Aberdeen legend Willie Miller has hailed Kristoffer Ajer for his stunning winner at Pittodrie this afternoon.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1, it looked certain that Celtic were going to drop two points in the Granite City. Ash Taylor’s powerful first-half strike had canceled out Callum McGregor’s early opener.
However, James Forrest’s fine run in from the left allowed him to spot Ajer in space across the box. When it was played to him, the Norwegian sized up the chance before lifting a terrific effort over Joe Lewis and into the net.
And Aberdeen legend Miller, who spoke on the BBC’s live coverage of Aberdeen vs Celtic (16/02, 13:41), was clearly wowed by the big defender’s goal.
“What a finish! People will think that’s an easy chance but it is anything but an easy chance. Ajer has looked up, he’s picked his spot and drilled it into the top corner. I thought Forrest had ran out of ideas but it just opened up for him [to play it to Ajer].”
Ajer’s composure oozed class
Hands up if you would’ve just rattled that at Joe Lewis? I certainly would’ve, and whilst half of the reason for that is because I have non-existent technique, it’s also because I, as a fan, would’ve totally rushed it in the heat of the moment.
But that’s why Ajer’s such a constant in this Celtic squad – he kept his cool at a crucial moment in the season. He managed to have the mental capacity to notice Lewis rushing out to him, and he picked his spot with superb ease.
What makes it even more impressive is the fact that Ajer was having a poor game. He started off playing as part of a back three and looked uncomfortable. Despite being used to the system over the last month, the Norwegian was getting muscled out of challenges and giving the ball away too easily.
Yet you can’t say his performance didn’t change when he was moved to right-back. Ajer tried to maraud forward when he could, and also put a fine ball across the face of goal late on too after good ball-winning high up the pitch.
Ajer’s performance was symbolic of a champion. He was taking punches throughout the game and getting knocked down on occasion. Come full-time, however, he was the one celebrating after landing a killer blow of his own.
Even Miller, who would’ve been hurting more than most, knew just how classy a goal it was. This is a man who has spent his entire career at Pittodrie and then went onto manage them. For him to admit it was just a piece of brilliance proves that’s exactly what it was.
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