And here’s the match report.
Rangers goalscorer Scott Arfield spoke to Premier Sports.
It feels really good. It’s been a long time coming since we’ve been in this position. That was one hurdle that we’ve got over and there’s another one on 21 May. We’re delighted to be there. Thankfully, Kemar Roofe took a bad touch and I got the goal, so lovely. This morning my sister-in-law lost her papa. He was a big Rangers man. I want to dedicate that to her side of the family. We’re all extremely excited for meeting Hearts in the final. We won’t underestimate them.
The emails are in.
First, Robert Speed: “What this game really needs is a long VAR review of that goal, with it being disallowed of course for a toenail offside”
Second, J Graham, possibly not a Rangers fan: “ Bobby Madden deserves a medal for his efforts on behalf of Rangers today, shocking display of refereeing.”
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John Lundstram celebrates Rangers’ first final since 2016, they last won the trophy in 2011. He speaks to Premier Sports, with Ryan Kent shouting “well done, la’” as he does so.
It feels unbelievable to be fair, it’s been a long time coming for the club. We done ourselves proud to come back and show real character. It’s so tough to play 120 min back to back. Ryan Kent I thought was unbelievable. I am so tired but it’s all worth it in the end. I am ecstatic to be the final, that’s what I cam here for, to win trophies with this great club.
Celtic fans - and Chris Sutton in the Premier Sports coverage - may bemoan the performance of referee Bobby Madden but Ange Postecoglou chose to shake hands with him after the final whistle. He’s a good bloke, is Ange. Hard but fair, mate.
What was the key moment? It has to be Cameron Carter-Vickers’ miss from close range when Celtic were 1-0 up and Rangers were rocking. Ange Postecoglou may rue that one for years.
💙 We are in the @ScottishCup Final pic.twitter.com/2PGguNqfNn
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 17, 2022
114' - Goal to the opposition.
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 17, 2022
#CELRAN | #ScottishCup | #COYBIG🍀
Full time: Celtic 1-2 Rangers (aet)
Fashion Sakala’s goal decided it after Scott Arfield pulled Rangers back into it in levelling Greg Taylor’s opening. It is Rangers who can still take a treble, and that’s Celtic’s hopes of a domestic treble at an end. Braga and Celtic in the space of three days over 240 minutes for Rangers and Gio van Bronckhorst, as Hearts await in the final. What a game, what a week for Rangers.
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120+3 min: O’Riley rages as he is penalised for a foul on Kamara. It’s all ticking away for Celtic. McLaughlin takes his time over a free-kick.
120+2 min: Celtic struggling to build an attack of any note. Rangers have done a number on them here.
12o min: Four minutes added on, and Big Ange looks worried. That 33-match unbeaten run is nearing its end.
119 min: Arfield, using all his experience, buys a foul. Sakala contributes to the timewasting effort by going down, too.
118 min: Bobby Madden, the ref, pulls the ball back when David Turnbull tries to take a free-kick, and he gives the decision to Rangers. Not popular, the man in black today, especially with those in green.
116 min: He’s in Fashion, as Brett Anderson might say. What an effective substitution by Gio, and the noise from the Rangers end is huge. Bouncy bouncy bouncy and all that. What a week it’s shaping up to be for them.
Goal! Celtic 1-2 Rangers (Sakala, 115)
Ryan Kent speeds into the Celtic half, releases Bassey, and his cross comes off Sekala, and then perhaps off Carter-Vickers but it’s in. And Rangers have the lead. It came off Starfelt, in fact.
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113 min: Bassey plays in Sakala round the back but his cross dribbles into the arms of Hart. Rangers stepping it up now.
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111 min: Not much play in this half of extra time. Lots of standing around and subs. But too soon, a thrilling piece of play from Arfield, Hart makes two saves, first from Arfield, and then from Tavernier, off the post and Carter-Vickers chucks his head in the way. Desperate defensive work from Celtic. They only just got away with it.
108 min: Barasic sits down, he can take no further part, and Balogun will come in his stead. David Turnbull will come on for Celtic too. Roofe also off for Rangers as Fashion Sakala comes on. Turnill replaces Hatate.
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106 min: We go again once more. Some tired legs and minds out there. Rod Stewart’s in the stands and he also looks a bit tired.
105 min: That’s it for the first half of extra time. Are Rangers hanging on for penalties? Jota, cutting in from the left, and shooting with his right, almost made them score another to reach spot kicks. Then Rangers get a free-kick, one that Celtic clear, with Glen Kamara having his shot stopped. There’s 15 more minutes to decide it.
104 min: Ralston forces a Celtic corner, that’s taken short and Kent spots the danger and sweeps up to clear the danger for Rangers.
102 min: Celtic have been the better team in extra time, Rangers at last looking tired. Gio changes it up, taking off John Lundstram for Glen Kamara.
