Celtic Boss O'Neill Vows Title Fight Continues After Ibrox Comeback
Martin O'Neill has emphatically declared that Celtic are "still in" the Scottish Premiership title race following a pulsating 2-2 comeback draw against arch-rivals Rangers at Ibrox. The dramatic result, which saw Celtic claw back from a two-goal deficit, handed a significant boost to league leaders Hearts in the championship battle.
Thrilling Turnaround Sees Celtic Salvage Point
Rangers, under manager Danny Rohl, stormed into a commanding 2-0 half-time lead through two superb counter-attacking goals from striker Youssef Chermiti. However, the second half witnessed a remarkable transformation as Celtic mounted a fierce fightback.
A powerful header from defender Kieran Tierney reignited Celtic's hopes before substitute Reo Hatate delivered a dramatic last-gasp equaliser in stoppage time. The leveller came after Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland had saved Hatate's initial penalty kick, only for the midfielder to pounce on the rebound and fire home, securing a well-deserved point for the visitors.
O'Neill Praises Team's Heart and Desire
Celebrating his 74th birthday, O'Neill reflected on the match with pride and determination. "I think today's result – if you belong to Hearts – then you'll think it's a great result for them," O'Neill stated. "But even so, we're not out of it. If the game had ended at half-time, with our performance, we'd have thought 'we're a million miles off it'. Now by the end of the game, the manner that we played, particularly here at Ibrox, 2-0 down, we fight back."
He emphasised the squad's resilience, adding, "There's still plenty of heart and desire to try and retain the championship. It's just been a tough old struggle this season. We just have to try and dig it out." O'Neill believes his side demonstrated immense character to emerge with a point and even suggested they could have snatched victory. "It was lovely to come out and get something. We could easily have won it in the end," he remarked.
Title Race Landscape After Ibrox Stalemate
With nine fixtures remaining in the season, Rangers now sit six points behind leaders Hearts and hold a two-point advantage over Celtic. However, Celtic possess a game in hand, which will be played away at Aberdeen on Wednesday night, offering them a potential opportunity to close the gap further.
O'Neill acknowledged the daunting prospect at half-time but remained optimistic. "I think if you had told me at half-time that we would get out of this with something, it looked a long, long way off," he admitted. "But when we finally scored the penalty, at about the sixth attempt, Hatate is racing out to put the ball back on the halfway line. There is a bit of frustration but I think we are still in the title race when it looked pretty daunting at half-time."
Rohl Defends Rangers' Mentality and Sets Benchmark
Rangers manager Danny Rohl refused to entertain questions about his team's mentality after surrendering their lead. "No, I will not accept the [questions over] mentality, I think this is always easy," Rohl asserted. "Everyone who played football knows during a game there is a story, there is a momentum for one team, for the second team. It's about that we continue our performance over 95 minutes."
He pointed to the first 50 minutes as a benchmark for future performances. "I think especially after the first 45-50 minutes I think everyone in this room will agree (how) Rangers played. This is our benchmark, what we should play in the future more and more. Not just 50 minutes, it's about 95 minutes. We couldn't keep this performance and this is what we have to improve."
Rohl remained focused on the remaining matches, stating, "We have a six-points gap, still nine games to go. I will say this again and again, this year it's about the final match day, not today. And we will fight for every point until the end."
