Celtic opened the defence of their Scottish Premiership crown with a narrow but valuable 1-0 win over Dundee at Parkhead, with Benjamin Nygren's second-half header proving the difference in a match that was tighter than the champions would have liked.
Before kick-off, captain Callum McGregor unfurled the flag marking Celtic's 14th league title in the last 15 seasons, but Martin O'Neill's side struggled to find their rhythm early on against a well-organised Dundee outfit under Steven Pressley. The visitors, with debutant goalkeeper Owen Goodman between the sticks, caused problems throughout a scrappy first half, particularly from set pieces and long throws.
Celtic had chances of their own. Kasper Høgh, making his debut after a club-record £11m move from Bodø/Glimt, fired wide in the ninth minute after being teed up by Nygren, before the Dane redirected another Nygren effort just past the post. Dundee responded through Charlie Reilly, who forced a save from Viljami Sinisalo with a shot from 12 yards after the ball ricocheted around the box.
Dundee's Owen Bevan then headed narrowly wide following a corner in the 33rd minute before Celtic's best opportunity of the half fell to Arne Engels, who headed over from close range after being picked out by a Kieran Tierney cross. Moments later, Tierney himself drew a fine stop from Goodman with a low drive.
The breakthrough came early in the second half. Tierney, deployed at left-back, whipped in a curling delivery that Nygren met with a firm header from close range, beating Goodman to give Celtic the lead in the 52nd minute. It was enough to settle the contest, even if nerves crept in as the game wore on.
Dundee threatened sporadically through the pace of Joe Bevan, and substitute Ashley Hay came close to an equaliser in the 82nd minute, only for Sinisalo to produce an excellent save to deny his glancing header. At the other end, Celtic pushed for a second without success — Høgh slid a shot past the post from six yards, McGregor struck the crossbar from inside the box, and James Forrest curled the rebound wide.
While Nygren, last season's top scorer with 21 league goals, provided the decisive touch, much of the pre- and post-match discussion centred on Tierney's continued influence on this Celtic side. The left-back set up the winner and also created the chance for Engels in the first half, finishing with the most shots on target, the most chances created, and the most crosses of anyone on the pitch.
Tierney's importance to O'Neill's side has grown since the manager's return in January, with the 29-year-old registering 12 assists last season — more than any other Celtic player — while also chipping in with six goals. Former Celtic captain Scott Brown praised his enduring quality, saying,