100 min: McGregor releases Jota, who has his shot blocked by Tavernier, and then the Gers captain gets in front of Hatete. Desperate defending called for by desperate measures as we get desperately close to any mistake being crucial.
98 min: Celtic waste their free-kick, Jota playing the ball to O’Riley to have his shot blocked.
97 min: Wright’s slipped pass finds Roofe, who is one on one with Hart, who gets there first. A weak penalty claim is denied. Then up the other end, Barasic handles the ball, just beyond the edge of the Rangers box.
95 min: Celtic look tired. What was Big Ange doing to them during that training camp? Kyogo escapes the Rangers offside trap and then takes too much time, and might have released a speeding James Forrest.
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93 min: Simon McMahon is back: “Whatever happens, undoubtedly a fine advert for BritishIrish Scottish football.”
92 min: Rangers look to continue their momentum of the latter stages of normal time but Ralston comes across to quell the danger.
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91 min: Celtic make two changes, with Taylor and Maeda off, and Welsh and Forrest on.
Full-time: Celtic 1-1 Rangers
That exchange of goals between Greg Taylor and Scott Arfield means bonus soccer. It’s been great so far, and extra time, with penalties probable means we shall soon know who the heroes and villains are.
90+4 min: O’Riley forces another corner, that McLaughlin gets punched clear. That’s the last of it, and we have extra time.
90+3 min: Jota wins the ball back by the touchline, Kyogo wants it but can’t receive it. Instead, Celtic have a corner.
90+2 min: Oh no, Ryan Kent saw glory and could only swing at fresh air. That was the one, perhaps. Instead, a foul on Barasic allows Rangers chance to get the ball into the box. But it’s cleared by Carter-Vickers.
90 min: Barasic goes on the overlap as Rangers seek a late, famous winner. Four minutes to be added on. Celtic, looking the more tired, are hanging on a bit here.
89 min: Scott Wright and Arfield attempt to find a way through but Celtic find a way to clear before Davis comes on to a Kent pass and smashes over.
87 min: Maeda and Kyogo looking for opportunities up front, and from Jota’s cross Kyogo heads down and wide.
85 min: Rangers look likelier though Joe Hart claims a Tavernier cross after Kent skips past Ralston. Then Goldson goes down, and looks to be in pain, and it seems a case of cramp.
83 min: Arfield has the ball in the net once more, but only after an offside flag had correctly caught out Ryan Kent.
82 min: Now, who has the nerve in this last ten minutes? It’s getting scrappy. Though Goldson’s passing from the back is beginning to open up space in the Celtic defence.
80 min: Tavernier and Goldson were the suppliers of that goal but Arfield’s finish was expert, and Gio’s substitutions had the desired effect. Anyone’s game now, and McGregor, the masked man, smashed one from distance.
Goal! Celtic 1-1 Rangers (Arfield, 79)
Rangers really struggling to find their way back, though will surely get another chance or two...and sure enough they do. Arfield, coming off the left, comes on to a ball from Tavernier and whips it beyond Hart. Great finish from the sub. Game on.
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76 min: Joe Hart comes out to control the ball well out of his box. Calls for a handball, and denied. It wasn’t though what Hart was doing out there may well be questioned.
75 min: Rangers make a couple of changes. Aribo off, Arfield on. Ryan Jack off, and Steven Davis comes on to make things interesting.
73 min: Goldson is booked for fouling Kyogo as the magic man seeks to pass the ball. Who will hit the free-kick from the edge of the box? Jota smashes off the top of the wall and behind.
71 min: Lundstram has a shot from distance, and it’s nowhere near as good as his first-half effort against the post.
70 min: Rangers have been given a lifeline by that Carter-Vickers miss, now can they live again?
68 min: Celtic having most of the ball now. Rangers perhaps feeling the fatigue from Thursday....and Carter-Vickers from a knockdown, wallops the ball against the bar. Right from six yards out, he smashed it with his left. It has to go down as a bad, bad miss.
66 min: Celtic, having taken the lead, suffer a blow as Juranovic gets hurt, and on comes Ralston for him. Van Bronckhorsy does not look amused on the sidelines.
Goal! Celtic 1-0 Rangers (Taylor, 64)
Well well. Celtic take a quick free-kick, and and Taylor sees a chance to shoot and it comes off Bassey and beyond McLaughlin. The ball bounced all over the show there, and Celtic took advantage. The treble is on on on on.
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63 min: This time Lundstram escapes a booking for a combine harvester foul on McGregor. Bobby Madden, the referee, may want to cancel his plans for a driving his sponsored car with his name emblazoned on the side around the East End. If he was planning it, that is.
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61 min: Nice run by Wright but falls over as Rangers threaten to attack. Celtic have been the better team for a few minutes. Eventually, O’Riley wafts a cross into the grateful palms of McLaughlin.
