Callum McGregor 'boots' Nico Raskin as Rangers star hurt in Celtic thrashing
01/03/2025 03:00 AM
Nico Raskin was left hurt in the 3-0 Rangers win over Celtic after he was kicked by Hoops captain Callum McGregor, said Neil McCann.
The Hoops suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to their bitter rivals at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.
Goals from Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper, and Danilo secured a derby victory for Philippe Clement's side, leaving them 11 points behind the Bhoys in the league standings.
McGregor faced heavy criticism during the match, as his performance saw him receive a yellow card in the 33rd minute for delaying the restart.
However, he might have been booked earlier for his challenge on Raskin. He also avoided a yellow card at half-time despite being involved in a scuffle with the Rangers captain, during which Raskin was controversially booked following their argument.
The original incident occurred in the first half, deep in the Rangers’ territory. Raskin challenged McGregor, winning the ball, but was left struggling after McGregor caught him with a late tackle.
Chris Sutton described the challenge on Sky Sports commentary, saying (3.22pm): “Raskin’s hurt himself in the process there, being aggressive on Callum McGregor, and McGregor having words with [Reo] Hatate”.
When the replay was shown, he reverted to: “Here, Raskin just gets caught, doesn’t he, by McGregor”.
Former Rangers player McCann then weighed in: “Yeah, he gets caught. He steals it with his left foot, and McGregor just boots him right in the instep. That'll be a stinging one, that”.
Celtic and Brendan Rodgers will want to forget about this Old Firm derby
Football Insider opinion
It was a performance Brendan Rodgers is unaccustomed to, as almost none of his players showed up on the day.
Players like Alistair Johnston made rash decisions and reckless tackles, drawing criticism from fans and pundits alike.
Another usually reliable performer, Hatate, delivered an uncharacteristically poor display, leaving commentators stunned by how far below his usual standards he fell.
Despite the heavy defeat, it's unlikely this setback will derail Celtic's campaign.
The team recently defeated the same Rangers side on penalties in the Scottish League Cup final, securing their first piece of silverware this season.
While the win came under controversial circumstances, Rodgers and his squad won't mind as long as the trophies keep coming.
However, the team cannot afford complacency, especially as the calendar still reads January. Celtic will be eager to avoid their lead being cut to single digits at any point, as they march closer to yet another league title.
In other news, Celtic will compete with Premier League clubs for Man City star.
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