Celtic great Mikael Lustig sparks jubilant scenes after derby goal for AIK vs Hammarby

By David Walton

September 20, 2020

Celtic icon Mikael Lustig scored his first goal back in Sweden with AIK this afternoon in the Stockholm derby.

AIK, who the Hoops knocked out in last year’s Europa League playoff round, defeated Hammarby in convincing fashion with a dominant 3-0 success.

It marked Lustig’s first derby for his new club after a frustrating campaign last year at Belgian side Genk. And Lustig made it a match to remember as he returned to his homeland and bagged the third goal which sparked jubilant scenes. Have a look at the celebrations below:

The goal saw him immediately run to the coaching staff before being jumped on by the rest of his team-mates. It’s only Lustig’s third appearance for the club after appearances against Hacken and Malmo respectively.

It’s also the right-back’s first goal since he netted for Celtic in a 3-0 win at Aberdeen back in May 2019 – securing Neil Lennon’s first title since he returned to the club.

Lustig looking to finish off his career on a high note

There’s no denying the last 12 months have been mightily frustrating for the Swede. He may have been a regular with Genk during the first half of last term, but found himself on the bench more often than not since the start of 2020.

In truth, it was no surprise he left Belgium after what had become an entirely unsatisfactory way to potentially end his career. Already Lustig looks like he’s back enjoying himself as he returns back home.

It’s always great to see the former Celtic man having a good time of it too. His time at Parkhead was a lot more memorable than he could’ve hoped for when he first arrived back in 2012. He won the league in each of his eight campaigns in Glasgow, racking up a total haul of 16 competition wins and just shy of 280 competitive appearances (Transfermarkt).

AIK players celebrate Lustig’s goal (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)

His achievements deserve a better ending to his career than his spell in Belgium would’ve given him. It looks like he may have found a club where he’ll thrive at as he looks to kick on.

AIK currently sit 12th in the Allsvenskan table, a mammoth 20 points behind league-leaders Malmo. Knowing how much of a perfectionist Lustig is, he’ll be looking to finish off his career with a Swedish title before he calls it a day.

In other news, PSG boss Thomas Tuchel namechecked a reported Celtic target before featuring him for 90 minutes today.