An exciting finish turned sour at the Scottish Cup on Sunday, March 8, when fans raided the pitch after the Celtic vs. Rangers quarterfinal matchup in Glasgow, Scotland.
“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,” said the Scottish Football Association in a statement. “An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol.”
Celtic beat Rangers in a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinal round of the bracket. Tomas Cvancara‘s winning kick sent the crowd into a frenzy, with fans eventually making their way onto the pitch.
Fans started throwing flares and missiles, as Rangers fans followed onto the pitch. Police quickly set up a barrier to try to get things under control.
“I’m not sure what was at the end, I was in the tunnel,” Rangers manager Danny Rohl told Premier Sports. “Nobody wants to see this in football.”
“It’s unfortunate. Hopefully it doesn’t dilute the performance,” Celtic manager Martin O’Neill added. “Old Firm games, they are explosive games. They always have been. That’s maybe one of the reasons why the derby is one of the best in the world.”
The Celtic-Rangers rivalry is one of the fiercest in soccer, boiling over on Saturday in a high-stakes match.
Police officer and stewards force fans back after they invaded the pitch following a penalty shoot out after the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup quarter-final match at Ibrox Stadium Steve Welsh/PA Images
Former Scotland international Charlie Adam — and former Rangers midfielder — called Sunday an “embarrassment for our game,” adding that the two teams “have let us down as a nation.”
“It’s a sad day for Scottish football,” Adam said on talkSPORT. “For the Old Firm that we talk about being our leadership teams and [what] they represent, it’s an embarrassment for our game.”
He continued, “And as a national team we’re trying to improve and we’re trying to get better. But these two clubs have let us down as a nation and they have to have a look at themselves today. Both football clubs have to look at themselves because they are the standard-bearers for us as football clubs and they have, both [sets of] supporters have let themselves down.”
Celtic won the match in a shootout after neither team scored a goal in the first 120 minutes of action. Matter of fact, Celtic didn’t even record a shot on goal throughout the entire match (Striker Daizen Maeda had a goal disallowed for offside following a VAR review).
Rangers recorded 24 shots on goal, and also had a goal disallowed.
In the shootout, Rangers captain James Tavernier hit the bar with the first penalty. His teammate, Djeidi Gassama, also missed his penalty shot before Cvancara’s winning goal set off the chaos.
