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 has not lost a single -bass national adjustment in 2024, but obviously it seemed faded in its new year opening opening when confronting 24 shots in an adjustment of a single setting first for the first time never recorded.
A 2-1 defeat to St. Mirren and a 2-2 draw with Motherwell at the end of December left the Light Blues 14 in trouble with their fierce city rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership table heading into to this match, and it could be said that the leaders abandoned Take Hold. Complacent as they produced a lifeless spectacle against a Rangers defense that was missing three key players and their starting goalkeeper.
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Ianis Hagi’s good intention after just seven minutes, scored in front of his father, the wonderful Romanian Gheorghe Hagi, extremely happy Ibrox, and Vaclav Cerny hit the bar with a deflected shot before a quarter of an hour.
Celtic looked slow compared to their hosts, there was a nervous moment just before half-time when Reo Hatate’s shot had to be stored through Liam Kelly, who was just making his moment to start the Rangers.
Clement’s side put on a similar display in the first half of the Scottish League Cup final last month, losing consequences after a 3-3 draw, but there was no repeat of this second-half drop: Kyogo Furuhashi finishes the end of Kyogo Furuhashi’s exclusion from Kyogo Furuhashi Intelligence overseas will have reminded some enthusiasts of this sadness at Hampden Park.
Yet any such concerns were ended just past the hour mark. Robin Propper proved an unlikely hero, prodding home from close range after Nico Raskin’s header was blocked, and it never looked like Celtic would mount a comeback from there.
Substitute Danilo then scored barely a minute after coming off the bench, side-footing home from close range to spark celebrations in the stands. The title may be beyond them for this season, but this was at least a game that showed there is not as big a gap between the Old Firm rivals as the league table suggests.
Full commentary and highlights | Team news and lineups
Venue: Ibrox Stadium, GlasgowReferee: Don Robertson
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Starting lines:
Rangers (4-2-3-1, 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 Diomandé – 18. Vaclav Cerny, 14. Nedim Bajrami (99. Danilo), 30. ianis Hagi (7. Scar Cortes) – 29. Hamza Igamane (9. Cyriel Dessers)
Celtic (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Kasper Schmeichel (GK) — 2. Alistair Johnston, 20. Cameron Carter-Vickers, 5. Liam Scales, 3. Greg Taylor (11. Alex Valle) — 28. Paulo Bernardo (14. Luke McGowan), 42. Callum McGregor, 41. Reo Hatate (27. Arne Engels) — 10. Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, 8. Kyogo Furuhashi (9. Adam Idah), 38. Daizen Maeda
More: How Celtic won an exciting ultimate of the Scottish League Cup | Face to face with the old signature of all time
What a result this is! Rangers inflict upon Celtic their first domestic defeat in over a year. That was one of their worst performances of the season by a distance. The title race might be firmly in their hands, but this one will sting.
90+3 mins: Rangers make a trio of subs in the closing seconds, presumably to give some players a round of applause. Celtic are well beaten. They’ve looked well beaten throughout, in truth.
Minute 88: There is a pause in the game after Arne Engels hits everything that seemed to have been introduced by the crowd. The referee provides the object to the fourth referee – a currency seems – that then passes it to a police officer to place it in a test bag. Feasy and dead people. Engels is fine, at least.
86 minutes: Celtic faced 24 shots in today’s game. Since he opts to remain in the records in the first flight of Scotland in 2013/14, they have never faced so many games.
81 minutes: Goal! Danilo scores with his first touch! Johnston shoulders the ball through Jefte who drives to the left and delivers a low cross which is blocked by Carter-Vickers. The ball falls softly to update Danilo, who first sweeps home. Him on the ground for 70 seconds before this goal!
Search the United States:
It only took one minute for super sub Danilo to find the back of the net for Rangers! ⚡️⏱️ pic.twitter.com/rHnOfwZSNs
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 minutes: Great possibility in the break for the Rangers while Igamane and Bajami have one against the other against Carter-Vickers, but the Bajami attacker’s pass fails and is cut.
