Celtic Breakthrough and Rangers' Missed Chances in Tense Match

At McDiarmid Park, Celtic finally cracked a stubborn St Johnstone line with a goal that had been coming.

The warning signs were there. Callum McGregor, so often the man for the big moment, had already tried to take matters into his own hands, stepping onto a loose ball at the edge of the box. His shot never truly came alive, though, looping tamely into the gloves of Toby Steward after a deflection.

Celtic didn’t retreat. They squeezed the game higher, bodies pouring into the penalty area. The pressure built, pass by pass, run by run.

It told.

Haissem Hassan drove into space and whipped a low ball across the face of goal. Kasper Hogh attacked it, stretching to make contact, but the final touch belonged to Mika Baur. Arriving in the crowd of green and blue, he did exactly what was required – a simple, decisive finish for his first Celtic goal.

Former St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson, watching on, could see the tide turning even before the net rippled. He spoke of Celtic’s growing pressure and St Johnstone’s need to “just hold on in this little period”. They couldn’t. Celtic had found their moment, and Baur was there to cash it in.

Pat Bonner, the former Celtic goalkeeper, summed it up neatly: Celtic had bodies in the box. Baur just needed good contact. He got it. That was the difference.

Rangers Rocked by Missed Chance and Growing Discontent

Across the country, the mood in Govan swung wildly.

Rangers and St Mirren were locked at 0-0, but the scoreline barely told the story of the tension inside the stadium. The home support tried to lift their side, noise rising as Rangers pushed forward. Then a sloppy giveaway in their own defensive third flipped the atmosphere in an instant. Anxiety seeped in. Every misplaced pass drew groans. This felt precarious.

St Mirren sensed it.

They produced the move of the match. One incisive pass sliced straight through the Rangers back line, taking out the entire defence in a single stroke. None of the home players reacted quickly enough. Fraser Taylor did.

The midfielder burst clear, completely through on goal, with time to choose his finish. It should have been 1-0. It had to be. Instead, it was a chance that will linger.

Taylor advanced, weighed up his options, and struck – but Ivor Pandur held his ground, barely moving off his line, and made the crucial stop. The away end must have gasped; the home end exhaled in sheer relief. As the ball was cleared, the feeling was unmistakable: St Mirren might not see a better opportunity all night.

Rory Loy, who knows both clubs well, called it what it was – a glorious chance wasted. He wondered if Taylor had too much time to think. In games like this, that split second can be a curse.

St Mirren, though, didn’t shrink. They grew into the second half, looked increasingly assured, and began to play with the composure of a side that believed something was on. Rangers, by contrast, looked uneasy. The rumblings from the stands grew louder, every wayward touch feeding the frustration.

With Kim and Curtis introduced, Rangers shifted back into a 4-2-3-1 shape, searching for control, for rhythm, for anything to tilt the contest back their way. But the sense remained: this could still go either direction.

One side had already taken its big chance in Perth. The other was living dangerously, one missed opportunity away from paying for its hesitation.