Aberdeen's switch to a three at the back formation against Hearts showcased Duk's ability as an out and out striker with the Cape Verde international running the Jambos defence ragged.
Off the back of the dismal 4-0 defeat at the hands of bottom of the table Dundee United the previous weekend, Dons boss Jim Goodwin opted to scrap the traditional back four in defence and instead set up with a 3-5-2 formation. Ross McCrorie moved into the back line alongside skipper Anthony Stewart and Celtic loanee Liam Scales, to help try and solidify an Aberdeen defence that has found clean sheets extremely hard to come by. The mumps and moans from Tannadice were instantly forgotten about.
And whilst the change in formation helped the Pittodrie side achieve that purpose against Hearts last Sunday in the 2-0 victory, it was Duk Lopes at the top end of the pitch that really stole the show. Since arriving from Benfica's B team in the summer, the forward had only featured in cameo roles for the Dons, as Goodwin and his staff were wary of the Cape Verde international's lack of fitness. Despite his limited game time, Duk was able to show glimpses of his quality, and scored goals against St Mirren, Annan Athletic and Ross County from the bench.
He was eventually handed his first start for the club last month at Easter Road in the 3-1 defeat against Hibernian, and despite putting the Dons ahead with a looping header, he was substituted as the first half drew to a close after defender Scales was sent off.
But it was on Sunday that Aberdeen fans really got to see what the former Portugal youth international was all about. Playing up front alongside Macedonian striker Bojan Miovski, Duk put in a man of the match performance to send the Pittodrie crowd home reeling for more. The 22-year old has pace and skill in abundance, and gave the Hearts back four a torrid time, with his mazy runs and ability to hold onto the ball.
After being denied twice at close range by veteran Jambos keeper Craig Gordon, Duk finally put Aberdeen ahead with 15 minutes remaining, expertly controlling a through ball from Ylber Ramadani in the box before firing a left footed shot through the legs of the Scotland number one stopper. The forward then capped off a superb display five minutes later, registering an assist for Dons sub Vicente Besuijen. Although he was visibly struggling with cramp, Duk picked up the ball down the left flank and went past Hearts youngster Lewis Neilson with ease, before cutting inside and laying on a perfectly-weighted pass for Dutcham Besuijen who wrapped up the three points for the home side.
Benfica youth graduate Duk was then replaced by Marley Watkins for the final eight minutes, and left the pitch with roaring applause from the Pittodrie faithful, who were simply mesmerised with the 22-year old's dazzling display. Duk has now netted five goals in 12 appearances so far for Aberdeen, which is very impressive given he has only started twice for the club.
After the game Jim Goodwin admitted that he was initially cautious in giving minutes to the forward, but revealed that he always felt that Duk had the ability to become an important player in the starting line up.
Speaking to RedTV he said: "The medical and sports science team deserve a lot of credit for where Duk is at now. He is buying into what we want him to do. He's been a great impact sub for us, but we brought him to the club not to be an impact sub but to be a big part player. You seen that today in his overall performance, he was outstanding."
Irishman Goodwin also stated that with the right coaching and development the sky is the limit for the Cape Verde international. "We believe in him and feel that he has got great potential. We've got to coach and nurture him and help get the best out of himself and if he does that he is going to have a great career ahead of him and hopefully many good years here at Aberdeen."
Duk may be rested in tonight's Premier Sports Cup quarter final clash with Partick Thistle at Pittodrie, which would keep him fresh for the trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Premiership on Saturday.
READ NEXT
