GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Daizen Maeda’s stunning overhead kick completed Celtic’s comeback in a 3-1 win over fierce rival Rangers that kept the heat on Hearts in a thrilling Scottish Premiership title race on Sunday.
Second-place Celtic moved a point behind Hearts with two matches left, while Rangers dropped out of contention for the title and is assured of finishing third.
Trailing to Mikey Moore’s ninth-minute opener for Rangers in a typically frenetic Old Firm derby, Celtic fought back to equalize through South Korea winger Yang Hyun-jun in the 23rd before a second-half double from Maeda — the second from the Japan forward being a looping overhead kick that dropped underneath the crossbar in the 57th.
The next installment of a title race for the ages comes on Wednesday. Hearts, without a Scottish league title in 66 years, will be expected to beat sixth-place Falkirk, while Celtic faces a testing trip to fourth-place Motherwell, which held Hearts to a draw on Saturday.
If the title is still in the balance next Saturday, it promises to be a sensational final day — with Celtic hosting Hearts in what would be a last-round shootout.
Martin O’Neill, Celtic’s 74-year-old manager, said: “We’re still in it, we’re still fighting.”
“We might fall short at the end of it all, who knows?” O’Neill said. “But it’s been a fabulous effort.”
Celtic has won 13 of the last 14 league titles, the other going to Rangers.
Not since 1985, when Aberdeen was champion under Alex Ferguson, has a team other than Celtic or Rangers been Scottish champion.
Injury concerns for Hearts
Hearts doesn’t have as deep a squad as Celtic and it has been hit by key late-season injuries.
Marc Leonard and Craig Halkett will miss the final games after sustaining what Hearts coach Derek McInnes described as “really bad” and “unusual” injuries against Motherwell.
Halkett had an outside chance of making Scotland’s squad for its return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
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