Some full-time imagery for you:
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Full time, Rangers 3-0 Celtic
And there we have it. Rangers have their first win of the season against Celtic having been far more incisive than their opponents throughout, goals from Cantwell, Souttar and Sakala sealing an emphatic victory.
It’s probably wise not to read too much into the result, given how little was riding on the game. Nonetheless, it’s a timely lift for the Gers after a sluggish campaign and gives them something to build on next term.
89 min Yilmaz is the latest player to go down, holding his ankle. There’ll be four minutes of added time, which feels a bit needless.
87 min Beale makes a triple substitution with Lundstram, Sakala and Cantwell coming off for Glen Kamara, Zak Lovelace and Alex Lowry. The departing trio deservedly receive a big round of applause.
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85 min Both sides seem to be going through the motions until Sakala gets in behind on the right, cutting inside and unleashing a shot which whistles past the near post.
83 min Beale makes another switch, bringing on the experienced Scott Arfield for Jack.
80 min Goldson is down and receiving treatment for a knock. Rangers look satisfied to see out the final 10 minutes at leisure.
78 min The changes haven’t made much difference for Celtic, who continue to put together passes without really going anywhere. It’s been a frustrating afternoon for the visitors.
74 min Lundstram picks up Rangers’ first booking of the afternoon. It’s met with gleeful cheers.
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73 min Postecoglou makes a triple change, bringing on David Turnbull, Tomoki Iwata and Sead Haksabanovic for Hatate, Jota and O’Riley.
GOAL! Rangers 3-0 Celtic (Sakala 70)
If it wasn’t already clear that Rangers are going to win this one, it is now. Sakala pounces on a horrible mix-up between McGregor and Starfelt and goes clean though, dancing round Hart before slotting the ball into the gaping net from a tight angle and kicking off raucous celebrations.
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67 min Raskin, who has been excellent, drives forwards again, trying to play in Sakala only for Starfelt to step in and dispossess him. Beale makes a change of his own, bringing on Hagi for Matondo.
65 min Rangers put Celtic’s defence under pressure with an aggressive high press, but Kobayashi plays his way out calmly with a raking pass to Hatate. It briefly looks like Celtic might have the numbers going forward, but they don’t react quick enough to exploit the space.
62 min Rangers go down the other end and Cantwell forces a good save from Hart. Postecoglou has seen enough, bringing on Furuhashi and Maeda for Oh and Abada.
61 min Ralston plays in Hatate on the left and he lashes a cross into the box. McCrorie comes for it but, owing to the sheer force behind the ball, he’s forced into an improvised save.
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59 min We’re almost two thirds of the way through the game and, remarkably, we’ve just had our first yellow card. Callum McGregor is booked after bringing down Sakala.
57 min Celtic probe Rangers’ defence, flitting around the area, but, again, there’s no real sense of what they want to do. Rangers clear their lines and come forwards, a decent passing move ending with Matondo firing an angled shot straight at Hart.
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52 min So close! Raskin drives forwards and splits Celtic’s centre-backs with a perfectly weighted through-ball to Sakala. He beats Hart to the ball and, for a moment, it looks like he’ll be able to roll it into an empty net. Celtic’s defenders scramble to cover and Sakala opts to tee up Cantwell who, from a much more difficult angle, can only hit the side-netting.
50 min What a save. Ryan Jack loses the ball to O’Riley in midfield and it’s suddenly on for Celtic. O’Riley looks to chip McCrorie from the edge of the area, but the Rangers goalkeeper leaps up and gets his fingertips to the ball. It drops just beyond the crossbar.
49 min Celtic get a handle on possession, but don’t seem to know what to do with it. Hatate loses the ball to Cantwell in midfield and Sakala tears down the right flank, crossing to the feet of Raskin only for Starfelt to throw himself in the way.
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47 min Abada wins a corner from Yilmaz and O’Riley steps up. He dinks the ball to Bernabei at the near post, but his attempted flick goes out for a goal kick.
Second half kicks off
Postecoglou resists the urge to make immediate changes, sending out the same side. Beale, unsurprisingly, does the same.
Here’s an interesting stat. As per Sky Sports, Celtic are trailing by two-plus goals at half-time in a Scottish Premiership game for the first time since December 2017 when they lost 4-0 at Hearts.
