Nigerian striker Cyriel Dessers scored his 25th goal of the season, while defender Leon Balogun made his comeback after a head injury, as Rangers and Celtic battled to a 1-1 stalemate in Sunday’s Old Firm derby at Ibrox.
Dessers had scored his 24th goal of the season in all competitions during Rangers’ 2-2 draw with St. Mirren, but it served as a mere consolation as Celtic clinched their fourth consecutive league title with a dominant 5-0 victory over Dundee United.
Meanwhile, Leon Balogun suffered his head injury during Rangers’ 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final. However, the Nigerian defender made his return to the starting lineup against Celtic after two weeks and three days on the sidelines.
Although Celtic controlled the first half of the derby, Rangers appeared more efficient in attack, with Raskin’s goal disallowed by VAR before Cyriel Dessers broke the deadlock just minutes before halftime with a precise finish to put the hosts ahead.
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Despite Rangers’ efforts to extend their lead, the champions leveled the scoreline in the 57th minute when Adam Idah’s shot took a heavy deflection, wrong-footing Liam Kelly and finding the back of the net.
Although he just returned from injury, Leon Balogun delivered a strong performance in defense, playing a key role in helping Rangers hold off Celtic and deny them a late comeback victory.
Nonetheless, the result means that Rangers are four Premiership games without a win, their longest such run since February 2017. On the other hand, Celtic preserved their 17-point lead at the top with three matches left to play.
Rangers will be eager to get back to winning ways when they host Aberdeen in their next league game on Sunday, May 11. Meanwhile, Celtic face Hibernian at home next, seeking to continue their four-game unbeaten run.
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