75 minutes: Rangers have taken 23 shots to Celtic’s 4 so far. Three of the league leader’s attempts came in the first half; the latter just saw a Maeda header blocked by Yilmaz. This is a really out of character performance.
In fact, it’s not actually been registered as a shot. Three it is.
70 minutes: The rangers need handball after Idah blocks Igamane’s shot from a corner but his arm opposes his body. There is no possibility that this happens.
66 minutes: goal! The Rangers double their advance! From the corner, Raskin’s head is blocked on the line, but Robin propper is there to chop the rebound. Celtic is now in wonderful difficulties!
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 Happy New Year to Rangers at the moment!” ?Robin Propper makes it 2-0 to Rangers against Celtic!pic.twitter.com/NFUcr8pyLh
65 mins: Good save from Schmeichel! Cerny is again allowed to cut in and shoot on his stronger left foot, but the Celtic keeper is equal to it. There’s been a triple change for the visitors, with Adam Idah, Alex Valle and Luke McCowan coming on.
60 mins: HOW HAS THAT STAYED OUT? Cerny is through on goal and places a low finish past Schmeichel, but it comes back off the inside of the post and bounces all the way along the goal line without going in! The flag had stayed down, although had that been a goal, VAR might have ruled him offside.
57 mins: Penalty control for Rangers after Jefte’s low cross hits Paulo Bernardo’s trailing arm, but there will be no way through. But it’s a smart destination for the home team.
53 minutes: Kyogo Purpose – No! Offside! It is a sublime ending, since it controls Carter-Vickers on the most sensible before moving a shot on Kelly and towards the network, but Var confirms that he narrowed. However, it is a precaution for the Rangers.
50 minutes: Celtic played well, but the Rangers already threatened in the counterattack. Another Hagi shot bounced clumsy beyond Schmeichel, but arrived near the ball.
Do not replace for the sides.
The Rangers lead 1-0, and rightly. It has been the biggest team and Celtic simply has not been there.
But all of those things were also true at halftime of the Ultimate Cup in December. . .
four5 four minutes: Good backup, Liam Kelly! The corner falls into the hands of Hatate, about 12 meters from the goal. He does well to keep the half-volley on goal, but Kelly must bet the ball clear. The referee whistles for half-time in the middle of a small fight on the field. tone and loud boos from the stands. After all, it’s the old business.
45+3 mins: The delivery isn’t great, but Taylor is able to win a corner. Celtic will have another chance before the break.
45+1 mins: Carless from Jefte, who throws out an arm and catches Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn in the face. Celtic have a free-kick near the corner flag. Kuhn is actually bleeding and will require treatment before it’s taken.
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 minutes: Hagi has another chance to shoot, but is interrupted while hitting the ball, analyzing the attempt. That came from another misplaced pass from Reo Hatate, who suffered a good move at Ibrox.
32 minutes: Johnson grabs the back of Hagi’s head with his arm raised as they jump up a head. Rangers enthusiasts are furious, but it’s accidental. VAR sees a glance and accepts.
27 minutes: Then this adjustment feels a bit like the beginning of the Cup final. The Rangers have looked better with and without ball and, therefore, the Array keeps Celtic attackers away from the goal. But as that day he demonstrated, things can be temporarily replaced in Old Firm Fites . . .
18 minutes: Great paintings by Yilmaz as he steps forward to cut off Hatate’s pass to Maeda, he steps forward and tries a low shot. He does not have the strength of Hagi’s attempts and Schmeichel saves comfortably.
13 minutes: outside the bar! The Rangers break temporarily after Hatate loses the ball in the center of the field. Vaclav Cerny cuts from the right and tries a shot, which takes a great deviation. Kasper Schmeichel is convinced that the ball rarely goes very close to its goal . . . until the crossbar hits and a corner goes.
