David Turnbull won and converted a penalty to send Celtic on their way to a 3-0 victory over Dundee.
Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart made the best save of a goalless first half, but the cinch Premiership champions were three ahead by the midway point of the second.
Turnbull beat former Motherwell team-mate Trevor Carson from the spot in the 51st minute after getting a foul from Grant Irvine as he held off a challenge from Ryan Howley on the edge of the box.
The referee initially awarded a free-kick, but VAR official Steven Kirkland upgraded the award to a penalty and Turnbull converted down the middle.
Kyogo Furuhashi doubled the lead in the 63rd minute, despite heading down the tunnel during the first half for treatment to a recurring shoulder injury. The Japanese striker made an untracked run to meet Callum McGregor’s cross and head home from 12 yards.
Furuhashi turned provider four minutes later as he ran on to Alistair Johnston’s pass to cut the ball back for Matt O’Riley to side-foot home.
Celtic handed debuts to Nat Phillips, Luis Palma and Paulo Bernardo, while Reo Hatate made a comeback from injury off the bench.
Brendan Rodgers was able to give each of his goalscorers an early finish, with Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Feyenoord in Rotterdam in mind.
Phillips started ahead of Gustaf Lagerbielke as Celtic struggled to create space to get in behind Dundee for much of the first half.
Daizen Maeda had a shot stopped after an intricate one-two with Greg Taylor and later saw a goal ruled out for offside after running on to Liam Scales’ lofted pass.
O’Riley saw a deflected effort hit a post, while Yang Hyun-jun looked lively on the right wing after coming in for Liel Abada, who suffered a thigh injury on international duty which is set to rule him out for several months.
The South Korean winger hit a shot wide of the near post, but otherwise Carson was not overly busy before the break.
Dundee had the best chance of the first half when Owen Beck got to the byline and cut the ball back for Luke McCowan, but Hart spread himself to make an excellent point-blank stop.
Lagerbielke replaced Phillips at the interval and Celtic quickly created their best chance so far as Turnbull set up Furuhashi, who blazed well over the bar.
The opener soon came from nothing and Dundee missed a chance to get back in the game when McCowan shot just wide from 18 yards following a counter-attack.
Dundee switched off when Furuhashi scored as Zach Robinson lay in pain near the touchline and the Dundee midfielder soon went off injured.
Johnston hit the bar following Maeda’s backheel before the right-back’s forward pass sparked the move that led to the third goal.
Amadou Bakayoko missed a good chance for a consolation after being set up by McCowan, while Johnston hit a post from close range late on.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
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