Celtic on Saturday snatched the Scottish Premiership title from Hearts in the dying minutes of the season, scoring two late goals to earn a 3-1 win and a 14th title in 15 years.
Needing a win to usurp the Jambos at the top of the table, Celtic came from behind to deny Hearts a first title in 66 years.
The Jambos were within minutes of ending the stranglehold on the Scottish game exerted by Rangers and Celtic, which now extends to 41 years.
Photo: Reuters
Celtic fans spilled onto the pitch in celebration after Callum Osmand’s third goal deep into stoppage time, and Hearts condemned “shameful scenes” that they say embarrassed Scottish football.
Hearts left Celtic Park minutes after full-time with players still in their kit and without doing post-match media duties.
“Heart of Midlothian utterly condemns the shameful scenes at Celtic Park this afternoon which have, once again, embarrassed Scottish football,” Hearts said in a statement. “Reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere, are deeply disturbing.”
Derek McInnes’ men took the lead when Lawrence Shankland headed home a corner in the 43rd minute.
Celtic rallied to level before the break courtesy of an Arne Engels penalty.
Hearts resisted during an incredibly tense second half until three minutes from time, when Daizen Maeda bundled in and the goal was awarded after a video assistant referee (VAR) review for offside.
Osmand was then able to walk the ball in to the net with the final kick of the game after Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow came forward in the hunt for an equalizer.
“I genuinely can’t believe it, it’s like a dream,” said Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, 74, who twice returned on an interim basis this season, two decades after his first spell in charge.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” he added.
Defeat was another devastating blow in Hearts’ quest for a first league title since 1960.
Not since Rangers got the better of Aberdeen 35 years ago had the top two faced off for the title on the final day of a Scottish season.
Hearts boss McInnes said he expected “bedlam” with the visiting support less than 1,000 of the 60,000-capacity crowd at Celtic Park.
However, the visitors dampened the atmosphere as McInnes’ gameplan worked a treat early on.
With so much on the line, the first half was frenetic and short on quality, but Hearts took a crucial lead.
Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo got caught under Stephen Kingsley’s corner and Shankland headed in at the far post.
The days before the match had been dominated by the fallout from a controversial late penalty that handed Celtic victory at Motherwell on Wednesday to keep O’Neill’s men in the race.
McInnes branded that decision “disgusting,” but there were few protests when Hearts conceded a penalty in first-half stoppage time.
Kieran Tierney’s cross hit Alexandros Kyziridis’s outstretched hand just inside the area.
Engels’ spot-kick squeezed under Schmolow to give Celtic hope.
The introduction of Kelechi Iheanacho finally gave Celtic some cutting edge in the second half as they hemmed Hearts in.
Iheanacho struck the base of the post, and Schwolow tipped over Benjamin Nygren’s drive as the pressure built.
The dam finally burst when Maeda turned in Osmand’s cross only for the flag to briefly halt Celtic celebrations, but VAR again came to the Hoops’ aid.
Osmand then rubbed salt in the wounds for McInnes’ men by bursting clear from inside his own half to roll into an unguarded net.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei, the only active Taiwanese pitcher in MLB, on Sunday suffered his third loss of the season, throwing a season-high 63 pitches in his second start of the year. Teng allowed three earned runs over three innings on five hits in the Astros’ 5-0 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter among the 15 hitters he faced, raising his earned run average to 3.12. It was the Astros’ second attempt to use the 27-year-old Taiwanese as a starter, after he had established himself as a reliable bullpen
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
RSS