Half-time, Rangers 2-0 Celtic
Right from the first kick of the game, Rangers played the first half at a higher tempo than their opponents. They got their rewards, Cantwell improvising the opener before Souttar added the second via a punchy corner routine.
Celtic have looked the more assured on the ball and put together some nice moves, but Rangers’ directness has worked in their favour. It’s not over yet, but the Celts will need a big turnaround to get anything from here.
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43 min Celtic want a penalty after the ball grazes Goldson’s arm in the box, but he was lying prone on the turf after making a tackle and there was never any likelihood of it being given.
42 min Celtic’s back line is in disarray, Sakala chasing a ball into the box so doggedly that he almost gets the better of three defenders. It’s belatedly hoofed away.
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39 min More set-piece danger for Celtic! Souttar ends up with the ball at his feet this time and gets a shot away but, having seen it blocked, the whistle goes for a foul, much to the visitors’ relief.
38 min Rangers look ascendant now. A snappy, one-touch passing move ends with Matondo playing in Yilmaz on the overlap, but his cross is cleared at the cost of another corner.
36 min Raskin wins the ball on the edge of his own area and gallops forwards, playing Sakala in behind on the left. Hart spots the danger and rushes off his line, smothering the ball at the last moment.
GOAL! Rangers 2-0 Celtic (Souttar 34)
Bernabei and Cantwell get into a running battle and, eventually, the Rangers midfielder triumphs, winning a free kick for his troubles. Tavernier steps up and lofts a delivery into the box, with Yuki Kobayashi conceding a corner under pressure from Souttar.
Celtic have trouble clearing their lines, giving away another one in the process. Second time around, Souttar gets his head on the ball and blasts past Hart to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
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27 min Raskin earns a big round of applause after stealing the ball off the onrushing Jota with a well-timed tackle. Rangers counter-attack and Sakala threatens to go through one-on-one, but Starfelt gets his body in the way and shepherds the ball back to Hart.
26 min Matondo is down receiving medical treatment, causing a break in play.
23 min Celtic make inroads down the left flank and Connor Goldson is forced to concede a corner. The initial delivery is cleared as far as Hatate, who has a crack from just outside the box but sends the ball sailing into the stands.
21 min Sakala breaks down the left and plays in Yilmaz on the overlap, but his teammate massively overhits his cross and the attack comes to nothing.
19 min Lundstram finds himself in space 30 yards out and goes for the spectacular, but his shot rockets upwards into the sunny skies.
17 min Celtic are starting to put together some more dangerous patterns of play, slowly settling in possession. Rangers are still playing with plenty of energy, however, snapping at their opponents’ heels across the pitch.
13 min Jota wins a free kick 25 yards out after getting the run on Nicolas Raskin. Matt O’Riley sends it in, but it’s cleared. Celtic recycle the ball and Anthony Ralston provides Abada with an excellent opportunity but, from a perfect position in the middle of the box, he fails to guide his shot beyond a wall of blue shirts.
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10 min Matondo finds himself in acres of space in the middle of the park as Celtic scramble to keep up with Rangers’ early tempo. He screams forwards but, with Lundstram on the overlap to his right, he opts for a speculative effort from distance, leaving Hart to gather gratefully.
9 min Rangers continue to play on the front foot, Cantwell winning a free kick in a promising position out wide. James Tavernier sends in the delivery, but Hart comes to collect with ease.
6 min Off the post! Celtic come within an inch of an equaliser, Abada playing a beautiful ball in behind to Oh who, despite deftly dinking the onrushing Robby McCrorie, can only kiss the upright. Celtic fail to convert on the follow-up. It’s a massive let-off for the hosts.
GOAL! Rangers 1-0 Celtic (Cantwell 5)
John Lundstram lines up a shot from distance and forces a diving save from Hart, who can only push the ball back into the danger area. Cantwell is first to it and lashes in on the rebound, sending Ibrox wild.
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3 min Rangers try the other channel, Ridvan Yilmaz tearing down the left flank and thumping a ball into the box only for Carl Starfelt to clear.
2 min Fashion Sakala picks up the ball out wide on the right and whips in a cross to Rabbi Matondo, who fails to test Joe Hart in the Celtic goal.
