OLD FIRM hero Ryan Naderi says he was delighted to be Rangers’ match winner against Celtic.
The big striker fired home the only goal of the game at Parkhead after Minsu Kim’s shot was parried by the goalkeeper in the first half.
Naderi was in dreamland when the ball hit the net, but he believes every member of the squad played their part in the victory.
Speaking to RangersTV, he said: “It feels amazing, and it would have been nicer to have fans here.
“The ball was in front of me, and I kicked it into the empty goal, and it was an awesome feeling.
“I know everyone at home was supporting us, and I felt the energy when we left Ibrox. The fans were unbelievable, and it was amazing to score here.
“It was a wonderful team performance.
“We knew this game was tough because we would have no fans and we wanted to confirm that we can perform away from home against Celtic.”
Derek McInnes’ men made it back-to-back victories over their rivals following last Sunday’s 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup.
Naderi was an injury doubt due to an ankle injury suffered in the win over Celtic last weekend.
But the big hitman insists there was no way he was going to make himself unavailable for the Old Firm derby.
Now he plans to rest up and be ready for the Premiership home clash with Kilmarnock next month.
He added: “You can’t miss games like this. With the break now, I can recover fully; there is no chance you can miss a game like this.
“The guys who have a small break will enjoy the moment; I hope the fans who won’t see us for a few weeks will also enjoy this situation.
“We have to be ready to focus again after this break; this is the beginning, and we have to keep going.”
MYGERS: From priority access and behind-the-scenes opportunities to special events and unique moments, MyGers brings you closer to the action on and off the pitch
RANGERS MUSEUM AND STADIUM TOURS: Experience the magic of Ibrox Stadium, with your very own ‘access all areas’ pass