Rangers Celtic with a dominant win in the Old Firm derby on Jan. 2 to ease some of the tension over manager Philippe Clement.
Brendan Rodgers’ appearance has lost a single domestic game in 2024, but it seemed clearly out of color at its inauguration of the New Year, since they faced 24 shots in a game of the Premier League SCOCÉS Single for the first time.
A 2-1 defeat to St. Mirren and a 2-2 draw with Motherwell at the end of December left the Light Blues 14 with their fierce city rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership table ahead of this match , and the leaders certainly let their complacency take hold. They took the lead by creating a lifeless spectacle against a Rangers defense that was missing three key players and their starting goalie.
? 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 slow compared to their hosts, there was a moment of nervousness just before half-time when Reo Hatate’s shot had to be deflected by Liam Kelly, who was just beginning his moment for the Rangers.
Clement’s side put in a similar performance in the first half of last month’s Scottish League Cup final, only to lose in the aftermath after a 3-3 draw, but they didn’t do it. That drop in criteria was not repeated in the second part: the wise Kyogo Furuhashi The ending discarded for lack of appearance will have reminded some enthusiasts of that sadness in 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 scored slightly a minute after coming off the bench, marking the side with his foot in close range to spark a birthday party in the stands. The name may surpass them for this season, but at least one adjustment has shown that there is not as big a gap between the Old Firm rivals as the table suggests.
Full commentary and highlights | Team news and lineups
Venue: Ibrox Stadium, GlasgowReferee: Don Robertson
Monitor each of the adjustments and the purpose through the marker live
Start lineages:
Rangers (4-2-3-1, from the left): 31. Liam Kelly (GK) -3. Ridvan Yilmaz, 21. Dujon Sterling, 4. Burbin propper, 22. jefte (47. brbie Fraser) -43. Nicolas Raskin (8. connor Barron), 10. Mohamed diomande – 18. Vaclav Cerny, 14. Nedim Bajami (99. danilo), 30. ianis hagi (7. SCAR Cortés) – 29. HAZZA IGAMAN (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 years old. Callum McGregor, years. Reo Hatate (27. Arne Engels)-10. Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn, 8. Kyogo Furuhashi (9. 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 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.
88 minutes: There is a break in play after Arne Engels hits his head through anything that looks like it was thrown into the crowd. The referee hands the object, which looks like a coin, to the fourth referee, who then passes it to a police officer to place it in an evidence bag. Engels is fine, at least.
86 minutes: Celtic faced 24 shots in today’s match. Since Opta began setting records in Scotland’s top flight in 2013/14, he had never faced so many in a single match.
81 minutes: Objective! Danilo writes with his first touch! Johnston is shot down from the ball through Jefte, who falls on the left and shoots at a low crossing that is blocked through Carter-Vickers. The ball kindly falls by replacing Danilo, who runs the house with the first attempt. He in the field 70 seconds before this goal!
Look at 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 declared victory!” ? Rangers have a third against Celtic when Danilo scores seconds after coming on! ?pic. twitter. com/KRWc1JV8Ez
78 mins: Big chance at the break for Rangers as Igamane and Bajrami have each other against Carter-Vickers, but the striker’s pass to Bajrami fails and is cut out.
75 minutes: The Rangers have had 23 shots at the 4 of Celtic so far. Three of the attempts for the League leaders arrived here in the first half; His new has just seen Maeda’s header blocked through Yilmaz. This is a seriously out of kilter performance.
In fact, it’s not actually been registered as a shot. Three it is.
70 mins: Rangers need handball after Idah blocks Igamane from a corner, but his arm opposes his body. There is no chance of it being given.
66 minutes: Objective! The Rangers double their leadership! From the resulting corner, Raskin’s heading is stuck in the line, however, Robin propper is there to click the rebound. Celtic is big now!
Watch in USA:
Good place, time for Rangers’ Robin Pröpper as Ibrox Stadium pops! ??️ pic. twitter. com/d2ai44t4zp
UNITED KINGDOM:
“Right now we are living a happy new year in the Rangers!” ? Robin Propper carries the score 2-0 against the 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 minutes: How did you stay? Cerny goes to the purpose and puts Schmeichel under the ground, but returns from the internal publication and bounces in the line of purpose without entering! They have declared it out of play.
57 minutes: Penalty verified for Rangers after Jefte’s low cross hits Paulo Bernardo’s swingarm, but there is no chance of it being awarded. It’s smart timing for the home team, though.
53 mins: KYOGO GOAL — NO! OFFSIDE! It’s a sublime finish as he controls Carter-Vickers’ ball over the top before looping a shot over Kelly and into the net, but VAR confirms he was narrowly offside. That’s a warning for Rangers, though.
