Ianis Hagi scored his first Scottish Premiership goal of the season from 25 yards as Rangers took a seventh-minute lead against Celtic during a dominant start for the home side in their first Old Firm match of the calendar year.
With his father – former Ballon d'Or contender Gheorghe – watching at Ibrox, Romania international Hagi collected Nico Raskin's pass and beat Kasper Schmeichel to give Philipp Clement's side a brilliant start in the most famous match in Scottish football.
Ianis Hagi gives Rangers an early lead against Celtic! 🔵⚡️pic.twitter.com/WeqYvMn4JN
– Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 2, 2025
Former Rangers striker Billy Dodds said the strike came “out of nowhere”. “There wasn't a lot of speed (in it), but there was a lot of precision, straight into the bottom corner,” Dodds told Sportsound. “What a start from Rangers – you've got this place rocking.”
Celtic started the day 14 points clear of second-placed Rangers, but almost conceded their second goal 10 minutes later when Vaclav Cerny's shot hit the crossbar.
Despite having less than 39% of possession during the opening 23 minutes, the underdogs made six of the eight attempts on target between the two sides with both efforts on target.
More to follow
