Football match
 Hampden Park is the venue for the match | |||||||
| Event | 2024–25 Scottish League Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| After extra time Celtic won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 15 December 2024 (2024-12-15) | ||||||
| Venue | Hampden Park, Glasgow | ||||||
| Referee | John Beaton | ||||||
| Attendance | 49,420 | ||||||
| ← December 2023 2025 → | |||||||
The 2024 Scottish League Cup final was an association football match took place at Hampden Park, Glasgow on 15 December 2024. It was the culmination of the 2024–25 Scottish League Cup, the 79th season of the Scottish League Cup (known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons), a competition for the 42 teams in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). It was played between Old Firm rivals Celtic (21-time winners, including in seven of the previous ten editions) and Rangers (title holders and record 28-time winners). It was the 17th Scottish League Cup final between the sides and the 443rd meeting overall in major competitions.
After the match finished in a 3–3 draw at the end of normal time and the same scoreline after extra time, Celtic won 5–4 in a penalty shootout to claim the trophy.
Route to the final
Main article: 2024–25 Scottish League CupAs both clubs participated in European competitions, they both received a bye through the group stage.
Celtic
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Second round | Hibernian | 3–1 (h) |
| Quarter-final | Falkirk | 5–2 (h) |
| Semi-final | Aberdeen | 6–0 (n) |
Rangers
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Second round | St Johnstone | 2–0 (h) |
| Quarter-final | Dundee | 3–0 (h) |
| Semi-final | Motherwell | 2–1 (n) |
Match
Build-up
This was the second final between the clubs in the calendar year, after the 2024 Scottish Cup final in May which brought the previous domestic season to a close.
Celtic went into the final as favourites owing to their position of dominance in Scottish football over the preceding dozen years since the events of 2012 involving Rangers, and in recent seasons (they had won seven of the nine trophies on offer since 2021–22, with Rangers winning the other two). Celtic had also made a stronger start to the 2024–25 Scottish Premiership, including a 3–0 win over Rangers, and held an 11-point lead over their old rivals in the league table; Rangers also trailed Aberdeen, whom Celtic had defeated 6–0 in their League Cup semi-final meeting. Both clubs had performed credibly in Europe, each recording draws in the days leading up to the final: Celtic returned from a goalless Champions League fixture away to Dinamo Zagreb, and Rangers shared the points at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, with defender John Souttar substituted due to an injury which caused him to miss the Hampden showpiece.
In the hours prior to the match there were incidents of disorder in Glasgow city centre, as the clubs' 'ultras' groups confronted one another, smashed shop windows and threw missiles at police.
Within the stadium, pyrotechnics were ignited at both ends on a large scale, a common occurrence in Scottish football in the 2020s, despite warnings from governing bodies over their misuse and both Celtic and Rangers (as well as Motherwell) facing fines for the same actions at Hampden in the competition's semi-finals. Kick-off was delayed slightly to allow smoke from the devices to clear.
Summary
Rangers took the lead in the first half when Nedim Bajrami anticipated and intercepted a pass across midfield from Greg Taylor and fed Hamza Igamane, whose shot was saved by Kasper Schmeichel only for Bajrami to score from the rebound.
Taylor redeemed his mistake early in the second half with the shot which brought the equaliser, although a deflection off Nicolas Raskin took the ball past Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland. Three minutes later Celtic took the lead when Daizen Maeda beat defender Leon Balogun to a pass, raced forward and finished into the corner. The Rangers equaliser came from Mohamed Diomande who showed strength to turn inside the penalty area and score past Schmeichel.
In the 87th minute, Celtic had what appeared to be a decisive goal when Nicolas Kühn dribbled upfield and had space to collect a return pass from Arne Engels after Diomande slipped while chasing back, placing the ball past Butland. However, Rangers hit back almost immediately, Václav Černý's cross met by a header from substitute Danilo to take the match to extra time.
Few chances were created in the additional 30 minutes, although Rangers had a claim for a penalty when Liam Scales could be seen holding Černý's shirt just inside the area.
The outcome was therefore settled in a penalty shootout, in which Rıdvan Yılmaz of Rangers had his kick saved by Schmeichel. All other efforts (including one from Butland) were scored, with the winning penalty converted by Maeda.
