AT LAST! Rip up the history books and bin the statistics – Rangers have finally recorded a win against Celtic.
AT LAST! Rip up the history books and bin the statistics – Rangers have finally recorded a win against Celtic.
After seven heart-breaking matches during 20 agonising months, Alex McLeish’s side emerged victorious at Ibrox this evening following an extraordinary 120 minutes of football that ended with Rangers ultimately booking their place in the last four of the CIS Insurance Cup.
For Bert Konterman in 2002 read Shota Arveladze in 2004. Two years ago the Dutchman emerged as an unlikely hero with an extra-time winner over Celtic in this same tournament that writ his name large in Rangers folklore.
This evening it was Arveladze who stole the headlines and the plaudits after he calmly tucked away a low shot past David Marshall after 100 minutes to finally end Celtic’s recent stranglehold on this fixture.
One can now only wonder how either side can produce similar levels of endeavour and excitement when they meet again in 10 days’ time although the victory was certainly no more than Rangers deserved after dominating the bulk of the play.
After the first 20 minutes Celtic would have struggled to identify the ball in a police line-up so little they had seen of it in the opening stages.
Rangers set the tone as early as the fourth minute when Marshall had to be alert to block a fierce Nacho Novo drive with his legs before a swift passing movement involving Zurab Khizanishvili, Fernando Ricksen and Peter Lovenkrands ended with the Dane whistling a left-footed drive just past the post.
Celtic, on the back of seven consecutive victories in this fixture and supposedly the best team in the country if you believe the league table, were largely anonymous at this juncture and from a Ricksen corner Marvin Andrews headed just wide.
Having weathered the early storm, Celtic began to gradually reassert themselves in this contest and passed up a glorious chance to go in front after those barren opening 20 minutes.
Predictably, as so often has been the case in recent times, the opportunity arose from a set piece after Juninho had thrown himself to the turf after bumping into Andrews.
Alan Thompson whipped in the free kick and, unmarked at the back post, John Hartson’s header thudded straight into the turf in front of Stefan Klos and harmlessly over for a goal kick.
It was to be rare interlude from incessant Rangers’ pressure and Steven Thompson was next to threaten with a header that sailed over Marshall’s crossbar.
It was to be Thompson’s last involvement in the match – he had been limping heavily after coming worse off in a thundering early challenge with Bobo Balde – and was replaced by Dado Prso.
As play continued to rage from end to end at an alarming rate, Prso’s first real involvement was to concede possession to Didier Agathe who then bore down on goal.
Only a timely block from the peerless Jean-Alain Boumsong prevented Agathe from opening the scoring as Celtic enjoyed a rare respite from defending their own goal.
Referee Stuart Dougal was invoking the wrath of the Rangers’ support with his apparent aversion to booking Hartson for all manner of wrestling manoeuvres -it took until the 123rd minute before a yellow card appeared for the Welshman – and Dougal further incensed them when he turned away a decent shout for a penalty when Jackie McNamara dragged back Novo in the penalty box five minutes before the break.
Half-time brought a temporary break from the madness – the only surprise was that they didn’t hand out oxygen tanks for the breathless supporters – but play was no less frantic when it resumed after the interval.
Only a desperate last-gasp intervention from Balde denied Lovenkrands from a clear run on goal around the hour mark before Prso battered a rising shot after with Novo screaming for a pass in the centre.
The groans echoed around Ibrox and it would get worse for the long-suffering supporters moments later when Celtic went in front.
Rangers thought they had survived the scare when Varga somehow hit the bar with a shot from a matter of yards but one minute and two corners later they were behind.
Klos tipped Thompson’s first centre over the crossbar but could do nothing about the one that followed it, allowing Hartson to bundle the ball over the line at the back post.
The Welshman ran in front of the Rangers support to celebrate and yet, once again, a yellow card failed to materialise from Mr Dougal’s top pocket.
It was a lead Celtic barely deserved although Rangers should have drawn level 60 seconds later when Hamed Namouchi somehow squirted an effort wide after being set up by Lovenkrands.
Namouchi would make more than amends, however, when Rangers drew level with just six minutes remaining of the original 90.
Arveladze – on as a replacement for Lovenrkands – was the creator, working a cute 1-2 with Novo before laying the ball off for Namouchi.
Marshall did well to parry the midfielder’s drive but only as far as Prso who bundled the ball over the line from a matter of yards.
The strike clearly pumped fresh life into a team that had been previously flagging and just three minutes after the equaliser a goalmouth scramble ended with Andrews inelegantly prodding the ball wide of goal.
Further chances fell for Rangers in regulation time with Agathe clearing a Boumsong header off the line before Arveladze volleyed wildly over in the closing seconds.
Extra time duly followed and Boumsong was soon called into action again, this time to clear a Craig Beattie shot away from Klos’ goal two minutes after the restart.
And then, just when it looked like Celtic were finally enjoying some sustained pressure, Rangers went in front for the first time in the match.
100 frantic moments had passed when Andrews fed Ricksen on the edge of the Rangers penalty box and the Dutchman set off on a lung-bursting run that took him deep into Celtic territory.
Eschewing the temptation to play an early ball to Novo, Ricksen kept going before eventually feeding Arveladze.
It looked a half-chance at best but the Georgian kept his composure to spear a vicious left-foot drive past Marshall at his near post.
Half-time came and went in a blur with the exceptional but tiring Alex Rae eventually being replaced by Stephen Hughes after a fantastic performance in his first start in 10 weeks with Rangers thereafter holding on to record a much-deserved and desperately needed Old Firm victory.
RANGERS (4-4-2): 1 Klos; 15 Khizanishvili, 4 Boumsong, 5 Andrews, 24 Vignal; 31 Namouchi, 2 Ricksen, 8 Rae (Hughes 110), 26 Lovenkrands (Arveladze 79); 10 Novo, 19 Thompson (Prso 26)
Subs not used: Smith, Hutton
Booked: Prso (63), Vignal (97)
CELTIC (4-4-2): 22 Marshall; 17 Agathe, 6 Balde, 23 Varga, 5 Valgaeren; 19 Petrov (Beattie 91 (McGeady 116)), 18 Lennon, 4 McNamara, 8 Thompson; 7 Juninho (Camara 67), 10 Hartson
Subs not used: Hedman, Pearson
Booked: Varga (44), Balde (78), Hartson (123)
Rangers’ Man of the Match: Alex Rae