59 min: Seems to be asking a lot of Kyogo to conjure the win but they need something. He’s almost immediately involved, before Lundstram, who has had a fine game, intercepts the ball before it comes to the Japanese forward’s feet.
58 min: Off goes Abada, on come Kyogo and Matt O’Riley. Tom Rogic has also left the field, having failed to impose himself.
57 min: Abada goes down for Celtic as Big Ange prepares to make some changes that include Kyogo coming on, and the sight of the magic man gets the Bhoys fans cheering.
55 min: In the crowd, there’s gripes and groans, it’s all getting very testy. Though there’s some oohs as Ryan Kent cuts in smashes just wide.
54 min: Bassey bundles over Rogic, and Celtic’s players are not happy. No booking. Somehow.
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53 min: Chance for Celtic. Hatate, possibly offside, shoots wide. That’s as close as Celtic have come. The linesman was caught out there but there’s no VAR.
51 min: Beginning to boil up now, all eyes on referee Bobby Madden.
J Graham gets in touch: “How was there no option for Aribo other than fouling McGegor ? Shocking refereeing, stops play when Aribo hurts himself but misses the foul by Bassey on Juranovic and also fails to stop the game. Key decisions are being given to Rangers. Typical Jack tackle on Hatate right on halftime, hopefully he’s able to come out for the second half.”
To answer: players are told to take the card if it stops a dangerous attack. I don’t approve but that’s the way of the world.
49 min: Roofe now booked for cropping Maeda. That was more cynical than a Jack Dee comedy set.
48 min: Joe Hart calls out to claim the ball from a free-kick, and then Lundstram tries to block off the goalkick. Hart, ever the diplomat, then steps in to stop Juranovic putting a flea in Lundstram’s ear.
47 min: Some more smoke at the start of this half, though not as much as the first, which resembled a Serie A game from the 1990s.
46 min: No more changes at half-time after Scott Wright replaced Ramsey. We await the arrival of Kyogo. Rangers begin the half with a looping header from Roofe.
Half-time: Celtic 0-0 Rangers
The half closes out with Aribo heading wide, another chance for Rangers, who have been the better team but unable to find a goal. John Lundstram came closest so far but it’s been tight and Rangers will have to do without Aaron Ramsey, who has limped off.
45 min: Wright gets involved quickly, and heads for the byline, only to be stopped by Starfelt’s tackle. Then another booking as Ryan Jack is given one for pulling down Hatate. The Japanese player looks to have hurt his ankle there. Cards and knocks piling up as one minute is added for the half.
43 min: Aaron Ramsey is down, he’s not looked himself all game. Scott Wright is set to come on, and the Welshman leaves the field to jeers from the Celtic fans. His fitness just hasn’t been there to do enough for Rangers and he’s feeling his hamstring as he heads down the Hampden tunnel.
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41 min: Lundstram smashes the ball of the post! Left foot and back out, as Carter-Vickers sets up a counter by stopping Ramsey getting the rebound and Celtic go down the other end. Eventually Hatate’s shot dribbles wide.
40 min: Celtic rage as Juranovic is down and play is waved on, as Aribo smashes him. Then McGregor is booked, after a delay, for another of those tactical fouls.
38 min: Juranovic smashes one from long distance and it’s no trouble for McLaughlin. Celtic are being reduced to the speculative stuff.
36 min: Aribo is booked for a tactical foul on a gallivanting McGregor. There was little option other than to hack him down, and that’s the first yellow of the afternoon.
35 min: More Rangers attacking and more Celtic defending, with more relief when Joe Hart gets his hands back on the ball.
33 min: Relief for Joe Hart as Roofe and then Aribo get chance to aim free headers at him, both from close range. That comes after some loose play from Celtic’s Starfelt.
32 min: Ooof! Lundstram clatters into McGregor, who spins into the air. Then Jota is clattered. Celtic can’t make much of the free-kick, and are struggling to pose any threat to Rangers in attack.
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31 min: Another Rangers corner, and Tavernier whips it in, but Aribo can’t get to it cleanly. In the stands, the singing continues to be raucous.
29 min: Rogic clips Roofe and Rangers have a free-kick in a dangerous position. Who fancies it? Ramsey is the answer and he smashes it over, a shot in keeping with his showing so far.
28 min: It’s scrappy, nervy, tetchy. Yes, it’s an Old Firm game all right, though the tinderbox is yet to be properly lit.
26 min: Simon McMahon gets in touch: “Hi John. Your post immediately prior to kick off about the flags on display at both ends is a good one, and will have been noted with interest by fans of all other clubs in Scotland, who tend to view the teams playing today with a mixture of amusement and contempt. Whilst watching every second, of course.”