7 mins: GOAL! Ibrox errupts! Liam Scales’ pass into midfield is easily cut out and Nico Raskin tees up the ball for Ianis Hagi with a lovely backheel. Hagi has plenty to do from 20 yards out, but he picks out the bottom-right corner after firing through the legs of Cameron Carter-Vickers. Brilliant goal.
To see in the United States:
Ianis Hagi delivers a brilliant strike for Rangers! ? pic.twitter.com/RLUuxZLqty
UNITED KINGDOM:
Ianis Hagi gives Rangers an early lead against Celtic! ?⚡️pic.twitter.com/WeqYvMn4JN
5 minutes: Nedim Bajrami tries a shot inside the Celtic box but his effort hits Hamza Igamane. The Rangers responded well to this first pressure. It was a smart start to the match.
2 minutes: an early corner for Celtic causes a small fight in the goal, with Dujon Sterling clearing from the area. A few moments before for the Rangers.
After a minute of silence in honor of those affected by the Ibrox disaster, the game begins.
10 mins before kickoff: Representatives from both clubs paid their respects before today’s game to the victims of the Ibrox disaster on January 2, 1971, when sixty-six people were killed and over 200 injured in a crush on a stairwell as people tried to leave the stadium following a 1-1 draw in the Old Firm match.
Representatives from 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 novelty in this players organization,” he told Sky Sports. “Some boys are not very intelligent in this way. Nico Raskin really grows in this role and you want several leaders in the field.
“Of course you miss two leaders, but I’m expecting from Liam Kelly the same. He’s being doing it in the dressing room and I expect that on the pitch also.”
1 hour 10 minutes before the start: The news of the team is in. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly is doing only his time for the Rangers as a component of six settings to the Get Comening alignment. It seems that Ridvan Yilmaz will align to the right- back in the position of the injured captain James Tavernier. Celtic began Daizen Maeda, while Alistair Johnston followed him as expected.
1 hour forty-five minutes before kick-off: The discourse has already turned to the prospect of Celtic enjoying the unbeaten season. The Hoops have lost just one domestic game since December 2023, and their only defeat of 2024/25 in any festival came here that 7-1 parade through Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.
“I know what this game is” Brendan Rodgers plans
2 hours before kickoff: This will be the 444th Old Firm derby, and the first of 2025. Boy, how Rangers would like to level that all-time head-to-head.
? | @DaniloPereira9 pic.twitter.com/E86daPRWfs
The adjustment will begin in Glasgow, Scotland, at 3 p. m. Local time.
Here’s how this era came to some of the major territories:
Clement made six adjustments in the alignment, adding a starting moment for goalkeeper Liam Kelly in the absence of Jack Butland.
Jefte, Ianis Hagi, Vaclav Cerny, Nedim Bajrami and Hamza Igamane are the other players to come into the side.
Leon Balogun has enough compatibility to return, while Ridvan Yilmaz starts at right-back in the position of Injured Club Captain James Tavernier.
Rangers lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Kelly (GK) – Yilmaz, Sterling, Propper, Jefte – Raskin, Diomande – Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi – Igamane
Substitutes of the Rangers: Munn, Cortés, Barrón, Dessers, Matondo, Dowell, King, Fraser, Danilo
More: All the latest EPL Club news | Premier League team schedule for 2024/25 | Latest rating of the Premier League’s most sensible scorers
Celtic have long-term absentees Odin Thiago Holm and James Forrest, however, Alistair Johnston has recovered from a hip factor injury and is uninjured from the victory over St. Johnston. johnstone.
Daizen Maeda returns to the starting XI after his final feats in the cup.
Celtic XI (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
Here we show you how to see the adjustment 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 world football and the British team. He was previously deputy editor and publisher of Goal. com before spending six years in news editorial arm Stats Perform, covering the world’s major sports, as well as football, tennis, boxing, the NBA, rugby and athletics. Joe has extensive experience covering some of football’s biggest events, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016 and the 2017 Confederations World Cup and the 2018 World Cup, adding the last in Moscow.