Daizen Maeda Shines as Celtic Beats Rangers 3-1
Daizen Maeda lit up Celtic Park with a moment that will live long in the memory – and may yet define a title race.
The Japan forward struck twice in four second-half minutes, the second a stunning overhead kick, as Celtic roared back to beat Rangers 3-1 and haul themselves to within a point of William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts.
Maeda turns the tide
Rangers had walked into a wall of noise and silenced it early. In the ninth minute, Mikey Moore stole in to give the visitors the perfect start, punishing slack defending and briefly tilting the afternoon in blue.
Celtic’s response was raw and relentless. The first half became a furious, open contest, chances flashing at both ends, tackles snapping into midfield. The equaliser, when it came midway through the half, arrived under a cloud. Yang Hyun-jun forced the ball home amid Rangers protests, the goal standing despite the controversy swirling around it. The argument only added to the edge inside the stadium.
By the interval, the game felt precariously balanced. It did not stay that way for long.
Celtic emerged after the break with a different kind of purpose, pushing Rangers back, pinning them into their own half. The pressure built, the tempo rose, and the champions started to look like champions again.
On 53 minutes, Maeda struck. A sharp move, a first-time finish, and Celtic had completed the turnaround. The noise was deafening; the belief, unmistakable.
Then came the moment of pure theatre. Four minutes later, Maeda, back to goal, improvised brilliantly, looping an overhead kick into the top corner. It was audacious, instinctive, and ruthless – his sixth goal in four games and the strike that broke Rangers’ resistance.
Champions stand firm, title race ignites
Rangers tried to respond, throwing men forward, searching for a lifeline. Celtic did not buckle. The back line held, the midfield snapped into duels, and every clearance was roared as if it were another goal. The early stages of the second half had belonged to the hosts; the closing stages were about resolve.
When the final whistle blew, the significance was immediate. The win, coupled with Hearts’ draw at Motherwell on Saturday night, drags Celtic right back into the thick of the title fight.
The gap to Hearts is now a single point. The goal difference advantage the leaders enjoyed has been whittled down to three, a margin that only truly matters in one specific scenario: if Celtic draw at Fir Park and Hearts lose at home to Falkirk.
For now, the equation is simple for the champions. Take at least a point at Motherwell and they will walk into next Sunday’s meeting with Hearts knowing the title can be ripped from the leaders’ grasp on the pitch, head‑to‑head.
After a day when Maeda’s overhead kick seemed to hang in the air forever, so does a question over this run‑in: have Celtic just seized the momentum at exactly the right time?
