Celtic 1-Rangers 0: Recap

By: Matt | December 27th, 2008

A gritty performance is enough for Celtic to leave Ibrox with all three points. Only one goal was scored all day, and luckily for the Bhoys it was Scott McDonald in the 58th minute who used a bit brilliance to net the lone goal. The first half was controlled by Rangers, who had a chance to go ahead in the fourth minute when Steven Davies fired a shot than Gary Caldwell was able to get in front of. The home side thought that Caldwell should have been called for a hand ball, but it seemed to be a clear case of the ball playing the hand, not the hand playing the ball. Rangers also nearly got onto the score board in the first half after a cross was played into the box and Artur Boruc fumbled it and it wound up in the net. The only problem for Rangers was that Kirk Broadfoot had knocked into Boruc to make the ball come loose and subsequently a foul was called. Other than Davies half chance and the foul on Boruc, neither Celtic nor Rangers really got a clear attempt on goal. Rangers controlled possession for most of the first half, but besides a few over the top balls that Celtic defenders were able to eventually track back on, Celtic held their ground defensively and both sides went into the locker room at the half knowing that they would need more to leave with all three points.

Rangers looked to continue their first half when Kris Boyd broke loose and had a one on one with Artur Boruc. However, Boruc, who is often the centerpiece of these intense derbies, made his only save of the day and saved the day. This chance for Rangers seemed to wake Celtic up as the Bhoys started to hold possession better and get forward more. Scott Brown, Barry Robson, and Paul Hartley started to control the midfield, and win tackles, while Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus won balls in the air, and control the center of the pitch. This pressure finally payed off in the 58th minute, when Georgios Samaras played a long ball off of his head that found Scott McDonald. McDonald took one touch to his left and then fired a rocket into the net.

With the lead in hand, Celtic subbed out derby first timer Koki Mizuno for Darren O’Dea and let Rangers control the ball, but did not allow another chance on net for Rangers. Georgios Samaras nearly put the game out of reach when he headed a long ball down and prompted Allan McGregor to make a good save. Nacho Novo was brought on in attempts to find an equalizer for the home side, but the wannabe Scotsman could not help and the final whistle blew.

Celtic’s victory puts them 7 points clear of Rangers in the SPL and provides some much needed breathing room. Gordon Strachan and Co. were careful to comment that this by no means has won the league for Celtic, a sentiment to which I agree with. However, it is nice to have some space in the table, and it was accomplished the best way possible, beating Rangers AT IBROX!

Perhaps the capper for Celtic fans on the day was the win in the stands for the Celtic Ultras group, the Green Brigade. The Rangers tifo group, The Blue Order, unveiled a banner at halftime mocking Celtic’s fans alleged tendency to get offended. The only problem is that someone in The Blue Order leaked the idea and the Green Brigade got word of it. In turn, they created a banner mocking The Blue Order’s banner. Needless to say, there was some egg on the face of the Blue Order and the original banner was taken down quickly. A great cap to a great day!

Original Banner and the Green Brigade’s response