25 min: Nervy from McLaughlin in the Rangers goal, as he knocks behind. Celtic take the corner short again; they don’t seem to trust their presence in the air so are trying to pass their way through.
23 min: Ramsey’s touch is loose - again, the game is passing him by - and Maeda speeds away for Celtic. Rangers are grateful to only concede a corner, and they get that clear.
20 min: A nice Rangers move is broken up at the edge of Celtic box before Juranovic is forced to head behind when Tavernier spinnakers in a cross from the right. Rangers seem the likelier at the moment though Celtic clear the danger for now.
18 min: Settling down now after that explosive start? It seems so, and we are veering into the territory of an intriguing tactical battle. After the Braga game, Rangers probably need to conserve energy.
16 min: For Celtic, Maeda attempts a shot on goal that involves him spinning and backheeling. Real freestyle stuff, but useless in truth. The ball isn’t sticking up front too much for Celtic.
14 min: Kent wins a corner for Rangers, and Celtic’s set-piece mettle is tested before Roofe is penalised for smashing into Juranovic.
12 min: Tavernier forges up from defence on a typical overlap. Then Aribo has chance to force the issue but only manages to hit the first defender.
10 min: Ramsey gets in a good position but his first touch lets him down. He still looks very rusty in a Rangers shirt. At the other end, Jota finds space but shoots high and wide.
8 min: A masked McGregor is lucky not to be booked for smashing into Aribo. Well, it is the first ten minutes of an Old Firm. Then Roofe has a dig from distance but wide of Joe Hart’s goal. It’s an open affair so far.
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6 min: Jota’s ball across the Rangers box is cleared, and then as Celtic push back up, he gets on the end of an Abada cross but nods over. Very difficult to score from there.
4 min: Rangers begin with plenty of energy but Celtic look to score on the counter. Barasic almost lets in Abada and McLaughlin has to rush out to stop the move.
3 min: The smoke is taking its time to dissipate as Celtic begin the game with a spell of possession. But it’s Rangers who go away first, with John Lundstram playing in Ramsey, and then on to Kent, who is blocked by a fine tackle by McGregor.
1 min: They kick off with the Glaswegian air full of smoke. Plenty of pyro, plenty of partying.
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Hampden is bouncing ahead of kick-off, flags waving all over the stands, including those of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
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The Rangers manager, Gio van Bronckhorst, speaks to Premier Sports.
The first time here as a manager, but I played here a lot as a player. We are here to win the game and go to the final. We have to go for it and have the same intensity. That’s what it takes to win games. The game on Thursday was mentally a very big boost for us. Physically we can recover in two days. Reaching the final is our focus now. I think we prepared well. [McLaughlin in for McGregor] He’s a good goalkeeper not only in the cup but in the league, I have full confidence in Jon.
Ange Postecoglou, coming off 33 games unbeaten with Celtic, speaks to Premier Sport.
You don’t come to this place unless it’s a special game, I’m totally looking forward to it. Bring it on. When you get close to achieving things the anxiety kicks in. You join this club with high expectations. I don’t think a lot of rest went on, we worked hard for eight days. We had a good week. We have got to be playing our best football. This is where everything gets decided.
Rangers raised the Roofe on Thursday.
Hearts await in the final for the winner of this one, after Saturday’s capital city derby.
Hearts lost to Celtic in both the 2019 and 2020 finals and they will face either the Rangers or Rangers who play in the other semi-final on Sunday, a game which will no doubt bring its own drama.
What does those teams mean? Liel Abada comes in for Giorgos Giakoumakis in attack. Kyogo Furuhashi, the magic man, is on the bench. Could be some tired legs for Rangers as it’s the same team who went into extra time with Braga, with only Allan McGregor rested, with Jon McLaughlin coming in between the sticks.
Here are the teams
Celtic: Hart, Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, Rogic, Jota, Maeda, Abada. Subs: Bain, Jullien, Kyogo, Turnbull, McCarthy, Ideguchi, Johnston, O’Riley, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh
Rangers: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Lundstram, Jack, Aribo, Ramsey, Kent, Roofe. Subs: McGregor, Balogun, King, Davis, Kamara, Sands, Wright, Arfield, Lowry, Diallo, Sakala
Preamble
Just like south of the border, this cup semi has doubles and trebles on the line. Both are still chasing the league title, while Celtic can add the Scottish Cup to the Scottish League Cup. And Rangers are going for an even higher tariff treble in being in the semis of the Europa League. These are exciting times across the Glaswegian giants, and such ratcheting of the stakes must surely makes for a classic Hampden stramash. The two met back at the start of the month, with Celtic taking away a famous win from Ibrox. It’s 2-1 Celtic on meetings between the two so far this season, and there’s one more to follow on 1 May. Familiarity breeding contempt? You bet.
Kick-off is at 2pm, join me.
