Scottish Cup: Rangers advance, Celtic draw

By: Ian Rose | March 9th, 2008

Both Old Firm sides were in action today as Rangers looked to stay alive in all four competitions, and Celtic continue their defense of the Scottish Cup. Rangers were hosting Hibernian, a tricky fixture given the Hibees’ recent form as well as the confidence they would bring to Ibrox, having won there earlier this season. It seems like this season, in the close matches, it’s the depth of Rangers’ scoring options that hurts opponents the most. It was Chris Burke that opened the scoreline for Rangers in the first half, and his rocket of a goal would be all they would need, taking the match 1-0. The game did have one other significant result, though, with Nacho Novo’s sending off in the 79th minute. Novo made a harsh tackle on Thierry Gathuessi which resulted in a straight red card, starting an on-and-off-pitch argument that also saw Walter Smith sent to the stands. No word yet on whether Smith will have to serve any additional matches off of the touchline.

In the other match of the day, Celtic and Aberdeen clashed at Pittodrie over the second semifinal spot and the right to face Queen of the South for a place in the final. As expected, it was nothing like the thrashing Celtic handed the Dons on their last visit to Aberdeen, with both sides playing fairly evenly in the early minutes. Lee Miller found the back of the net immediately, but was offside, and Scott McDonald hit the post. As the first half came to a close, there were signs that Celtic was getting the upper hand, but still no goals. Last time Celtic came calling, it was Aiden McGeady who created all the chances, and young Irishman once again looked fantastic, putting beautiful crosses ahead of Jan Vennegor of Hesselink, only to see the big Dutchman miss them all. In the 78th minute, it was Jeffrey De Vischer who netted for the Dons, putting them up and giving the Pittodrie faithful hope of an upset. It stayed that way, as it so often does against Celtic, until the last minute.

I have sympathies here for Aberdeen. Last season, it was my Inverness Caley Thistle in this same situation. A few minutes to go, a 1-0 lead over Celtic for a place in the Scottish Cup semifinals. And that was when Jan Vennegor decided to score. Twice. This time, at least, Vennegor only knocked one in, a Samaras cross from about six yards out, to force a replay at Celtic Park. Considering the scoreline the last time this fixture was played, it’s not a bad result for Aberdeen, but I know how it feels to almost kill the giant, only to have it flip back on you at the last possible minute. As long of a shot as Aberdeen was at Pittodrie, the odds will be quite a bit longer in Glasgow.

So Rangers move on to a quarterfinal with Partick Thistle next week, and Aberdeen will follow Celtic home for a replay. Queen of the South remains the only side to have solidly booked a semifinal place, but both of the Old Firm sides made themselves much better candidates this weekend.