Rangers Vs Celtic end 2-2 as Hearts and Motherwell profit

The rangers vs celtic match at Ibrox finished 2-2 in a turbulent derby that left Celtic appearing sprightly and Rangers looking stunned. The draw reshaped the weekend: Hearts and Motherwell finished in stronger positions, and Rangers’ manager publicly defended his players’ mentality.

Rangers Vs Celtic at Ibrox: late leveller and pitch confrontation

The game finished as a stalemate, 2-2, and the aftermath was ugly: pushing and shoving and pointing on the pitch. Celtic were described as sprightly at the end while Rangers looked stunned. There was a sense that a side that had been two goals to the good and dominant at one stage were caught by a team that has perfected late comebacks. From Edinburgh came what one report called a distant sound of laughter.

Derek McInnes at the top and Jens Berthel Askou in fourth were noted as likely to have hoped for a draw before kick-off, and that result left Hearts and Motherwell finishing the weekend in a stronger position. The match left both Rangers and Celtic battered: they tore at each other’s throats and did a lot of damage.

First-half flow, Chermiti’s opener and a dominant Rangers display

Rangers were rampant for the entirety of the first half and led 2-0 at the break. The opening goal began after a dispossessing of Julian Araujo in the corner by Tuur Rommens and Youssef Chermiti; Andreas Skov Olsen floated in a cross and Chermiti hurled himself into the air to connect, the ball flying past Viljami Sinisalo. Youssef Chermiti's goal was described as a spectacular opener, and the display looked like Rangers in full flow at Ibrox.

The finish drew an immediate comparison with Scott McTominay’s strike at Hampden, with McTominay’s boot measured at 2. 53m off the ground when he scored — a figure called a new world record — and commentators suggested Chermiti’s effort was not far off that standard.

Second-half dip, Celtic fightback and key scorers

Rangers’ levels dipped significantly in the second period and Celtic took full advantage. Kieran Tierney and Reo Hatate scored to haul Celtic back to 2-2; one summary of the match called it a great fightback from the Hoops that earned the draw. That comeback altered the league picture: Rangers remain in second place in the standings but are now six points behind Hearts and could be overtaken by Celtic if Celtic, who are two points adrift of Rangers, win their game in hand over Aberdeen on Wednesday.

At one point around the half-hour mark an 18-year-old Mikey Moore, described as exciting and dangerous, juggled the ball around the halfway line in a keepy-uppy moment. He was called carefree and innocent, the calmest person in the cauldron, and that sequence ended when Julian Araujo, described as Celtic's frustrated full-back, ran over and wrestled the ball off him — one of the few one-on-one battles Celtic won that afternoon.

Danny Rohl defends mentality and assesses errors

Danny Rohl hit back at detractors after the match and insisted his players “do have the bottle for the Premiership title race” despite letting a two-goal lead slip at Ibrox. In his post-match press conference the German coach said: “I don’t accept this about mentality. ” He spoke of momentum in games and the need to continue performance for the whole 90 minutes, saying the team had shown character to come back before and that they would fight for every point until the end.

Rohl offered tactical explanations: “I think there were some moments where we lost the ball in areas that we shouldn’t. We gave them some transition moments and allowed the game to become stretched when we wanted to keep it compact. ” He said he tried to stabilise the midfield with a third midfielder but that the side could not regain the momentum, and he noted defensive positioning problems, citing a penalty situation described as a five against three and saying that with the right body position they would have defended it.

Andreas Skov Olsen progress, squad outlook and unfinished business

Rohl was asked about Andreas Skov Olsen, the marquee January signing who assisted Chermiti’s opener but at times played on the periphery. The coach said: “He is on the way to being better and better. He has had some good assists. He becomes better and better. ” Rohl added that no player should be too comfortable and that the squad must “increase and be better and better and better in every game. ”

Rohl also noted the season situation: “So the gap is now six points... This will go to the final matchday and we will fight and fight for every point until the end... There are nine games to go, it’s massive. ” He said the team would learn, speak about the game and try to improve next week.

Match tone, reactions and miscellany

Observers flagged the psychology of the match — brilliance and weakness from minute one to the last act — and one report said “Rangers will need smelling salts” after their first-half exertions. Luke McCowan had been cited on Thursday suggesting Rangers regarded no side in the country as able to touch them, a sentiment that fed into the mood at Ibrox.

Separately, promotional material tied to the Celtic coverage mentioned 'SIGN FOR CELTIC' competitions with the chance to win some fantastic prizes. One of the match write-ups from the day cuts off mid-sentence: “Want to join the conv” — unclear in the provided context.