Celtic's Dramatic Ibrox Comeback Sparks Title Hope, Says O'Neill
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill insists his side's stirring second-half comeback in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Ibrox demonstrates they still possess the necessary qualities to retain the Scottish Premiership title this season. The champions were comprehensively outplayed in the first period, falling two goals behind through a Youssef Chermiti double, but a vastly improved performance after the break saw them salvage a crucial point.
Second-Half Resurgence Turns the Tide
After a dismal first half where Celtic struggled to string passes together and conceded twice, O'Neill's men mounted a heroic fightback. Kieran Tierney pulled a goal back early in the second half, injecting belief into the visiting side. The drama peaked in injury time when Reo Hatate eventually converted after initially missing a penalty, with his third attempt finding the net past Rangers keeper Jack Butland.
The hard-earned draw ensures Celtic remain eight points behind leaders Hearts, though they have a game in hand to be played at Pittodrie on Wednesday. Despite having no margin for error in their remaining ten matches, O'Neill saw enough in the second-half display to maintain belief in their championship credentials.
O'Neill's Post-Match Assessment
"I think today's result - if you belong to Hearts - then you'll think it's a great result for them," said the veteran manager. "But even so, we're not out of it. If the game had ended at half time, with our performance, we'd have thought 'we're a million miles off it'. Now, by the end of the game, the manner that we played, particularly here at Ibrox, 2-0 down, we fight back. There's still plenty of heart and desire to try and retain the championship."
O'Neill admitted his side were fortunate to still be in the game at halftime, but believed they might even have won it after their second-half dominance. "We were second best for almost all of the first half," he conceded. "Rangers got off to a great start and capitalised on our uncertainty. It was a tough first half for us. I had to try and turn it around and the players showed some character to come back."
The Northern Irishman highlighted the complete turnaround in performance: "Other than the first three or four minutes of the second half, I thought we dominated the second half, so much so that the crowd were perhaps turning on their own players. We were so dominant and we wonder where it came from, or why we couldn't string a couple of passes together in the first half."
Tactical Changes and Goalkeeper Decision
Celtic gained more control of the game when O'Neill made two key substitutions at halftime, replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Junior Adamu with Reo Hatate and Seb Tounekti. "It's a difficult one for Alex," said O'Neill of Oxlade-Chamberlain. "He's trying to get up to speed at this minute not having played. He's a very fine footballer. It was one of those, do you play him until he gets really tired? The game was so fast, in particular the first half, and I think we as a team struggled with the intensity of it."
In goal, Viljami Sinisalo kept his place after keeping a clean sheet in Stuttgart, with O'Neill revealing the decision was made easier by Kasper Schmeichel being under the weather. "The point I want to try and make is that on Thursday, I thought Sinisalo did really well in the game," said O'Neill. "Sometimes when you're changing goalkeepers around to play in certain competitions, then if somebody steps up and does really well... But I hadn't any real decision to make today in that sense. Maybe later on down the line. He (Schmeichel) should be available for selection on Wednesday."
Birthday Celebrations and Title Race Outlook
O'Neill was relieved that his 74th birthday wasn't spoiled by his side's abject first-half display, revealing that backroom staff had dimmed the lights and brought out a birthday cake at the team hotel. "It was pathetic," he joked. "The problem is, my birthday was not until 12 o'clock and I could have died between 7.30pm and 12 o'clock. Seriously. I don't know who would have eaten the cake. Probably (Mark) Fotheringham."
Despite the challenging position in the title race, O'Neill remains defiant: "It's just been a tough old struggle this season. We just have to try and dig it out. I think we are still in the title race when it looked pretty daunting at half-time." The Celtic boss emphasized that the character shown in the second half at Ibrox proves his team has not given up on defending their championship crown.
