Idah denies Rangers in Glasgow Derby
Rangers 1 - 1 Celtic
Celtic came from behind to deny Rangers a third consecutive Old Firm win, as Adam Idah’s second-half equaliser earned the visitors a point and preserved a long-standing unbeaten record at Ibrox.
Author - Mark Lee
Stadium - Ibrox
Nicolas Raskin saw an early header ruled out for offside before Cyriel Dessers struck just before half-time with his 25th goal of the season. But Idah levelled shortly after the interval, silencing the home crowd and compounding Rangers’ frustration.
The draw means Rangers have failed to win at Ibrox for the seventh straight fixture. This is an unwelcome run for the temporary Rangers boss as he looks to get the job permanently.
A closer look at what happened at Ibrox.
For Celtic, the point ensures they maintain their 17-point advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership, having already secured the title with games to spare.
While the league may be settled, the suggestion this match was a dead rubber never quite rang true. Celtic, bruised by three-goal concessions in each of their previous three encounters with Rangers, were urged by manager Brendan Rodgers to make a stronger start. Yet within 60 seconds Leon Balogun headed against the bar from a corner, a nervy reminder of Celtic’s recent vulnerability at set-pieces.
Rodgers had underlined the importance of defending dead-ball situations in the build-up, but his side continued to look uncertain in that area. As the half wore on, Celtic found a foothold. Idah spurned a chance to release James Forrest during a promising break before Vaclav Cerny saw a deflected effort tipped over by Viljami Sinisalo, whose quick reactions spared the visitors.
The match developed a frantic rhythm. Rangers thought they had taken the lead when Raskin’s header from a James Tavernier cross found the net, only for a VAR check to confirm he had strayed offside.
Celtic fans enjoying themselves at Ibrox yesterday. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkJj...
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The game continued to swing. Cameron Carter-Vickers was denied by the crossbar after a looping header, while at the other end, Idah was kept out by a strong save from Liam Kelly. But it was Rangers who broke the deadlock, with Cerny cleverly dummied in the build-up before Dessers muscled his way past Liam Scales and drilled a low finish into the far corner.
Dessers has not always been universally appreciated by the Ibrox support, but his goal tally speaks for itself.
Celtic responded with composure. Daizen Maeda surged down the left and, after a scramble, the ball found Idah, who turned smartly and fired home with the help of a deflection. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR intervened again, ruling that Maeda had not impeded Kelly’s line of sight despite standing in an offside position.
Maeda later had a chance to win it on the break but failed to convert. Ultimately, with the title already secured, Celtic who left Ibrox the more satisfied of the two sides.
