In the inaugural Old Firm game of the season, Celtic emerged as the dominant force, defeating the Rangers 3-0 courtesy of goals from Maeda (17′), Furuhashi (40′) and McGregor (75′). It was clear from the onset that Celtic was its own biggest threat, but there was no hint of overconfidence.
Despite the decidedly subdued mood that enveloped the typically vibrant derby, Celtic controlled the game completely. The Rangers posed no real threat even if they were replaced by Ross County or St Johnstone, such was the one-sided nature of the match. Celtic continue to be unbeatable in Scotland, their traditional foes appearing even more distant than they were the previous season.
Celtic had already had a goal disallowed for being offside when Daizen Maeda found the back of the net. The goal came off a back pass from the exceptional Paulo Bernardo to Alistair Johnston who, bowled through the defence and found Maeda to slot home, thanks to the rather excessive generosity of the opposing defence and goalkeeper, Jack Butland.
With half-time approaching, Kyogo Furuhashi put the game beyond doubt. A single pass caught the Rangers midfield off-guard, with Furuhashi calmly slotting a low shot past Butland from 25 yards out. Although Furuhashi missed a chance to bag a third, captain Callum McGregor made no mistake, scoring with a long-range effort. Rangers’ lacklustre display starkly contrasted with the vitality of Celtic, who look set to comfortably retain the Scottish Premiership. What would have been an absurd prediction in September is now a harsh reality for the Rangers. – Guardian.