50 minutes: Celtic halftime, however, the Rangers have already threatened the counterattack. Another shot by Hagi bounced awkwardly in front of Schmeichel, but it came close to the ball.
No changes for either side.
Rangers lead 1-0, and deservedly so. They’ve been the better side, and Celtic just haven’t been at it.
But all of those things were true at halftime of the Ultimate Cup in December as well. . .
Four5 + four minutes: Smart Suppense, Liam Kelly! The corner falls into water, about 12 meters from the goal. He does well to keep the volleyball half on target, but Kelly is adorning the soft lob. The referee blows during halftime in the middle of a small fight in the box and the noisy cabins in the stands. It’s the old business, after all.
45+3 minutes: Excellent functionality, but Taylor can win a corner. Celtic will have some other possibility 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, dissecting the attempt. It came from another misplaced pass from Reo Hatate, who suffers a real game at Ibrox.
32 mins: Johnson grabs the back of Hagi’s head with his raised arm as they jump for a header. Ranger enthusiasts are exasperated, but it’s accidental. Var takes a look and it’s fine.
27 minutes: Until now, this game has looked a little like the last game of the Cup final. Rangers look more acute with and without the ball and, until now, they have kept Celtic on a long way to the goal. Shown, things can be temporarily replaced in old corporate parties . . .
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 effort 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 erruts! Liam Scales’ pass in midfield is cut softly and Nico Raskin is making the ball to Ianis Hagi with good timing. Hagi has plenty to do from 20 yards but picks out the back right corner after shooting the legs of Cameron Carter -Vickers. Sharp aim.
Look at the United States:
Ianis Hagi makes a brilliant goal for the Rangers! ?Pic. twitter. com/rluuxzlqty
UNITED KINGDOM:
Ianis Hagi Rangers take an early lead against Celtic!?⚡️Pic. twitter. com/weqyvmn4jn
5 minutes: Nedim Bajrami tries an inside shot from the Celtic box, but sees his effort hit Hamza Igamane. The Rangers responded well to this early pressure. It’s a smart start to the game.
2 mins: An early corner for Celtic leads to a bit of a goalmouth scramble, with Dujon Sterling clearing from inside the six-yard box. Nery moments early on for Rangers.
After a minute of silence in tribute to the other people affected through the Ibrox disaster, the game begins.
Ten minutes before kick-off: representatives of the two clubs today paid tribute to those affected by the Ibrox crisis on January 2, 1971, when another sixty-six people died and more than two hundred were injured in a stairwell race. other people were looking to leave the stadium after the 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 minutes before kick-off: Clement is convinced Kelly and Nico Raskin will prove in the absence of key figures like Butland and Tavernier.
“It’s a new adventure with this player organisation,” he told Sky Sports. “Some guys are taking smart steps in that regard. Nico Raskin is developing in that role and you want multiple leaders on the court.
“Of course two leaders are missing, but I expect the same from Liam Kelly. He does it in the dressing room and I expect the same on the pitch as well. “
1 hour 10 mins before kickoff: Team news is IN. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly makes just his second start for Rangers as part of six changes to the starting lineup. It looks like Ridvan Yilmaz will line up at right-back in place of injured captain James Tavernier. Celtic do indeed start Daizen Maeda, while Alistair Johnston is passed fit as expected.
1 hour and forty-five minutes before kick-off: The talk has already turned to the prospect of Celtic enjoying an unbeaten season. The Hoops have only lost one domestic match since December 2023, with their only defeat of 2024/25 at any festival coming in that 7-1 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.
“I know what it’s like to win this game” Brendan Rodgers is looking forward to Celtic’s big clash with 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 will begin in Glasgow, Scotland, at 3 p. m. time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
Clement makes six adjustments in the alignment, adding only one start 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 is fit enough to return, while Ridvan Yilmaz starts at right back in position for injured Club Captain James Tavernier.
Rangers starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Kelly (GK) — Yilmaz, Sterling, Propper, Jefte — Raskin, Diomande — Cerny, Bajrami, Hagi — Igamane
Rangers substitutes: Munn, Cortés, Barrón, Dessers, Matondo, Dowell, King, Fraser, Danilo
MORE: All the latest EPL club news | Team-by-team Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
Celtic are without long-term Odin Thiago Holm and James Forrest, however, Alistair Johnston recovered from a flexible hip injury and loose from the win over St. Johns. Johnstone.
Daizen Maeda returns to the initial after his heroicity in the Cup final.
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’s how to see the adjustment in some major regions around the world:
If you purchase a product or sign up for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more>
Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News, managing global soccer and the UK team. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.