There were unsavoury scenes between Rangers and Celtic fans as the latest Old Firm Derby clash came to an end on Sunday.
The two fierce Scottish rivals, Rangers and Celtic, went head-to-head for the second time in as many weeks, this time in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.
Just a week earlier the two Glasgow rivals had drawn 2-2 at the same venue in the Scottish Premiership, with rivalries renewed just seven days later.
Once again, there was nothing to separate the two teams, who played out a goalless draw after extra-time, meaning the match would go to a penalty shootout.
Rival Rangers And Celtic Fans Clash On The Pitch
Celtic would claim the bragging rights and a place in the semi-finals with a 4-2 spot-kick success, but that result sparked ugly scenes in the stadium of their biggest rivals.
Celtic supporters stormed the pitch, getting past stewards and police, before the Rangers fans followed suit and the two sets of supporters clashed on the pitch before the police intervened and separated them.
Flares and other objects were tossed around, while it is reported that one Celtic member of staff was caught up in the incident and attacked in a chaotic turn of events that marred an eventful match.
A statement from the Scottish FA in the aftermath of the chaos read: “The Scottish FA condemns the behaviour from supporters entering the field of play following today’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final at Ibrox Stadium.
“An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol.”
Rangers boss Danny Rohl had praised the atmosphere inside the stadium prior to any fighting breaking out after the game, saying: “I think it was a great atmosphere, 120 minutes. I think it should be like this. All the other things should not be in the stadium or around football.”
Martin O’Neill reacted to the ugly scenes by saying that Old Firm games were “explosive” and that they “always have been”.
It is no surprise then, to learn that two Manchester United legends have praised the supporters of both Glasgow sides in the past, although the duo do differ in what is actually the best stadium for atmosphere.
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson once stated: “Parkhead is the best I’ve experienced. The players were just talking about that the other day – [Nemanja] Vidic and [Cristiano] Ronaldo were saying it’s the best atmosphere they had ever played in. Credit to the supporters for that because they don’t half raise the roof. It’s obvious the Celtic players react to it given the results they’ve had. You are going to have to run that extra yard or you will soon be found out by them.”
One of Ferguson’s trusted lieutenants Gary Neville thought otherwise.
“The best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in my life was Ibrox,” he said. “As the game was about to kick off, I thought, “What the f**k is this?” Honestly, for the first couple of minutes before the game and when the game started, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. Noise. Honestly, Ibrox, it was unbelievable. Staggering.”
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Rangers vs Celtic: Chaotic Scenes Break Out on the Pitch as Police Struggle to Cope
There was a pitch invasion after the Scottish Cup quarter-final.