Brendan Rodgers insisted Celtic left Ibrox in a “really strong position” after drawing 3-3 with cinch Premiership title rivals Rangers.
The visitors stormed into the lead after just 21 seconds with a Daizen Maeda goal and the dominant Parkhead side doubled their lead in the 34th minute when midfielder Matt O’Riley dinked in a penalty awarded for a Connor Goldson handball.
Rangers picked up after the break and skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot in the 55th minute before striker Cyriel Dessers had the ball in the Hoops net two minutes later only for an earlier infringement to rule out the goal.
There was further drama in the 86th minute when Gers substitute Abdallah Sima levelled but a minute later Hoops substitute Adam Idah restored Celtic’s lead, only for Light Blues substitute Rabbi Matondo to level again in the third minute of eight added on.
Rangers remain a point behind leaders Celtic with a game in hand against Dundee on Wednesday but Rodgers noted that there is still an Old Firm game after the split at Celtic Park, which, like the match at Ibrox, will be played in front of home fans only.
The Celtic boss claimed his side were “much the better football team in terms of how we were trying to approach the game and play” and added: “It puts us in a really strong position.
“We still have a lot of work to do, still six games to go.
“But when you have your nearest rival still to play at home in front of 60-odd thousand, and you know you’re going to be stronger again to that moment, I’m very happy with that.
“I can see the players were disappointed they had not won.
“For a team that has been written off and told they are going through the motions all year I think we definitely turned up.
“This is the business end of the season and we are ready to turn up.
“I have nothing but positivity in how mentally they were in the game, how they approached the game, the courage they played with. It will be immense and be huge for us.”
Rodgers was not convinced about the merits of the Rangers penalty given by referee John Beaton, which sparked a fightback.
Rangers attacker Fabio Silva was initially shown a yellow card by Beaton for simulation after a challenge by Hoops right-back Alistair Johnston inside the Celtic box.
Beaton, however, was sent by VAR Nick Walsh to check the pitch-side monitor and again he pointed to the spot, cancelling out Silva’s yellow card before Tavernier blasted the ball high past Joe Hart.
The Celtic boss had been critical of Beaton in his VAR role in last month’s 2-0 defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle to earn a one-match touchline ban, with one suspended, although he subsequently insisted he was comfortable with his appointment for Ibrox.
Rodgers said: “It was a fantastic game to be involved in.
“Super proud of the team, how we played and managed the occasion. The first half was absolutely brilliant. Couldn’t have been more comfortable in the game.
“Some of the level of our football – we attacked with the ball, attacked without it – and could’ve been more comfortable by half-time.
“Disappointed with the penalty, that gives them a little up in the game when we were clearly the much better team.
“Ali, who is on a booking, has to be really careful in the second half with the timing of his tackles and I thought he was perfect with it.
“I thought the referee got it absolutely right on the field.
“He connected with the ball, the player simulates and it was right. So clearly then they score the penalty. It gets to 2-1 and then you expect something from Rangers.
“But the whole thing was leaving here today with the performance and still with everything in our hands.
“I think what we showed today was the level of our football, players coming back to fitness, how we could deal with pressure and manage the pressure. So proud of the team.”
Rangers 5-2 Dundee: Cantwell and Wright keep Celtic's title party on hold
Rangers kept Celtic's Scottish Premiership celebrations on ice after Todd Cantwell and Scott Wright inspired a remarkable turnaround to hammer Dundee 5-2 at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday.
Philippe Clement's side could not afford to drop points in this clash and seemed set to do so after Jordan McGhee bundled home before Antonio Portales headed past Jack Butland in the first half.
Ross McCausland managed to slice the deficit on the stroke of half-time for the hosts, sliding in to convert from Leon King's cross and teeing up a monumental comeback.
The Ibrox crowd were offered further inspiration to keep the title race alive when Cyriel Dessers glanced in from Cantwell's delivery after 52 minutes.
Former Norwich City midfielder Cantwell's fortuitous cross then dipped over Jon McCracken as Rangers hit the front for the first time, before Wright's pair of late finishes sealed the much-needed three points.
Yet this Rangers salvaging act could still matter for little, with Celtic requiring just a point away to Kilmarnock on Wednesday to seal a third successive top-flight trophy.
