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Celtic reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals after a tense Old Firm quarter-final against Rangers was settled on penalties, with Martin O’Neill hailing the 4-2 shoot-out victory as phenomenal following a goalless 120 minutes at Ibrox and a display built on resilience rather than attacking threat.

The shoot-out swung Celtic’s way when James Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama failed from the spot for Rangers, while Tomas Cvancara converted the deciding kick as Celtic scored all four of their penalties, extending Rangers’ wait for a first Scottish Cup crown since 2022 and increasing scrutiny on Rangers’ recent form.

Rangers now face growing pressure in the Scottish Cup fallout, with silverware hopes for the 2025-26 season resting only on the league after earlier elimination by Celtic in the Scottish League Cup, a six-point gap to Hearts at the top of the Premiership and just one win from their last five matches in all competitions.

Danny Rohl still highlighted positives from Rangers’ Scottish Cup Old Firm performance, stating: “We did well as a group from last week to this week. We will do this again, it’s our job. We are strong enough to step up in the right moments and we will do,” Rohl said. “We can take a lot of good things from this game, except the result. I’m totally convinced we will be ready again next week.” “At the end of the game, there’s always emotion. It’s what makes this game so exciting.”

Across the Scottish Cup Old Firm tie, Rangers dominated territory and attempts, registering 24 shots and a 2.9 expected goals figure, while Celtic produced only one attempt worth 0.02 expected goals, yet Celtic’s defensive organisation and penalty accuracy proved decisive as the visitors absorbed pressure for long spells and limited clear chances from open play.

O’Neill praised Celtic’s effort in the Scottish Cup Old Firm clash despite the imbalance in attacking numbers, saying: “It was our fourth game in 10 days, and we were really out on our feet, but we defended magnificently. Blocks, boys throwing their bodies on the line. The players showed phenomenal courage and great determination, which is really commendable. Everyone to a man did more than their jobs. They were really terrific. I’ve got the utmost regard for the team.”

Key leadership absences shaped Celtic’s Scottish Cup Old Firm approach, with Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney missing from the line-up, leading O’Neill to note the impact while praising others: “When those two [Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney] drop out of the side, it does leave a hole in terms of leadershipalthough I thought [Liam] Scales was outstanding.”

Scottish Cup Old Firm atmosphere, incidents and O’Neill reaction

The intensity of the Scottish Cup Old Firm derby again came to the fore, with O’Neill reflecting on the nature of the fixture by saying: “The Old Firm are explosive games, they always have been. That’s maybe a reason why the derby is one of the best in the world. We had to defend for long periods in the game, and we did that magnificently. It was a tough afternoon for us, but we came through it and we finally won the game.”

Post-match, Celtic’s Scottish Cup Old Firm celebrations were marred when sections of both Celtic and Rangers supporters came onto the pitch at Ibrox, causing unsightly scenes as players and staff attempted to leave, though O’Neill first chose to highlight the players’ commitment, saying: “There were a few tete-a-tetes, anyway. It’s unfortunate. Hopefully, it doesn’t dilute the performance,” O’Neill told Premier Sports.

O’Neill declined detailed comment on the Scottish Cup Old Firm full-time disturbances, instead stressing the emotional context of the moment, explaining: “You’re asking me a lot of political questions at this moment when I’m in a euphoric state. The fans have spilt over, big scenes at the end, all over the place. I’m not diminishing it at all, I will have a think about it and speak to you in due course.”

The Scottish Cup Old Firm victory leaves Celtic preparing for a semi-final after surviving heavy pressure and a draining schedule of four games in 10 days, while Rangers turn attention to closing the six-point Premiership gap to Hearts following another derby loss to Celtic in domestic cup competition and an outcome that intensified focus on results rather than performance.

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