Scottish PremiershipSunday, May 4, 2025Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow RANGERS 1(Dessers 44) CELTIC 1(Idah 56) The spoils were shared in the final Glasgow derby of the season as the Champions drew 1-1 with Rangers. Adam Idah scored early in the second-half to cancel out Cyriel Dessers’ first-half goal, and there was a last-gasp chance for Celtic to take all three points when Daizen Maeda was put through on goal, but his effort was saved by Liam Kelly. The home side created an early chance from a corner when Leon Balogun’s header hit the bar and went over, and that gave Rangers some early impetus, with Viljami SInisalo producing two good saves inside the opening 10 minutes. However, as the half progressed, Brendan Rodgers’ side began to assert their dominance in possession as they tried to carev out chances of their own. In the 25th minute, rangers thought they had taken the lead when Nicolas Raskin headed home a James Tavernier corner, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. Just after the half-hour mark, Kelly tipped an Adam Idah over the bar, and almost on the stroke of half-time, the goalkeeper again denied Celtic’s Irish striker after he was put through on goal. Rangers immediately went up the par, and Dessers slotted the ball beyond Sinisalo and into the net to make it 1-0 at the break.Celtic started the second-half intent on getting back on level terms and looked the more likely side to score. The goal came in the 57th minute when Adam Idah did well to fashion some space inside the area before firing the ball beyond Liam Kelly. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but this time a VAR check confirmed it was a goal and Celtic were level. Both sides continued to push forward in search of a second goal, and the Hoops neeed Sinisalo to come to their rescue with 10 minutes remaining to deny Raskin after he found himself with a chance to shoot from six yards out. The game was heading towards a 1-1 draw after seven minmutes of added time when Reo Hatate did well to knock the ball forward and into the path of Daizen Maeda. Celtic’s top goalscorer surged forward and into the box, with substitutes, Yang and Johnny Kenny racing into the area too. The Japanese striker looked as though he was going to lift the ball over the onrushing Liam Kelly, but instead tried to roll it round the keeper, who managed to get a touch on the ball and allow his defence to clear the danger. The Champions had come so close to securing all three points, which would have delighted the 2,000 Celtic fans in the Broomloan Road Stand, but in the end the game finished 1-1. Now the Hoops will focus on their three remaining league games as well as the Scottish Cup final on May 24 and the chance to create history by securing another Treble.
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