Rangers stunned Celtic with a dominant Old Firm derby win on January 2 to ease some of the pressure on manager Philippe Clement.
Brendan Rodgers’ team did not lose a single national match in 2024, but looked clearly out of favor with their New Year’s Eve opening when they faced 24 shots in a Scottish premiership match for the first time.
A 2-1 defeat against St. Mirren and a 2-2 draw with Motherwell at the end of December left the Gentle Blues 14 points behind their fierce city rivals at the top of the Scottish debut table ahead of this match, and the leaders no doubt left the Complacency takes hold when a lifeless screen occurs in front of a Rangers defence lacking 3 key players and its first-team goalkeeper.
? pic. twitter. com/o7l4ry5nla
Ianis Hagi’s fine goal after only seven minutes — scored in front of his watching father, the Romania great Gheorghe Hagi — sent Ibrox into raptures, and Vaclav Cerny hit the bar with a deflected shot before quarter of an hour had been played.
Celtic looked sluggish compared to their hosts, although there was a nervy moment just before the break when Reo Hatate’s shot had to be palmed away by Liam Kelly, who was making just his second start for Rangers.
Clement’s appearance produced a similar first-half performance in last month’s Scottish League Cup final, only to broadcast the fallout after a 3-3 draw, however there was no repeat of that drop in criteria at the moment: Kyopass Furuhashi’s clever winger is Submitted by Offaspect will have reminded some enthusiasts of that gloom at Hampden Park.
However, such considerations ended right after the hour bar. Robin Propper has proven to be a fantastic hero, generating with close diversity after Nico Raskin’s head was blocked, and it never looked like Celtic would return from there.
The Danilo substitute then scored a little minute after leaving the bench, scoring with a side foot from nearby diversity to a birthday party in the stands. The name would possibly be beyond them for this season, however, at least one game that showed that it is not such a large hole among Old’s rivals signs as the classification suggest.
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Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgowreferee: Don Robertson
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live scoreboard
Starting lineups:
Rangers (4-2-3-1, right to left): 31. Liam Kelly (GK) — 3. Ridvan Yilmaz, 21. Dujon Sterling, 4. Robin Propper, 22. Jefte (47. Robbie Fraser) — 43. Nicolas Raskin (8. Connor Barron), 10. Mohamed Diomande — 18. Vaclav Cerny, 14. Nedim Bajrami (99. Danilo), 30. Ianis Hagi (7. Oscar Cortes) — 29. Hamza Igamane (9. Cyriel Dessers)
Celtic (4-3-3, from right to left): 1. Kasper Schmeichel (GK) -2. Alistair Johnston, 20. Cameron Carter-Vickers, 5th. Liam Scales, 3. Greg Taylor (11. Alex Valle)- 28. Paulo Bernardo (14. Luke McGowan), 42 years. Callum McGregor, years. Reo Hatate (27. Arne Engels) -10. Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, 8. Kyogo Furuhashi (Adam Idah), 38. Daizen Maeda
MORE: How Celtic won a thrilling Scottish League Cup final | All-time Old Firm head to head
What a result! Rangers inflict Celtic their first internal defeat in more than a year. It is one of its worst performances of the season at a distance. The race by name may be firmly in their hands, but will affect them.
90 3 minutes: The Rangers make a trio of substitutions in the final seconds, to give some players some space to applaud. Celtic are well defeated. Truth be told, they seem pretty beaten up from start to finish.
88 minutes: There is a pause in the game after Arne Engels receives a blow to the head with something that seems to have been thrown by the crowd. The referee gives the object to the fourth referee (it looks like a coin) who then passes it to a police officer to place it in a test bag. Ugly and scenes. At least Engels is fine.
86 minutes: Celtic faced 24 shots in today’s game. Since OPTA began breaking records in the Scottish elite in 2013/14, they have never faced so many in a single match.
81 minutes: GOAL! DANILO SCORES WITH HIS FIRST TOUCH! Johnston moved away from the ball thanks to Jefte, who went down the left and fired a low cross that was blocked by Carter-Vickers. The ball falls softly to substitute Danilo, who goes home at the first attempt. He’s on the field 70 seconds early. this goal!
To watch in the United States:
He took a minute for Super Sub Danilo to locate the back of the network for the Rangers!
