SummaryGiovanni van Bronckhorst has lost his first Old Firm as coach of Rangers FC with big numbers: 3-0. Due to the humiliation in the 427th edition of the Glasgow derby, arch-rival Celtic took the lead in Scotland.
Geert Langendorff
Latest update:
01:14
By Geert Langendorff
The muscles around Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s jaws pulled his face into a grimace that was unusual for him after a disastrous first half for Rangers. An outburst of anger in the Celtic Park locker room over his team’s lackluster and feeble performance rippled through his body. Precisely against the arch-rival, The Gers did not give home, as a result of which he lost his first Old Firm as a coach (3-0).
The frustration of ‘Gio’, normally a beacon of calm, must have felt like a hurricane for the team. Three footballers, including Manchester United mercenary Amad Diallo, were allowed to take a shower immediately. A “disgrace” commentator Ally McCoist called Rangers’ play without exaggerating. Like Van Bronckhorst, the former striker of the club was surprised about the amateurish performance of the visitors.
Not Diallo, seen at Old Trafford as a super talent, but Reo Hatate stole the show. The Japanese, acquired from Kawasaki Frontale in the winter, was able to become the star of the evening for inexplicable reasons. The 24-year-old attacker was given a safe-conduct to put Celtic on an unbridgeable lead before the break. Twenty minutes before the end, he got a crowd change for his two goals and assist.
Van Bronckhorst received respect from the Scottish media for his first derby as a trainer. Unlike two-time World Cup finalist Wim Jansen, who died last week, he was not asked whether the squatter was the most important game of his career. Jansen only became a legend after his only and extremely successful season on the Celtic bench. Van Bronckhorst immediately stood on a pedestal at his entrance, thanks to his past as a Rangers player.
At Parkhead, his players showed that they were less able to draw on experience in dealing with pressure at the highest level. Celtic, blown forward by the vocal following, immediately rocked Rangers. Nerves and panic could not be controlled. After five minutes, Hatate took advantage of this by driving in a corner that had been deflected, after two defenders ran into each other (1-0).
Goalkeeper Allan McGregor (40) was one of the few on the Rangers side not to be intimidated. He prevented a failure with some good saves in the first half hour. Celtic dominated, barely gave anything away defensively and did not allow the fellow townsman a moment of rest. Attackers Ryan Kent and in particular Diallo snowballed in the physical violence and the fast pace.
Hatate then got the chance to uncover (2-0) after a transparent attack. On the stroke of half-time, he gave in to Liel Abada, who was able to get the ball in from close range (3-0) without a defender nearby. Van Bronckhorst’s intervention provided some stability, but his first defeat in the service of Rangers could not be prevented. In addition, he lost the lead to Celtic, which is one point ahead of The Gers.
For Van Bronckhorst, the humiliation marked his first setback as a coach in Scotland. The successor to Steven Gerrard, who left for Aston Villa in November, won seven games in a row in the Scottish Premier League and qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League. In addition, he secured the services of Aaron Ramsey, who came over from Juventus on loan.
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