Scotland: A brief history of Celtic v Rangers
Celtic and Rangers have played each other over 400 times in major competitions: Rangers have won 166 matches, Celtic have gained 159 wins.
Let's have a look at some memorable moments involving the iconic clubs.
The original version of this article was posted here Memorable matches and moments involving Celtic and Rangers (differentballs.blogspot.com)
The first encounter
The first game between Celtic and Rangers was a friendly in 1888. It´s thought that around 2,000 people were in attendance. It is believed that this could have been greater but for the International Exhibition taking place the same day through in the West End.
1967 Scottish League Cup final
This may seem like an odd place to start but it was the first trophy in Celtic's best-ever season that finished with being the first British side to win the European Cup. Their first trophy of 66/67 came after a 1-0 win over their nearest rivals at Hampden Park.
Rangers 3 - 2 Celtic. 2002 Scottish Cup final
An extraordinary final that was settled by a late header from Lovenkrands. The goal caused complete mayhem in the Rangers end of the ground. You can relive that incredible match by watching the highlights below.
Celtic 6 - 2 Rangers. 2000
A game that is still spoken about by Celtic fans today. The game was a sign that Celtic were on the cusp of something special. One title aside, in 1998, Celtic had been miles behind Rangers for the previous decade. The Bhoys would go on to finish the season by winning the domestic treble.
The 2003 title race
The race for the title in 2003 was an extraordinary one. It was only won on goal difference on the last game of the season. Rangers came out on top in an epic campaign that also saw Celtic reach the UEFA Cup final.
Who is on top now?
In 2012, Rangers suffered a financial collapse leading to the liquidation of the commercial entity. However, the sporting assets were acquired by a new company. This allowed its playing membership to continue unbroken.
As a result, this would mean that there was a period of time where Celtic and Rangers didn't play each other. Click here to watch a video that explores some of the various Rangers problems.
During this period of instability at Rangers, Celtic dominated. They won the title in nine successive seasons. One Celtic title was sealed on a memorable afternoon in 2018.
They didn't claim the tenth though. An extraordinary 2020/2021 season from the Ibrox club saw them go the entire season unbeaten and become kings of Scotland for the first time since 2011.
