Rangers trounced Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox as Michael Beale enjoyed his first win over the Hoops as Gers manager.
Midfielder Todd Cantwell fired the home side into the lead after five breathless minutes before returning defender John Souttar headed in his first Light Blues goal from a corner on 34 minutes.
Attacker Fashion Sakala made it 3-0 in the 70th minute to clinch a convincing victory over the below-par cinch Premiership champions.
It was Beale’s first success in five attempts against the Parkhead side since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst last November and it ended Celtic’s 34-game unbeaten domestic run – although Ange Postecoglou’s side remain on course for a domestic treble, with the Scottish Cup final against Championship side Inverness at Hampden Park to come on June 3.
If nothing else, it was a much-needed marker for Beale and Rangers with a view to next season although they will realise the title and the ViaPlay Cup were already safely in the Celtic Park trophy room.
Pre-match speculation about team line-ups ended when it was announced that Souttar was taking over from the injured Ben Davies, Ryan Jack returning to midfield and Rabbi Matondo and Sakala leading the line, with Robby McCrorie again preferred to veteran Allan McGregor in goal.
Postecoglou replaced Greg Taylor with Alexandro Bernabei and brought in South Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu for Kyogo Furuhashi and winger Liel Abada for Daizen Maeda.
There were no away fans in the stadium due to “safety and security” issues, as was the case when Rangers visited the east end of Glasgow in April, and it was a blistering start from the home side which produced the opener.
As the Hoops defence gasped for air, midfielder John Lundstram’s shot from 25 yards was parried by Joe Hart and Cantwell reacted quickly to drive the ball through the legs of the Hoops keeper from eight yards.
Celtic’s first real attack moments later almost brought an equaliser.
Abada raced clear down the right and when he picked out Oh, the Parkhead attacker’s chip beat McCrorie but clipped the post and Rangers recovered.
Matondo broke clear as Celtic pressed but his long-range effort was comfortably saved by Hart.
The home support urged their team forward but the visitors were controlling the game, only to fall further behind when, from a James Tavernier corner, Souttar fended off Celtic defender Yuki Kobayashi to head past Hart for his first goal since joining the Ibrox club from Hearts in the summer.
As Celtic pushed to get back in the game, there was a penalty appeal when Light Blues defender Connor Goldson fell hand-first on to the ball but referee Steven McLean played on.
The Parkhead side might have reduced the deficit in the 50th minute when Jack was robbed by Matt O’Riley but after going past Souttar, the midfielder’s chip was brilliantly touched over the bar by McCrorie and the Govan side survived the corner.
At the other end, moments later following a Gers counter, Hart tipped a Cantwell drive round the post, and minutes later saved an angled drive from the former Norwich player – although McLean surprisingly awarded a goal kick.
Celtic contributed to their own downfall when Sakala took advantage of hesitation between Carl Starfelt and skipper Callum McGregor to race clear, round Hart and tap into an empty net for a victory which, while in reality doing little to halt Celtic’s progression under Postecoglou, allows Beale breathing space to make radical changes to his squad for next season.
Andre Blake signs ambassador deal with JustBet
Jamaica Reggae Boyz Captain and Goalkeeper Andre Blake has signed an endorsement deal with Supreme Ventures Limited’s sports betting brand, JustBet.
The 33-year-old Goalkeeper, who celebrates ten years in the nets for the Reggae Boyz, joins the JustBet roster as one of the faces of its new advertising campaign unveiled at the Jamaica Premier League semi-final on Sunday.
As part of the sponsorship, SVL will use Blake in their JustBet ad campaign and support his charity initiatives for 2024.
In welcoming Blake to the SVL family, Kamal Powell, Head of Marketing at SVL, noted that Blake is an excellent role model given his exploits as arguably the best goalkeeper in Jamaica's history, "Andre has represented Jamaica consistently and his talent is undeniable. We are impressed by his winning attitude, his passion for the sport and the high level of leadership and integrity that he displays, which are all the core values of Supreme Ventures and JustBet.
"We are delighted to have him on board as we promote the exciting competitions we deliver to our customers, and we have a shared vision for sports development in Jamaica."
For Andre Blake, this will help to further his efforts to give back to the sport.
"Supreme Ventures has supported sports in Jamaica, including football, for many years, and so I'm excited to work with their team, not just in the new ad campaign but also by supporting the Andre Blake Foundation", commented Blake.
Other faces of the 2024 ad campaign include Race Car driver Fraser McConnell and Olympian Stacy-Ann Williams.
