Last updated on: March 8, 2026
Celtic settled for a draw, thanks to a dramatic second-half comeback, when they visited Ibrox last weekend to clash heads with Rangers in a Premiership encounter. The Gers once again hosted their Old Firm rivals this afternoon, this time in the Scottish Cup quarter-final. However, the meeting led to further disappointment for the hosts, who suffered a defeat in the tie-breakers.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their win against Rangers.
Viljami Sinisalo: 7.5
Made several timely saves en route to grabbing a clean sheet on the road. James Tavernier hit the woodwork, and Djeidi Gassama missed the target, helping him see a me
Julian Araujo: 7
Did his best to make an impact with his marauding runs, but the efforts went in vain due to a lack of support from Hyun-Jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Joel Mvuka high up the pitch.
Benjamin Arthur: 7
Kept his place in deep defence after impressing over the past couple of fixtures. Maintained his composure alongside Trusty but was surprisingly taken off for Dane Murray around the hour mark.
Auston Trusty: 8
Returned to the heart of the backline as the USMNT centre-back, though suspended in the league, was eligible to feature in this Cup tie. Did well to contain Youssef Chermiti, as the Portuguese hitman failed to cause menace in the Celtic box, unlike the past two outings. Made no mistake in converting from the spot in the tiebreakers.
Liam Scales: 6
Martin O’Neill decided to deploy Scales as a left fullback over Marcelo Saracchi amid Kieran Tierney’s injury absence. The Irishman looked unsettled for the majority of the game, but he found some rhythm and stability with time, as the game reached a stalemate.
Reo Hatate: 8
Was forced to play from the base amid skipper Callum McGregor’s fitness woe. Has been criticised of late for his underwhelming performances, but the Japanese ace delivered this time, exhibiting his work rate, off-the-ball movements, and the expertise from the spot in the tie-breakers.
Benjamin Nygren: 6
The Swedish star has scored an array of decisive goals, depicting his poaching traits. But he could not make a difference this afternoon before leaving the pitch for Paulo Bernardo early in the extra time
Luke McCowan: 6
A couple of good games earned him a start over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the centre of the pitch. However, the Scotsman could not control the tempo as a ‘number 8’ and was eventually replaced by the former Liverpool ace before the hour mark.
Hyun-Jun Yang: 5.5
A below-par performance from the South Korean, who was largely invisible on the flank, and was subbed off for Joel Mvuka around the 80th-minute mark.
Sebastian Tounekti: 6
A few flashy runs down the left-hand flank were not enough to make a difference in the Celtic attack. Was taken off for Tomas Cvancara early into the second half, as O’Neill opted for more directness up top.
Daizen Maeda: 5.5
Had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside early in the game. Was vastly disappointing otherwise while spearheading the attack, as the gaffer decided to take him off for James Forrest as part of the attacking reshuffle.
Celtic Subs vs Rangers
Tomas Cvancara: 6
Failed to threaten Jack Butland in the Rangers goal but he made no mistake to find the target during the tie-breakers.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain:
Did the basics right in the middle of the park and earned Celtic the advantage by converting his spot-kick.
Dane Murray: 6.5
Maintained the defensive mettle since his introduction in place of Arthur.
Joel Mvuka: 6
Failed to make any noteworthy contribution in place of Yang.
James Forrest: 6
Did not offer much since replacing Maeda.
Paulo Bernardo: 6.5
Restored stability and freshness in the centre of the pitch during the extra time.