UNITED KINGDOM:
“It’s a statement victory!” ?Rangers have a third against Celtic as Danilo scores just seconds after coming on! ?pic.twitter.com/KRWc1JV8Ez
78 mins: Big chance on the break for Rangers as Igamane and Bajrami have a two-on-one against Carter-Vickers, but the striker’s pass to Bajrami is mishit and cut out.
75 minutes: Rangers have hit 23 shots so far, compared to Celtic’s 4. Three of those attempts by the League leader were positioned in the first half; The last one just noticed Maeda’s head blocked through Yilmaz. It’s a really unconventional performance.
In fact, it did not sign as a success. Three that is.
70 mins: Rangers want handball after Idah blocks Igamane’s flick-on from a corner, but his arm was against his body. No chance of that being given.
66 mins: GOAL! RANGERS DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! From the resulting corner, Raskin’s header is blocked on the line, but Robin Propper is there to poke in the rebound. Celtic are in big trouble now!
To view in the United States:
Right place, right time for Rangers’ Robin Pröpper as Ibrox Stadium erupts! ??️ pic.twitter.com/d2ai44T4Zp
UNITED KINGDOM:
“It’s a year for the Rangers right now!” ? Robin Propper makes it 2-0 against the Rangers against Celtic!pic. twitter. com/NFUcr8pyLh
65 minutes: Smart backup from Schmeichel! Cerny is back legal to cut and pull with his more powerful left foot, however, the Celtic goalkeeper is equivalent to it. There is a triple replacement for the visitors, Adam Idah, Alex Valle and Luke McCowan coming through.
60 minutes: How did you stay outside? Cerny is through purpose and puts a low end in front of Schmeichel, but he comes back from the inside of the post and bounces all the way down the purpose line without entering!The flag had remained at the bottom, it was a purpose, Var could have directed it offside.
57 mins: Penalty check for Rangers after Jefte’s low cross strikes the trailing arm of Paulo Bernardo, but there’s no way that was going to be given. This is a good spell for the home side, though.
53 minutes: Kyogo Lens – No! It’s a sublime finish when he controls the ball from Carter-Vickers before firing a shot into Kelly and into the net, but Var confirms he was little offside. It’s a warning to the Rangers.
50 minutes: Celtic have the good part, but the outfielders have already threatened the counterattack. Another shot from Hagi bounced awkwardly past Schmeichel, but it came here close to the ball.
Do not replace one or the other.
The Rangers lead 1-0, and rightly so. It’s been the biggest team and Celtic just haven’t been there.
But all those things were true at halftime of the cup final in December, too…
45+4 mins: Good save, Liam Kelly! The corner falls to Hatate, about 12 yards from goal. He does well to keep the half-volley on target, but Kelly is behind it to parry the ball clear. The referee blows for halftime amid a small scuffle on the pitch and loud boos from the stands. It is the Old Firm, after all.
45 + 3 minutes: The delivery is not good, but Taylor must win a corner. Celtic will have another chance before the break.
45 1 minute: Carless de Jephthah, who throws an arm and punches Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn in the face. Celtic receives a loose shot near the corner. Kuhn is actually bleeding and will need remedy before being removed.
39 mins: BRILLIANT from Carter-Vickers! Sterling makes a great challenge and Rangers break superbly. Bajrami waits as he assesses his options before threading a fine throughball into Mohamed Diomande’s path, but Carter-Vickers times his sliding tackle to perfection. That could be a pivotal moment.
36 mins: Hagi gets another chance to shoot but is barged over as he strikes the ball, putting him off the attempt. That came from yet another misplaced pass from Reo Hatate, who is enduring a real game to forget at Ibrox.
32 minutes: Johnson catches the back of Hagi’s head with his arm raised as they jump for a header. Rangers enthusiasts are furious, but it’s accidental. VAR sees a glance and agrees.
27 minutes: So far this match looks a bit like the last part of the Cup final. The Rangers look sharper with and without the ball and, so far, Celtic’s benefits from far away from the goal. But as this day has shown, things can change temporarily in the parties of the old corporations.
18 minutes: Excellent Yilmaz paintings while moving to cut the Hatate pass to Maeda, advances and tries a satin blow. He has the strength of Hagi’s efforts and Schmeichel saves comfortably.
13 mins: OFF THE BAR! Rangers break swiftly after Hatate loses the ball in midfield. Vaclav Cerny cuts in from the right and tries a shot, which takes a big deflection. Kasper Schmeichel is confident the ball is going nowhere near his goal… until it hits the crossbar and goes behind for a corner.