Data Debrief: Attacking barrage pays dividends
Clement may apportion this victory to Rangers' unrelenting desire to keep the title race ongoing, blasting 31 shots – and 13 of those on target – at the Dundee target for their 3.34 expected goals (xG) tally.
A plethora of attacking opportunities must be credited to star man Cantwell, who created a game-leading six chances – four more than any other Rangers team-mate.
St. Louis City v Los Angeles FC: Carnell hopes to continue 'buzz' around Citypark
St. Louis City head coach Bradley Carnell is aiming to continue the "buzz" around their Citypark home when Los Angeles FC visit for the midweek MLS clash.
Carnell's side maintained their unbeaten run at home this campaign after sweeping aside Chicago Fire 3-1 in their last outing.
They have four wins and three draws at Citypark in the league this year – with Carnell desperate to keep that streak up.
"There's a certain buzz and an energy in this stadium and a certain enjoyment and how we like to play," Carnell said.
"I'm very happy with the way we are continuing to apply the principles, to apply the game plan, and very happy to have a response when we conceded the equalizer [against the Fire]."
St. Louis, who are ninth in the Western Conference standings, may fancy a third straight home win at Citypark but LAFC have also won their last three matches.
Steve Cherundolo's men eased past Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 on Sunday thanks to Cristian Olivera's brace.
"It's been a long road for Kike [Olivera] to become more prolific. He's put a lot of individual work in the training field with coaches," said head coach Cherundolo.
"He has the ability also to learn and get better. I think that's what you're seeing, so we're very happy with his progression and his production."
Full-back Sergi Palencia, who plays behind Olivera on the right flank, echoed Cherundolo's sentiment.
"It's just marvellous to see how hard this man works," Palencia added. "We have to tell him to take it easy and slow down at training because this guy only goes one level and that's full intensity."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Rasmus Alm
Rasmus Alm scored 84 seconds into St. Louis City’s 3-1 win over Chicago, the earliest goal in MLS play for City.
Alm's strike was 28 metres from goal, the longest non-free-kick goal in club history – a warning sign that LAFC must heed from set-piece chances.
Los Angeles FC – Denis Bouanga
Denis Bouanga notched three assists against the Whitecaps, his sixth MLS game with three or more goal contributions since the beginning of last season.
No other MLS player has more than four such games in that time (Lionel Messi, Christian Benteke – four each).
MATCH PREDICTION – ST. LOUIS CITY WIN
St. Louis are the favourites for this clash, coming off the back of their 3-1 win over the Fire.
Carnell's side are unbeaten in their last 19 MLS matches when not conceding multiple goals in a game, with that defensive solidity the key to St. Louis' success.
Yet it is by no means a foregone conclusion for another home win here.
LAFC collected four points in two meetings with St. Louis City last season, winning 3-0 at home and playing a scoreless draw away, becoming only one of four teams to keep a clean sheet at Citypark in the regular season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City win – 44.5%
Los Angeles FC win – 28.1%
Draw – 27.4%
Pass the past: Busby focused on fresh start with Reggae Girlz; targets 2027 World Cup in new tenure
Using the famous Chinese proverbs "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” as his mantra, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz Head coach Hubert Busby Jr is focused on leading the country’s women’s programme to new heights with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.
By all indications, the sexual misconduct controversy that marred, and eventually ended his previous tenure as Head coach in 2021, is now firmly in Busby’s rearview mirror, as he was cleared of any wrongdoing by FIFA. He has since replaced the past events with a firm focus on success and progress, as he strives to breathe new life into the senior Reggae Girlz setup.
"As you can imagine, it has been a little bit of a whirlwind, but in everything, you just want to make sure you're giving yourself the best opportunity to be successful. Me being successful means giving the players and the programme the best chance to be successful, so that's where it's at, and I just need to focus on that. What occurred in the past is neither here nor there for me anymore,” Busby, who is currently in the island, told SportsMax.TV.
While his reappointment may come as a surprise to many, for Busby it was a matter of letting fate take its course.
