Sakala strike too little Too late for title race
Rangers rescue point at Parkhead but league leaders are too far ahead to lose grip now
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HE spirited fightback that Rangers staged against Celtic at Hampden last month earned them a place in the Scottish Cup final and killed off their rivals’ hopes of completing a domestic treble this season.
The late rally which the Ibrox club produced against the cinch Premiership leaders at Parkhead yesterday, while unexpected, admirable and impressive, has simply delayed the inevitable.
The way that Ange Postecoglou’s team have faded towards the end of the last two Old Firm matches has given some followers of Giovanni van
Bronckhorst’s side hope they may stumble during the league run-in and suffer a catastrophic late collapse.
But their late slumps, as is invariably the case when it comes to anything to do with the rivalry between the two Glasgow giants, have been exaggerated.
Callum McGregor and his fellow Celtic players dominated long periods of the final derby encounter between the two age-old adversaries this term and could have wrapped up a win which would have effectively, if not arithmetically, sewn up the title had they been more clinical in the final third.
Daizen Maeda had two gilt-edged opportunities to net, just before half time and early in the second half. But he was unable to show the same ruthlessness as his team-mate Jota, who had turned his delivery into the six-yard box beyond Allan McGregor in the first half. That allowed the visitors to claw their way back in to proceedings.
It had been much the same story in the semi-final a fortnight earlier after Greg Taylor gave Postecoglou’s charges a deserved lead. On that occasion, Cameron Carter-Vicker’s inability to convert a chance from six yards out proved costly.
Nothing should be taken away from Van Bronckhorst’s men. They had played in a mentally and physically draining Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig in Germany on Thursday night. But they looked far fresher in the closing stages and could easily have come from behind to triumph once again.
Fashion Sakala levelled in the second half following good work by Scott Arfield, Scott Wright and Ryan Kent. Joe Hart then denied Arfield brilliantly after the midfielder got on the end of a Wright cut back. Sakala burst through on goal and then hit the post. There were other halfchances too.
The pocket of Rangers fans who had been shoehorned into a tiny corner of the stadium applauded and cheered their heroes off the park at the end of the 90 minutes. However, the defending champions needed to triumph yesterday to stand any chance of retaining their trophy and they failed to do so.
Celtic remain six points clear of their nearest challengers. But there are now just three games
remaining. If they beat Hearts at home on Saturday it will, due to their vastly superior goal difference, be impossible to catch them. And a win over Dundee United at Tannadice on Wednesday week will put them out of sight.
Postecoglou named the same starting line-up that had taken to the field in the league encounter with Ross County in Dingwall seven days earlier – meaning that Kyogo Furuhashi got the nod ahead of Giorgos Giakoumakis up front.
There were a number of Rangers fans who were, despite their team still having a slim chance of retaining the Scottish title, keen to see Van Bronckhorst rest players ahead of the second leg of the RB Leipzig double header in Govan on Thursday night.
Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara and Wright, who had all started in the Red Bull Arena, were left on the bench and their places were taken by Steven Davis, Arfield and Sakala respectively.
Rangers had a big task ahead of them. They had to end their rivals’ 26-game unbeaten domestic run at home – Celtic last lost at Parkhead to Scottish opponents way back on January 30, last year when St Mirren won 2-1 in the league – to keep alive their prospects of lifting the league trophy.
Postecoglou, whose men had romped to an emphatic 3-0 triumph over their age-old adversaries in the East End of Glasgow in February, had never suffered a home league defeat in the famous old stadium too.
James Tavernier and his teammates started strongly and should have taken the lead in the 13th minute. Ryan Kent met a Tavernier delivery from the right with a firsttime volley in the opposition area. However, the winger’s attempt was well wide of the left post.
It was not a day for Rangers to be passing up opportunities like that and they paid the price for that glaring miss in the final third eight minutes later when Celtic scored with their first meaningful attack of the game.
Taylor fed Maeda on the edge of the Rangers penalty box and his team-mate turned and ghosted past Connor Goldson before squaring to Jota. The wide man got himself ahead of Borna Barisic at the back post and fired beyond Allan McGregor with the outside of his right boot.
The Benfica loanee’s strike raised the roof inside the stadium and visibly lifted his side. He nearly doubled Celtic’s lead in the 32nd minute when Reo Hatate found him with a cross. His diving header, though, sailed over the crossbar. The industrious Maeda was inches away from netting shortly before the break after being supplied by Jota. But Postecoglou would have been a happy man at half time. His team were in complete control and their opponents were struggling to lay a glove on them.
Goldson fired over and Sakala headed wide at Tavernier corners early in the second half. But Celtic responded and Maeda should have doubled their lead when he just had Allan McGregor to beat following some patient build-up play.
Celtic retained the ball for long spells without testing Allan McGregor. But the home support were enjoying the swagger their heroes were displaying and it looked only a matter of time before they forged further in front. It was a shock when Rangers drew level in the 67th minute. All of a sudden, the top-flight leaders had a game on their hands.
Amad Diallo came on for Arfield late on and picked up a booking from referee John Beaton within seconds for bringing down Liel Abada as he raced through on the Rangers goal. Jota shelled the free-kick high into the stands and it finished 1-1. The Premiership is as good as done too.