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In the only match of the Scottish Championship on Sunday, eternal rivals met - the "Rangers" and "Celtic" clubs fought in the Glasgow derby. The leaders of the championship, the "Celts," were ahead after a goal by Thomas Gravesen, but at the end of the match, the result was equalized by "Rangers" goalkeeper Brahim Hemdani.
1 - 1
38' [0 - 1] Thomas Gravesen
88' [1 - 1] Brahim Hemdani
For the struggling "Rangers" this season, the so-called Glasgow "Old Firm" derby was one of the last chances to at least slightly revive the fight for the championship title, as "Celtic" had accumulated a 16-point advantage over 18 matches.
The "green-whites" guests started more actively in the match at the "Ibrox" stadium, but their first attempts were unsuccessful, and more dangerous attacks were created by the "Rangers" - initially goalkeeper Artur Boruc saved Nacho Novo's shot, and soon Barry Ferguson missed from a promising position in the penalty area.
Just a few minutes later, Dado Pršo struck next to the "Celtic" goal, but the hosts had to hold their heads in the 38th minute, as after a pass from Shunsuke Nakamura, the ball came to Dane Thomas Gravesen and he scored a powerful shot from a sharp angle to lead his team forward. At the end of the half, the referee did not dare to award a penalty kick to the "Rangers" for fouling Neil Lennon, and Aiden McGeady's shot was blocked by Allan McGregor.
After the break, the "Celtic" Japanese Shunsuke Nakamura struck next to the goal, while after playing just over an hour, luck accompanied the guests - the first to hit the crossbar was Dado Pršo, and then Libor Sionko, who took a second attempt. Soon, N. Novo came close to scoring, but managed to avoid Lee Naylor's defense and shoot completely off-target.
As time passed, the pressure from the hosts continued, and "Celtic" goalkeeper A. Boruc had to save his team from shots by Karl Svensson, Filippo Sebo, and D. Pršo, but with a few minutes left until the end of the match, he could no longer help, as Brahim Hemdani scored with a precise shot into the goal corner.
At the end of the match, A. Boruc knocked away F. Sebo's last attempt to snatch victory. The match ended in a draw, which satisfied the "Celtic" team more - they managed to maintain a 16-point advantage over the city neighbors. Meanwhile, "Rangers" dropped to third place after this round, as second place was taken by "Aberdeen," who beat "Hearts" on Saturday.