“I wouldn't know if it was surprised. I think I've always…even through this (controversy of the past), I think I've always had a good relationship with the federation, and I understood their rationale and reason why they needed to do what they did. I do wish we could have obviously cleared some things up a lot sooner, but in everything I realized it's not my timing, it is God's timing, and this was just the right time,” he shared.
Despite his familiarity with the players, Busby pointed out that the approach will be one of new beginnings as opposed to picking up where he left off, as the programme itself has been through some turbulent times since his departure.
After Busby was sidelined, Vinimore ‘Vin’ Blaine took over for a short time before a scathing letter from the players forced his resignation, after which Lorne Donaldson was brought back and led the Girlz to an historic appearance in the knockout stage at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, before he too departed, as the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) opted not to renew his contract.
Since then, the JFF and members of the World Cup squad had been at loggerheads, and that eventually resulted in Ambassador Cedella Marley resigning her post out of frustration, and she pulled the support of Bob and Rita Marley Foundation with her. Still, the players held firm in their stance and withdrew their services over non-payment and mistreatment from the JFF.
Then came the interim appointment of Xavier Gilbert, who lead an inexperienced team through a failed Gold Cup qualifying campaign and a few other fixtures.
Now, with Gilbert still to serve as his assistant, and the World Cup players back in the fold after almost nine months, coupled with his reappointment, Busby views the cycle as an opportunity for all and sundry to start afresh.
"It's the beginning of a new cycle, obviously, the Girlz created history at the last World cup and accomplished something that the country and all Jamaicans should be proud of. But really, it's about a new beginning, and with that comes new expectations and a new level of commitment that's needed both on and off the field to ensure that we have success,” Busby declared.
“The first step to every relationship is to have clear and open lines of communication and transparency. I think that's where it starts. We are not always going to agree with everything, but there has to be a common line where we're doing the best we can for the programme and the best we can for the people of Jamaica. That should be the guiding principle on which we go forward, but it's going to require a lot of work to ensure that we are communicating and operating at a very high level to ensure that the programme concedes full potential,” he added.
As he sets his sights on finalizing his technical staff, as well as to work with the JFF to iron out any kinks, Busby also expressed confidence in the potential and talent pool of the women’s programme to continue on the path to success.
“There's no doubt that we have a great core of players, and there are also some really young players that emerged in the last nine months that really need to be considered and there are other players that we've been monitoring as well. So, I think the next few windows are really about continuing to evaluate the pool of players to ensure that we're putting together a truly cohesive team that can go into the World cup qualifiers,” the former national goalkeeper reasoned.
“I think familiarity, obviously would have played a key role in my reappointment for sure. I think this way it allows for the foundational pieces to be built on, because it is important that we continue to build and grow. But above everything else, knowing what the players can do, knowing who they are, and understanding how we can get the best out of them are some things that I want to continue to work on. So, we're looking forward to utilizing each and every window to get ready for 2025,” he noted.
That said, Busby could not have asked for a higher calibre opponent than Brazil as first assignment to hit the ground running. The tactician and his team are set to depart the island next Sunday for the South American nation where they will engage a two-match friendly series on June 1 and June 3.
Both teams crossed path at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups where Brazil won the first meeting 3-0, while the Girlz battled gallantly for a goalless stalemate last year which booked their spot in the Round of 16. However, Busby will be without prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and winger Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injury, while young attacker Solai Washington, who was a part of the World Cup squad, misses out on this occasion.
“That Brazilian team now has also gone through a tremendous restructuring, they've gone relatively young, but they've also kept some really important players because I think Marta is still there until the end of the year, through the Olympic Games. But they have a lot of talented young players in their system, and they're hungry and dynamic as well, so these two games will pose a lot of questions for us, and I must say I've been impressed with what the new coach has been able to do with them already,” the tactician said as he assessed the opponents.
“So, for us, I think the idea is, therefore, to try to keep things a little simple. We're going to do the best we can to get our players up to speed in the time that we have them. But this is really the first step in what will be a journey.
“Obviously, we'll go out there to be competitive, it goes without saying that we've got all these tremendous athletic qualities as a nation, but being able to keep the ball a bit more and be able to dictate the tempo a bit more is something that we want to be able to improve on. But it really is about focusing on the process of getting better each and every camp and every, each and every time that we're together,” he ended.
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