7 minutes: Goal! Ibrox is wrong! Liam Scales’ pass in midfield is cut softly and Nico Raskin is making the ball for Ianis Hagi with good timing. Hagi has plenty to do from 20 yards but selects the right back corner after firing into the legs of Cameron Carter. -Vickers. Brilliant hit.
Watch in USA:
Ianis Hagi delivers a brilliant strike for Rangers! ? pic.twitter.com/RLUuxZLqty
UNITED KINGDOM:
Ianis Hagi’s early lead Rangers countered Celtic! ?⚡️Pic. twitter. com/weqyvmn4jn
5 minutes: Nedim Bajami tries an internal shot of the Celtic surface, but sees his effort beaten to Hamza Igamane. The Rangers responded well to this first pressure. It is an intelligent to start the game.
2 minutes: An early corner for Celtic causes a small fight in goal, with Dujon Sterling clearing from the six-yard box. Nery’s moments early on for the Rangers.
After a minute’s silence in tribute to those affected by the Ibrox disaster, the match begins.
10 mins before kick-off: Representatives of either clubs paid tribute forward of today’s fit to the sufferers of the Ibrox crisis on January 2, 1971, when sixty-six other folks were killed and more than two hundred injured in a stairwell as other folks attempted to leave the stadium after a 1-1 draw in the former fit close.
The representatives of the Rangers and Celtic show their respects on the anniversary of the Ibrox disaster. #BBCFOOTBALL pic. twitter. com/sajt7rklve
27 mins before kickoff: Clement is confident that Kelly and Nico Raskin will prove themselves today in the absence of key figures such as Butland and Tavernier.
“It’s a new adventure with this player organisation,” he told Sky Sports. “Some guys are making smart steps that way. Nico Raskin is developing in that role and you want multiple leaders on the field.
“Of course, lacking two leaders, but I am waiting for the same thing about Liam Kelly. He does it in the locker room and I also hope that in the field. “
1 hour and 10 minutes before the start: the news of the team has arrived. The goalkeeper Liam Kelly just its starting moment for the Rangers in the middle of six adjustments in the initial alignment. It seems that Ridvan Yilmaz will align as a right side in the position of the injured captain James Tavernier. Celtic is launching Daizen Maeda, while Alistair Johnston has the expected compatibility.
1 hour and forty-five minutes before kick-off: the talk is already about Celtic deserving another invincible season. The Hoops have only lost one domestic match since December 2023, with their only defeat of the 2024/25 season at any festival coming in this 7-1 match against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.
‘I know what it’s like to win this game’ Brendan Rodgers Eyes Celtic’s Big clash opposite Rangers at Ibrox ?️ Stadium Pic. twitter. com/94xonvy6ax
2 hours before the start: it will be the 444th Derby of Old Firm, and the first of 2025. BOy, how would the rangers like this head to head?
? | @Danilopereira9 pic. twitter. com/e86daprwfs
The adjustment begins in Glasgow, Scotland at 3 p. m. time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
Clement makes six adjustments to the lineup, adding just one moment to start for goaltender Liam Kelly in the absence of Jack Butland.
Jefte, Ianis Hagi, Vaclav Cerny, Nedim Bajrami and Hamza Igamane are the players who are coming.
Leon Balogun is intelligent to return, while Ridvan Yilmaz begins to the right in the position of the captain of the injured club James Tavernier.
Rangers XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Kelly (GK) – Yilmaz, Sterling, Propper, Jefte – Raskin, Diomande – Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi – Igamane
Rangers subs: Munn, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Matondo, Dowell, King, Fraser, Danilo
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Celtic are without long-term absentees Odin Thiago Holm and James Forrest, but Alistair Johnston has recovered from a hip flexor injury and emerged unscathed from the win over St. Johnstone. Johnstone.
Daizen Maeda returns to the starting line-up after his heroics in the Cup final.
Celtic lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Schmeichel (GK)-Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor-Bernardo, McGregor, Hatate-Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda
Celtic subs: Sinisalo, Trusty, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McGowan, Engels, Ralston
Next we explain how to see the party in some of the main regions of the world:
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Joe Wright is editor in Chief of Sporting News, where he manages global football and British team. It was in the last editor and editor of Goal. com before spending six years with the statistics of the editorial news service, which cover the global. Primary sports, adding football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby and athletics. Joe has a wide delight to cover some of the largest football events, adding two Ufa Champions League Ultimates, Euro 2016, the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup, adding the latest in Moscow.