Second Half Begins at Ibrox
49 min: Rangers apply pressure but struggle to create clear chances. Araujo passes to Nygren just outside the area, but Nygren turns and shoots over the bar.
47 min: Skov Olsen finds Moore, who delivers a cross to the far post. Rommens reaches the ball but can only scuff it to Sinisalo.
46 min: Raskin crosses to Chermiti, who passes to Skov Olsen. His shot is blocked, resulting in a corner that yields no further opportunity.
The second half is underway with Rangers immediately pressing; Murray clears a dangerous ball under pressure.
Two halftime substitutions for Celtic: Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adamu replaced by Reo Hatate and Sebastian Tounekti.
Half-Time Summary: Rangers 2-0 Celtic
The first half was challenging for Celtic, who struggled offensively and defensively. Moore controlled midfield for Rangers, while Chermiti scored two contrasting goals. Rangers hold a solid lead at the break, leaving Celtic with a significant deficit to overcome.
43 min: Skov Olsen takes a free-kick; Naderi heads it across the box to John Souttar, whose shot is blocked.
40 min: Skov Olsen wins a free-kick on the right; Moore finds Emmanuel Fernandez, whose header goes wide.
38 min: Rangers execute a passing move, but Moore tackles Oxlade-Chamberlain near the area and attempts a break. McGregor, trailing him, fouls Moore and receives the first yellow card.
36 min: Rommens fouls Yang in a similar area. Oxlade-Chamberlain delivers a cross to Maeda at the far post, but the header is collected by Butland.
35 min: Rangers win a free kick on the left; Moore crosses directly to Sinisalo.
34 min: Ryan Naderi nearly reaches a loose ball in Celtic’s area but cannot extend far enough to shoot.
33 min: Scales concedes a corner after intercepting a dangerous ball; Tierney clears with a strong header.
30 min: After 30 minutes, Celtic have yet to register a shot. Moore advances but is tackled.
29 min: Junior Adamu is down after a heavy aerial challenge but appears fit to continue.
Goal: Rangers 2-0 Celtic (Chermiti 26)
Celtic’s defense falters as Raskin’s ball behind is not cleared by Murray, allowing Chermiti to control and shoot under Sinisalo, extending Rangers’ lead.
Joshua Keeling commented: “Are Motherwell quietly in this title race as well? Big outsiders, obviously, but only just realised they are only a point behind Rangers.”
Simon McMahon added: “Afternoon Will. Motherwell aren’t out of this either. They’re 10 points behind Hearts but have a game in hand. Maybe a long shot, but the fact we’re even talking about it shows what a strange season this has been in Scotland. It’s like 1982-83, or indeed 1985-86, all over again. Without Dundee United and Aberdeen of course. But you get my point. At least Hearts won’t have to go to Dens on the last day.”
22 min: Chermiti passes to Moore in the box, but Liam Scales clears.
21 min: Tierney delivers a cross from the left, but goalkeeper Jack Butland rushes out to intercept.
19 min: Moore dribbles past McGregor and enters the box but is stopped by Araujo before shooting.
17 min: Rangers maintain possession; Nygren drifts left and wins a corner. Oxlade-Chamberlain delivers a decent ball, which is cleared.
15 min: Yang advances and passes to Daizen Maeda, whose poor first touch leads to an intercepted cutback.
13 min: Tierney sends a cross-field ball to Yang Hyun-jun, but Rommens wins possession. Rangers struggle to build passing sequences.
12 min: Moore wins a corner with skillful play; his delivery hits the roof of the net.
10 min: Celtic earn two corners; the second leads to a Rangers counter-attack where Moore’s cross finds Chermiti, who cannot reach it.
Goal: Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Chermiti 8)
Rangers take the lead with a spectacular overhead kick from Youssef Chermiti, assisted by Andreas Skov Olsen’s cross.
7 min: Moore is fouled by Julián Araujo and receives a talking-to.
6 min: A corner causes chaos in the box, but an offside flag nullifies the chance.
5 min: Dane Murray blocks a shot from Moore in a fast-paced start.
3 min: Moore crosses from the left, but Callum McGregor intercepts.
1 min: Nicolas Raskin finds Tochi Chukwuani with space, but his cross-shot is saved by Sinisalo.
The match begins at Ibrox amid loud support for Rangers.
Pre-Match and Manager Comments
The teams are in the tunnel preparing to start.
Fan Joshua Keeling shared:
“As a neutral, I basically want this game to produce whatever result is best for Hearts. I’m really rooting for them to pull this off.”
Martin O’Neill spoke to Celtic TV before the game:
“My normal [feeling]. I’m excited, obviously nervously excited, about the game, hoping that we do well in the match, and to a certain extent looking forward to it. We’ll have to show all the same characteristics [as we did in the second leg against Stuttgart], plenty of resilience, plenty of determination, all of those particular things which are really important in any football game, but particularly here at Ibrox.”
Danny Röhl also shared his thoughts on Celtic TV:
“We’re looking forward for this game, it will be an exciting game. We want to perform well, we want to show our fans a good game and, of course, we try everything to win this game. It would be a fantastic afternoon for us, and for this we prepared the whole week. I expect that at first the game will be very even. There will be a lot of duels, it could be that also sometimes there’s no rhythm in the game. All those things are what I expect. But I want to see a good team who is organised from our side, looking forward, attacking forward. [We must] have some good actions because it’s important that we win the crowd straight behind us in moments to create a good atmosphere.”
For reference, Kasper Schmeichel did not return to the Celtic lineup.
Team Lineups
Rangers: Butland, Sterling, Souttar, Fernandez, Rommens, Chukwuani, Raskin, Skov Olsen, Moore, Chermiti, Naderi
Celtic: Sinisalo, Araujo, Murray, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nygren, Yang, Maeda, Adamu
Pre-Match Tensions
There was notable tension before the match. After Röhl commented it would be “interesting” to see if Kasper Schmeichel would return following Viljami Sinisalo’s strong performance, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill responded sharply:
“So he is picking our team? Well done old Danny. He’s only in less than a year,” said O’Neill. “I have to laugh. He’s made a comment about the picking of our team? Absolutely extraordinary. He hasn’t been in Glasgow long. There’s no need for him commenting on my team.”
Barney Ronay reflected on the season’s title race:
“For once this is not a title decider. It could be a title eliminator. It could be a step towards neither of Celtic or Rangers winning the league for the first time in 41 years. A draw in Glasgow could leave Hearts six points clear at the top. But by now it is a startling transformation whatever the outcome.”
Additional Pre-Match Reading
For context, readers can refer to the match report from Hearts’ win against Aberdeen, attended by Sir Alex Ferguson, and Ewan Murray’s preview of this game.
Significance of the Match
This match holds major implications for the Scottish Premiership title race. Typically, a Rangers-Celtic derby features one of the teams at the top of the table. However, Rangers currently sit second, seven points behind Hearts, while Celtic are third, nine points off the lead. Rangers have a game in hand on Hearts, and Celtic have two, but opportunities to close the gap are diminishing. A victory here could be pivotal.
Youssef Chermiti jabs in Rangers’ second goal after another bit of clever improvisation.
Youssef Chermiti and his teammates wheel away in celebration.
