Rangers Triumph in Five-Goal Showdown Against Celtic, Capping Off a Dream Week

Rangers handed Celtic their first home league defeat since December 2023, with a remarkable 3-2 victory on Sunday thanks to Hamza Igamane’s sensational strike.

Following their progression to the Europa League quarter-finals, Rangers displayed dominance in the first half, taking the lead through goals from Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.

The second half saw Celtic respond, with Japan internationals Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate bringing the scores level.

However, Barry Ferguson orchestrated Rangers’ first win at Celtic Park since 2020 in his inaugural Old Firm encounter as manager, with Igamane coming off the bench to net the decisive goal in the 88th minute.

While this victory is unlikely to alter the dynamics of the title race—Celtic still lead by 13 points with eight matches left—it certainly enhances Ferguson’s prospects of securing the managerial role on a permanent basis.

Despite being pushed to extra time and penalties to overcome Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, Rangers showed no signs of weariness, bursting into action early.

Raskin opened the scoring with a header from James Tavernier’s corner just four minutes into the match, establishing an early advantage.

Vaclav Cerny had the chance to increase the lead soon after when he failed to capitalise on a poor pass from Kasper Schmeichel, hesitating long enough for Maik Nawrocki to clear the ball.

The second goal that Rangers’ first-half display warranted finally came in the 37th minute, with Raskin setting up Diomande to fire home with precision.

Celtic fought back straight after the half-time break, with top scorer Maeda heading in from Jota’s cross to narrow the deficit.

It appeared as though Celtic were on course for a turnaround when Hatate converted Luke McCowan’s pass with 16 minutes left, putting them in command.

In a dramatic twist, Igamane, celebrating his first senior call-up to the Morocco national squad, ended an 11-game goal drought with a powerful finish to clinch the win.