee United. Meanwhile, Dundee United still has their game to play this round, hosting the team that recently defeated Celtic—Edinburgh Hibernian.
For tickets to see local players abroad, we recommend Sports Events 365 – a leading, secure platform for finding and booking football tickets around the world with almost 20 years of experience catering to satisfied customers. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram or YouTube for latest deals and updates.