Daizen Maeda Shines in Celtic's 3-1 Derby Victory Over Rangers
Daizen Maeda lit up Celtic Park with a goal that will live long in the memory as Celtic turned a derby deficit into a 3-1 win over Rangers and hauled themselves right back into the title fight.
The Japan forward, in the form of his Celtic career, struck twice in four frantic minutes early in the second half to rip the game away from Rangers and cut Hearts’ lead at the top of the William Hill Premiership to a single point.
Rangers strike first, Celtic hit back
Rangers landed the first blow. In the ninth minute, Mikey Moore silenced the home crowd with a sharp finish, punishing Celtic’s slackness and giving the visitors the perfect platform in an end-to-end opening.
Celtic’s response came wrapped in controversy. Midway through the first half, Yang Hyun-jun levelled, his goal arriving amid Rangers protests and a sense of grievance that lingered in the stands and on the touchline. The game, already frantic, crackled with even more edge.
The first 45 minutes swung from one box to the other, both sides committing bodies forward, both goalkeepers worked. It felt like a derby that could tip either way with a single moment of composure or brilliance.
Celtic found both.
Maeda takes control
After the interval, the champions came out with a different kind of purpose. They pressed higher, snapped into tackles, and began to pin Rangers back. The pressure finally told eight minutes into the second half.
In the 53rd minute, Maeda struck. A first-time finish, crisp and ruthless, completed Celtic’s comeback and sent Celtic Park into a roar that seemed to drag the team further up the pitch. One goal in front, but nowhere near finished.
Four minutes later, he produced something special.
An overhead kick, looped and perfectly judged, arced into the top corner. It was his second of the afternoon, his sixth in four games, and the sort of audacious strike that instantly joins the catalogue of great derby moments in this stadium. Rangers could only watch it drop in.
From that point, Celtic had what they wanted: a two-goal cushion and a crowd in full voice. Rangers, stung, pushed hard to find a way back. They forced Celtic onto the defensive for spells, testing the champions’ resolve and their legs as the clock ticked down.
Celtic held their ground. They managed the game, absorbed the pressure, and refused to offer Rangers the lifeline of a second goal.
Title race narrows
When the whistle went, the significance was clear. With Hearts having drawn at Motherwell on Saturday night, this result tightens the race at the top. The gap is down to one point, Hearts’ advantage now resting largely on goal difference – and even that has been trimmed to three.
The equation for Celtic is simple enough. A point at Fir Park will be enough to ensure they take the title race into a straight shootout with Hearts when the sides meet next Sunday. Goal difference will only matter if Celtic draw at Motherwell and Hearts then lose at home to Falkirk.
For now, though, the numbers only tell part of the story. What will linger is the image of Maeda, back arched, overhead kick hanging in the Glasgow air, and a Celtic side that refused to let their season drift quietly away.
