RAB 3 NABS IT
Matondo stunner rescues point for Gers in six goal thriller at Ibrox
PHILIPPE CLEMENT looked dead and buried when he arrived into this title race.
He looked to be crumbling out of it again at half-time at Ibrox yesterday.
Once more, ticking into injury-time after Rangers had fought back only to be knocked back down again by another hammer blow, it just looked too much to overcome.
Yet Clement’s (right) team simply refuse to go away in this quest for glory under the Belgian.
It started with a freak goal inside 21 seconds. It finished with players squaring up in confrontation.
Daizen Maeda’s bizarre opener and a penalty kick from Matt O’riley had the champions in charge at the break.
James Tavernier’s controversial spotkick and a deflected finish from Abdallah Sima hauled back that 2-0 deficit only for sub Adam Idah to thrillingly put the Hoops back in front with just moments of normal time remaining. At that point, a four-point lead looked assured. Brendan Rodgers, the master of the Old Firm game, was set for his 13th win in 16 games as a boss in the fixture.
But Rabbi Matondo, also on as a sub, curled a special finish into the top corner and this day of frantic madness was finally at an end.
It was probably obvious what had been coming after the frantic start. Weeks of build-up, days of debate, 21 seconds to explode into life.
Joe Hart’s clearance from a Cameron Carter-vickers passback should have been easily dealt with by Tavernier.
However, the Gers skipper hesitated, Maeda was closing down and, as he made the block tackle, the ball rattled against him and rocketed past Jack Butland.
Even by Old Firm standards it was a crazy beginning and Celtic had extended the lead by the break.
Connor Goldson should have levelled with a free header from a corner, but the
visitors carved various chances before and after O’riley’s second.
Nicolas Kuhn’s cross found the head of Maeda in the box and his flick hit against the elbow of defending Goldson.
Beaton gave the penalty after a VAR check and Rangers’ noses were bloodied like John Souttar’s head at half-time.
Butland had already made one routine save from a Maeda shot and a wonder stop from an O’riley header before the Dane coolly dinked him from the spot.
But if that was all dramatic, it was nothing compared to the second period.
Fabio Silva was booked for simulation when went down in the box after a tackle by Alistair Johnston.
However, once summoned to the screen to check if he’d actually been been caught, the inevitable conclusion arrived.
Tavernier took the opportunity from 12 yards with a blistering spot-kick.
Rangers thought they were level just moments when Cyriel Dessers slammed into the net, only for celebrations to be cut short after VAR spotted a foul in buildup by Tom Lawrence on Tomoki Iwata.
Celtic were wobbling, so Rodgers called Callum Mcgregor from the bench. He couldn’t have imagined the skipper would be the one to make the mistake to square it up.
The skipper’s wayward pass lost possession and, as Rangers advanced, sub Sima cracked a deflected shot high off the captain and into the net.
Explosion. Utter joy in the home stands, yet still this drama wasn’t ended.
Paulo Bernardo’s pass put fellow sub Idah clear in the box and the on-loan striker managed to escape the attentions of defenders and drill a finish under Butland.
This time the explosion came from the Celtic bench. Surely that would be it, yet one more incredible twist as Matondo stuck home.
This title fight is going to the last kick. Just like this game.