Philadelphia Union v New York City FC: Cushing salutes togetherness of in-form NYCFC
Nick Cushing hailed the togetherness demonstrated by New York City FC as they look to continue their impressive form against a struggling Philadelphia Union.
The Boys in Blue endured a poor start to the MLS season – losing four of their opening five matches – but have tasted defeat just once in their last seven.
Last weekend's 3-2 victory over Toronto FC was New York's fourth in five matches, and Cushing saluted the character shown by his squad in recent times.
"We're training incredibly well," he said. "Our intensity and our culture is excellent at the moment.
"I'm so proud of the team because if you look at the way the bench celebrated the third goal [against Toronto], these are guys there that really want to get on the field.
"The way they celebrate for their team-mates and for the team shows me that [togetherness]."
Despite their impressive form, though, NYCFC face a potential banana skin in Philadelphia, who have prevailed in each of the last five meetings between the Eastern Conference sides.
"They are a really hard team to get results against, especially there [at home]," Cushing added. "There's an opportunity there for us, but we have to prepare well."
The Union are without a win in five matches – losing three – and have been beaten in each of their last three on home soil.
Jim Curtin's side had started the season with a seven-game unbeaten run, and the head coach has urged his players to draw inspiration from that as they bid to turn their fortunes around.
"I'm a big believer that you can make your own luck," he said.
"We've shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit in recent games, played from behind quite a bit, had to chase games and put a lot into them, and we get punished.
"We have to stick together as a group and find a way to tighten things up. We're on a really bad stretch here, but we know we're capable of going on unbeaten streaks already like we've had this year.
"We have to turn it around, and we can't feel sorry for ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
Despite Union's recent struggles, Gazdag has been in fine form – scoring in three straight home games, though they have all ended in defeat.
The Hungary international is the first player to score in three successive home matches but appear on the losing side each time since Colorado Rapids' Kei Kamara in 2019.
New York City FC – Hannes Wolf
Wolf set up two of NYCFC's three goals in their victory over Toronto FC last time out.
The midfielder became the first Austrian to claim at least two assists in an MLS game after Daniel Royer (2020), Andreas Ivanschitz (2016) and Andreas Herzog (2004).
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC
New York have won four of their last five matches, scoring multiple goals in each of their victories.
They had only scored two or more goals once in their opening seven games of this season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia are currently on the longest losing home streak in their history, having lost each of their last three at Subaru Park.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia Union: 49.7%
New York City FC: 22.8%
Draw: 27.5%
All Saints United crowned as 2023-24 ABFA Premier League champions on goal difference
All Saints United have been crowned as champions of the 2023-24 Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Premier League.
All Saints entered the 18th and final game on May 5 on 46 points, trailing Grenades FC by two points.
They then defeated Garden Stars 3-1 in their final game while Grenades were held to a 1-1 draw by Ottos Rangers FC who played the ultimate spoiler role as their relegation to the first division was already confirmed before this game.
In the end, both All Saints United and Grenades FC finished with identical records of 16 wins, one draw and one loss from their 18 games.
However, by virtue of a goal difference of 55 compared to 48 by Grenades, All Saints United were crowned champions.
The top five were rounded out by Old Road FC, FC Aston Villa and Hoppers FC with totals of 38 points, 33 points and 29 points, respectively.
The ABFA issued a statement congratulating All Saints on winning the title as well as acknowledging the contributions of all the teams to a successful season.
“The ABFA Executive members extend heartfelt congratulations to the management, coaches, and players of All Saints United for their triumphant victory in clinching the 2023/24 ABFA Premier League trophy. We also commend Grenades FC and Old Road FC for their outstanding performances, securing second and third place respectively, and contributing to the thrilling championship race,” the statement read.
It continued, “this season has been filled with excitement, with the premier division delivering a nail-biting finish. The first and second divisions are also gearing up for an equally thrilling climax. We express gratitude to our dedicated fans whose unwavering support has made this season unforgettable.”
Joining the aforementioned Rangers in next season’s first division will be Sap FC and Empire FC who finished 13th and 15th, respectively.
Swetes FC, who finished 12th, will fight for their spot in next season’s Premier league in the playoffs with Police FC and Attacking Saints who finished third and fourth in the first division.
Potter’s Tigers and Five Islands FC were the top two finishers in the first division and have booked spots in next season’s Premier League.
Individually, Old Road’s Raheem Deterville was crowned as both the season’s golden boot winner and MVP.
All Saints United’s Jayden Martin and Blake Thompson took home prizes for best goalkeeper and best defender while FC Aston Villa’s Tyrik Hughes was named best young player.
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