SOCCER: SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP FINALS: Celtic 1 Rangers 2:THIS COULD be regarded as gallant progress. The sixth Old Firm derby of the season contained six yellow cards and one red; on the previous meeting of these old foes, 13 bookings were issued, three players were sent off and a touchline bust-up followed the full-time whistle. And to think this cup final lasted half an hour longer than the March 2nd meeting of Celtic and Rangers.
Police officers attended the training grounds of both clubs before this tie to warn players about their on-field responsibilities and behaviour. If that at all influenced a gripping final, police intervention into football should be encouraged rather than frowned upon. In among the bog standard Old Firm fare of unsavoury chanting and frantic fare, some football broke out.
Rangers, widely written off before a ball was kicked, continued their love affair with a competition they have won almost twice as many times as Celtic, courtesy of an extra-time win they merited. Rangers took the lead on 24 minutes when Steven Davis hit a low shot from 18 yards which Celtic’s goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, couldn’t keep out. Celtic had been sloppy before Joe Ledley hauled them back into the game with a header from Georgios Samaras’s flick-on.
Neil Lennon’s hopes that the interventions of Ledley would rouse his team proved optimistic, with Celtic remaining sluggish throughout most of the second period. Kris Commons and Gary Hooper were below par. In extra-time Glenn Loovens, bodychecked Vladimir Weiss in the precursor to the winning goal. As Weiss took the resultant set-play swiftly, the Celtic defence allowed Nikica Jelavic to surge past them, the Croat subsequently slotting past Forster.
* Guardian Service
CELTIC:Forster, Wilson, Rogne (Loovens 73), Mulgrew, Izaguirre, Brown (Ki 65), Kayal, Ledley, Commons (McCourt 103), Hooper, Samaras. Subs Not Used:Zaluska, Stokes. Sent Off: Izaguirre (120). Booked: Kayal, Wilson, Mulgrew.
RANGERS:Alexander, Whittaker, Bougherra (Hutton 82), Weir, Papac, Wylde, Davis, Naismith, Edu, Lafferty (Weiss 90), Jelavic (Diouf 117). Subs Not Used:McGregor, Healy. Booked: Jelavic, Papac, Diouf.
Referee:Craig Thomson (Scotland).
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