Kick off!
We’re under way at Ibrox, Rangers roaring forwards at the urging of the home support.
The teams are out on the field, with Celtic greeted by a chorus of boos. Settle in with some popcorn because, one way or another, it’s going to be extremely watchable.
As a reminder, there are no away fans at Ibrox after the clubs agreed not to allocate tickets to travelling supporters for their final two Scottish Premiership meetings of the season owing to concerns over “safety and security”.
It’s Postecoglou’s turn in front of the microphones. “It’s a fixture you get excited about anyway but, coming off the back of last week and being champions, it’s a good game for us,” he says.
“There might potentially be a little less pressure [because of the title win], but it’s still a big game. They’ll have the crowd behind them and it’s going to be tense, as usual.”
Beale has made two changes to the side which beat Aberdeen 1-0 last weekend, bringing in John Souttar and Ryan Jack for Ben Davies and Ianis Hagi. Postecoglou, meanwhile, has made three tweaks to the lineup which started Celtic’s 2-0 win against Hearts, with Alexandro Bernabei coming in for Greg Taylor at left-back, Daizen Maeda making way for Liel Abada out wide and Oh Hyeon-gyu swapping in for Kyogo Furuhashi up front.
It’s time for Beale to give his thoughts on the game. “It’s a full house, it’s all of our fans as well and they’ll be expecting the team to play on the front foot, to go after Celtic and make it difficult for them,” he tells Rangers TV.
“There’s a lot of changes in both teams in back fours and forward lines, so there’s opportunities for people to step forward in what is a fantastic game, a big game, and show their quality. I’ll be looking for one or two in our team to do that today.”
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There’s a whole punditry segment in the Sky Sports studio about Cantwell stopping Reo Hatate having a drink from one of Rangers’ water bottles during the Scottish Cup semi-final. “We’re making a mountain out of a molehill … everything is blown out of proportion in Scotland, there’s no doubt about it,” says Kris Boyd, which seems like the only reasonable take.
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Todd Cantwell has been speaking to Sky Sports and the former Norwich youngster has some thoughts on his first few months at Rangers. “A lot of people have obviously said this season’s done and bits and pieces like that, but, for us, it’s not,” he says. “It’s important for the fans that they see what we’re trying to do and get a taster for next season.
“I’d expect [a better Rangers next season]. I think the thing that has really opened my eyes is the intelligence of the manager, the way he wants the game to be played – the way the game should be played.”
The title may be in the bag, but Celtic have their eye on another achievement: if they win their last four games they will end the season on 107 points, breaking their record total, 106, dating back to the 2016-17 campaign under Brendan Rodgers.
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Celtic team news
Starting XI: Hart; Ralston, Kobayashi, Starfelt, Bernabei; McGregor, Hatate, O’Riley; Abada, Oh, Jota.
#CelticFC Team News! 🟢⚪️
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 13, 2023
📋 Here’s how the Champions line up ahead of the Glasgow Derby!
#RANCEL | #cinchPrem | #COYBIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/7RrpkbxZ54
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Rangers team news
Starting XI: McCrorie; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Yilmaz; Raskin, Jack; Cantwell, Lundstram, Matondo; Sakala.
🆕 Today’s #RangersFC team to face Celtic.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 13, 2023
🗒️ Full Team News: https://t.co/3G7b4EDMkX pic.twitter.com/6XFQS7rfDH
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Before things get seriously tasty, here’s some Celtic-centric pre-match reading from Ewan Murray on the secrets to Postecoglou’s success.
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Preamble
Having wrapped up the Scottish Premiership title with four games to spare, Celtic arrive at Ibrox in a celebratory mood. With the League Cup already in the bag – thanks to a 2-1 win against their bitter rivals back in February – and a Scottish Cup final against Inverness to look forward to, Ange Postecoglou will be confident of claiming his first domestic treble.
That would be made all the more satisfying by another win against Rangers, who have lost four out of five meetings with Postecoglou’s side in all competitions this season. They did manage to secure a 2-2 draw at home in January, however, and the best Michael Beale can hope for at the moment is for his side to turn a few gleeful smiles into glum expressions come the final whistle, with a view to launching a fresh title challenge next term.
