Rangers smash 3 goals against Celtic in Old Firm Derby
Rangers finally got the better of their rivals, defeating Celtic 3-0 in a dominant performance. This marked their first victory over Celtic in seven meetings, breaking their rivals’ unbeaten streak. Philippe Clement and his men celebrated the win, matching the same 3-0 scoreline from Rangers’ triumph in May 2023.
Roaring start at the Ibrox
Ahead of this match, Celtic were the only team with a 100% record in the Scottish Premiership. Rangers knew that this was going to be a tough night as they had not beaten Celtic in the past seven meetings. However, the home team had some other plans and took the lead early.
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Ianis Hagi scored the first goal of the evening after getting at the end of Nicolas Raskin’s delivery. This goal came just in the seventh minute of the game. Hagi spent the last season out on loan in Spain. He has fought for his place and was rewarded with his first goal of the league season. The scoreline remained the same with Rangers being the better side in the first 45 minutes.
Rangers Dominate over Celtic
Celtic have been the best team in Scotland for the last two seasons. They have created chances as well as scored at a decent rate of around three goals per game. However, they struggled to play against their rivals.
Brendan Rodgers’ men just attempted three shots in the first half and only one was on target. To add to his misery, Celtic players only attempted one shot, and that too was off target. Celtic haven’t struggled this much in any league game this season. Rodgers made three changes after the hour mark. His players were unable to create any magic. Rangers defended superbly and didn’t allow Celtic players to move the ball in the attacking half. Celtic failed to score for the second time this season in the league.
Dominant second half
Rangers were looking like a confident side in the first half. However, they were unable to test Kasper Schmeichel on many occasions. From 12 shot attempts, only two were on the target.
Clement gave some instructions at the break and Rangers came out as the more confident side. The home team took 12 attempts and managed to hit the target seven times.
Robin Propper headed his first goal for Rangers since his move in the summer. The 31-year-old has played well since his arrival. Towards the end of the match, Danilo delivered the killing blow. He was introduced from the bench in the 80th minute and he scored in the 81st minute. Rangers were three goals up and three points were confirmed.
Rangers have closed down the gap to 11 points at the top of the table. However, the lead is still big as Celtics don’t drop points easily. It will be a tough task for Clement and his men to stop Celtic from winning their fourth title in a row.
