RANGERS 2 CELTIC 2: REO BRAVO CAPS HOOPS REVIVAL

RANGERS 2 CELTIC 2

REO HATATE capped a truly astonishing Celtic fightback after the champions looked dead and buried following a shambolic first-half at Ibrox this afternoon.

A double from Youssef Chermiti had handed the hosts a comfortable two-goal advantage at the interval after a chaotic display from the champions.

Martin O’Neill, on his 74th birthday, had gambled on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his starting line-up, but the decision backfired with the former England midfielder way off the pace in the opening 45 minutes.

The Irishman introduced Hatate at the turnaround and the transformation in the team was simply astonishing. The Hoops were clicking into gear, taking the game to Danny Rohl’s team and 11 minutes into the second-half got their due reward with a goal from Kieran Tierney.

The Scotland international left-back, making his 200th start for the club, finished off a smart move with a superb header from eight yards.

Callum McGregor was involved with a pass to Hatate on the left. The Japanese ace touched the ball back inside to the skipper who then set up Benjamin Nygren.

The Swede swung an inviting ball into the danger zone and Tierney was first to react with a well-placed effort wide of Jack Butland’s searching fingers to his right.

Game on!

Celtic continued to pile forward and Daizen Maeda had a close-range header that went straight into the keeper’s grateful arms when he should have scored.

Hatate then blazed one over as the title kings came off the ropes in valiant style.

REO GRANDE…Celtic’s Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate prepares to beat Jack Butland at the third attempt to claim the champions’ late equaliser.

And they got their reward in the dramatic fading moments when substitute James Forrest whipped over a delicious cross from the right.

Maeda’s timing on this occasion was perfection as he rose to make excellent contact and the ball was scrambled away. It looked as though the hosts had survived another scare.

However, Steven McLean, on VAR, instructed referee John Beaton to have another look at the incident.

TV images clearly showed a handball from Dujon Sterling before the effort bounced off the chest of Butland.

The match official had no option but to return to the field and point to the spot.

The responsibility fell to Hatate and, remarkably, it was third time lucky before he managed to squeeze the equaliser into the net.

The playmaker’s penalty-kick lacked power and precision and Butland got down quickly to his right to push the ball away.

It fell to Hatate who rolled the rebound towards the inviting empty net only for the keeper to get his left hand to the shot to divert it for a second time.

The persistent Celt, though, was not to be denied and followed up again to ram home from practically on the goal-line.

The draw leaves the champions still two points adrift of their Glasgow rivals with a valuable game in hand. They are also eight points adrift of leaders Hearts who have played an extra game.

The draw was gratefully received, especially after the visitors mystifyingly disappeared in a minefield of mistakes in a lop-sided opening period.

HEAD BHOY…Kieran Tierney rises to flash in the first goal at Ibrox with Daizen Maeda following up.

The Hoops were too often second best in 50-50 duels in a disjointed display and the stuttering show was summed up with the loss of the second goal in the 26th minute after a dreadful sclaff from Dane Murray.

The centre-back horribly mistimed his attempted clearance from a right-wing pass, took a wayward swing and only succeeded in misdirecting the ball across his own goal.

Chermiti and Julian Araujo challenged for the miss-kick and the Ibrox attacker just managed to get a touch to open up an opportunity before rolling the ball wide of the exposed Viljami Sinisalo.

The first goal came in just eight minutes as the champions tried in vain to get into the contest.

Andreas Skov Olsen whipped over a cross from the right and Chermiti took to the air in acrobatic fashion before sending an unstoppable eight-yard first-timer past Sinisalo, who was once again rendered helpless.

O’Neill looked on from the touchline as his players continued to surrender possession.

In the 24th minute, Maeda was given time and space to produce something after being set up by Oxlade-Chamberlain, but, in keeping with his overall first-half display, he launched a left-wing cross that flew all the way to the opposite touchline for a throw-in the home side.

Junior Adamu was starved of any service as he tried hard to make the runs that may have seen Celtic get some sort of reward.

Unfortunately, the passes were often too heavy or intercepted and he cut a frustrated figure up front on his own.

Unsurprisingly, Oxlade-Chamberlain was replaced by Hatate at the interval.

Sebastian Tounekti came on for the unfortunate Adamu with Maeda moving in to lead the attack. That switch also worked a treat.

TWO v ONE…Jack Butland can only look on in dismay as Reo Hatate, with his compatriot Daizen Maeda for company, squeezes in Celtic’s second goal.

It took until the 55th minute for Celtic to have their first shot at goal when Butland was forced to dive full-length to tip a low drive from Hatate past his right-hand post.

Moments later, Tierney pulled one back to signal an extraordinary onslaught as the Hoops searched for an equaliser

In the 74th minute, O’Neill made his second round of changes as he put on Marcelo Saracchi and Luke McCowan for the tiring Tierney and Yang.

McCowan passed up a glorious chance to equalise when he had a clear sight of goal, but his angled shot was fairly feeble and Butland was down quickly to smother the ball.

Next up, it was Murray’s turn to head over the bar from a position where he really should have at least hit the target.

And, with the clock ticking down, Forrest came on for Nygren and it proved to be an inspired substitution by the birthday Bhoy.

It was the evergreen winger who provided the cross that led to the handball penalty-kick decision and the deserved equaliser.

But Celtic made this a lot tougher for themselves than it needed to be.

We’ll take the point and continue to focus on winning that fifth successive title.

Next up, it’s Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.

Go for it, Bhoys!

TEAM: Sinisalo; Araujo, Murray, Scales, Tierney (sub: Saracchi 74); Nygren (sub: Forrest 85), McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain (sub: Hatate 46) Yang (sub: McCowan 74), Adamu (sub: Tounekti 46), Maeda.