ABERDEEN 3 DUNDEE 0 Premier Sports Cup Round 2 Saturday August 15 2026 Pittodrie Ref: Nick Walsh Attendance: 10,018
What a difference a week makes. Aberdeen win at Pittodrie, Dundee swamped by a ferocious second half performance from the Dons that put them through to the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup once again. The Dons made two changes from last weekend’s game at Dens Park, Mitchy Ntelo coming in for his debut and Connor Ronan returning from injury, Aberdeen switching to a 4-4-2. Alex Briedl and Stuart Armstrong were on the bench, where they were joined by Nick Suman. Dundee named an unchanged side for the third game in a row. Toyosi Olusanya was the first Aberdeen man to get a shot away, after good build up work in the ninth minute, Odutayo getting a block on it to send it behind. Following the corner, Aberdeen kept the pressure on and Afeez Aremu fired one in from 25 yards, Goodman handling safely. Olusanya was the threat again on 14, bundling his way into the box from the left, but Goodman was well positioned to save at the near post as Olusanya shot from a narrow angle. Olusanya made a similar run six minutes later after being threaded through by Kevin Nisbet, before taking a tumble in the box under pressure from Owen Bevan – no penalty. On 22, it was Olusanya again, too strong for Astley on halfway to give him the chance to run at goal. Heading into the box, his low shot was well saved by Goodman. From the corner, Nesta Guinness-Walker produced a loping header that forced another good save from Goodman to tip the ball over the bar. Murray was through on 25, getting on the end of a long ball. Clean through, he hesitated on the edge of the area, allowing Dan Happe to close in on him, and between him and Marius Muller, the danger was mopped up. Murray went down moments later, catching his studs in the turf as he tried to hold the ball up, injuring his left knee. He was stretchered off and was replaced by Robertson after 31 minutes. Joe Bevan went down three minutes later and he too needed lengthy treatment before he was able to continue. Olusanya was booked for dissent on 41 minutes after he had been clattered from behind by Finnigan. Bevan had recovered by the 44th minute, getting beyond the defence, but with just Muller to beat, the big goalkeeper made a fine save to keep the game goalless. Westley had a good opportunity from a Reilly cross, but he steered his header wide of the target from around the penalty spot. Westley got his head in the way at the other end three minutes later, blocking a fierce volley from Nisbet. Aberdeen kept the pressure on, Aremu thundering in another shot from distance that Goodman saved away to his left. In the fifth added minute, Dan Happe was booked for sliding in on Westley. HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 DUNDEE 0 Aberdeen penned Dundee into their defensive third in the opening minutes of the second half. It paid dividends after 51 minutes as the Dons had the lead through Nisbet. Yogane played a cross in from the left, Olusanya cushioning a header down to Chris Cadden. He fired into the box, Nisbet laying the ball off to Olusanya a dozen yards out. His shot was well saved by Goodman, but Nisbet was on the spot to pick up the pieces, rifling into the net. It was a goal that Aberdeen’s start to the half fully deserved. It was 2-0 on 57, a superb goal from the Dons. Olusanya was instrumental in it again, spinning away from his marker down the right flank. He then turned a neat low pass into the box where Ntleo turned into the ball and lashed it across the face of goal into the far corner with a ferocious strike. Game over on 63 as Aberdeen made it three, Nisbet the scorer of a fine team goal. Lovely play from Guinness-Walker sat Joe Bevan on the floor, before he released Yogane. He played in a low cross, Ntelo dummying the defence at the near post by leaving it to run through to Nisbet, running in from deep, to drive the ball past Goodman. It was Nisbet’s eight League Cup goal of the season, positively Harperesque. Aberdeen made their first changes on 66, Ronan and Ntelo replaced by Briedl and Armstrong. Dundee responded by withdrawing Reilly and Joe Bevan, replacing them with Forrest and Besir. Dundee weren’t quite finished yet, a 25-yarder from Finnigan forcing Muller to acrobatically tip the ball over the bar. Yogane and Nisbet were replaced by Lewis Smith and Ayoub Mouloua a minute later. As the changes were still settling, Hamilton was a whisker away from bending a shot into the net after a Dundee corner was half cleared. Smith soon made an impression, driving forward before unleashing a shot from 20 yards, Goodman handling it well. The Dons were back on the front foot from there, keeping Dundee penned in on 84. It culminated in Cadden finding Armstrong who struck the shot on the turn, the ball thumping against the post and bouncing clear. Findlay Marshall joined the fray in the 87thminute in place of Aremu as the Dons saw out an important win to put them into the last eight.
FULL-TIME: ABERDEEN 3 DUNDEE 0
ABERDEEN: Muller, Cadden, Mayo, Happe, Guinness-Walker, Ntelo (Armtrong 66), Aremu (Marshall 87), Ronan (Briedl 66), Yogane (Smith 77), Olusanya, Nisbet (Mouloua 77). Subs not used: Suman, Milne, Fasanya, Molloy. Goals: Nisbet (51, 63), Ntelo (57) Booked: Olusanya, Happe