Aftermath
Hundreds of celebrating Celtic supporters made their way onto the pitchside track in the minutes after the shootout, which delayed the trophy presentation and was reported could result in sanctions for the club.
Celtic won the 119th major trophy in their history, moving them ahead of Rangers in the all-time rankings. Their winger James Forrest claimed a 25th winner's medal with the club, equalling the record held by Bobby Lennox. For Rangers the outcome was very similar to their defeat in the 2022 UEFA Europa League final, with captain James Tavernier commenting that it evoked 'flashbacks' of that disappointment.
Rangers submitted an official request for clarification from the Scottish Football Association into the extra time penalty incident. The Video Assistant Referee team had not intervened, with a reason initially provided that referee John Beaton had already blown his whistle to award a free kick for a trip by Scales on Černý outside the box, half a second before the jersey pull. However, analysts including current and former officials assessed that the foul was continuous and ended inside the area. Four days after the match, the SFA's head of referee operations Willie Collum stated that it was a "really, really poor" and "unacceptable" decision not to review the incident and award Rangers a penalty.
Details
| Celtic | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–4 | ||
56'
Celtic
|
Rangers
|
70'
90+2'
46'
|
Assistant referees:
|
|
See also
- Scottish League Cup finals played between same clubs: 1957, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984 (March), 1986, 1990, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2023 (February)
Notes
- As Ibrox Stadium was unavailable due to ongoing construction work, Rangers hired Hampden Park on a temporary basis.
References
- ^ Kick-off time confirmed for Celtic vs Rangers League Cup final at Hampden, Peter Cassidy, STV News, 5 November 2024
- Premier Sports Cup, Scottish Professional Football League
- ^ Celtic 3–3 Rangers, Martin Dowden, BBC Sport, 15 December 2024
- ^ Celtic 3-3 Rangers (5-4 pens): Daizen Maeda is Hoops hero with winning Scottish League Cup penalty, Alison Conroy, Sky Sports, 17 December 2024
- ^ Celtic 6-0 Aberdeen, Nick McPheat, BBC Sport, 2 November 2024
- Dessers and McCausland prove Rangers heroes at half empty Hampden but VAR drama leaves Levein apoplectic - 3 talking points, Andrew Newport, Daily Record, 17 August 2024
- Motherwell 1-2 Rangers, Martin Dowden, BBC Sport, 3 November 2024
- Dinamo Zagreb 0–0 Celtic, Martin Dowden, BBC Sport, 10 December 2024
- Rangers 1–1 Tottenham, George O'Neill, BBC Sport, 12 December 2024
- Missiles thrown at police amid violence in city centre ahead of cup final, Matthew Fulton, STV News, 15 December 2024
- Disorder before Old Firm game was 'utterly unacceptable', Ben Waddell, Glasgow Times, 16 December 2024
- ^ Cup final displays add to pyro charges against Celtic & Rangers, BBC Sport, 16 December 2024
- SPFL Statement, Scottish Professional Football League, 16 December 2024
- ^ Rangers seek answers from SFA over non-award of penalty in League Cup final, Raman Bhardwaj / Calum Loudon, STV News, 17 December 2024
- ^ Bobby Madden 'amazed' by VAR failure to give Rangers penalty vs Celtic, Robbie Hanratty, Glasgow Times, 15 December 2024
- ^ Former ref slams SFA silence on Rangers League Cup final penalty claim, Lana Mackay, Glasgow Times, 17 December 2024
- ^ 'Unacceptable' that Rangers did not get penalty - Collum, David Currie, BBC Sport, 19 December 2024
- Celtic party hits World Darts Championship as CCV lords dominance over Rangers with epic trophy boast, Craig Swan, Daily Record, 16 December 2024
- "James Forrest hails Celtic's golden era as he wins 25th major honour with club". The Independent. 16 December 2024.
- Celtic give Rangers 'flashbacks to Seville' as crestfallen James Tavernier dodges the excuses for Hampden heartache, Robbie Copeland, Daily Record, 15 December 2024
- 'Flashbacks to Seville' - Tavernier admits defeat to Celtic is 'sore one', BBC Sport, 16 December 2024
| Scottish League Cup | |
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| Seasons |
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| Finals |
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| 2024–25 in Scottish football | |
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| « 2023–24 2025–26 » | |
| Domestic leagues | |
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| Related to national team | |
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| Celtic F.C. matches | |
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| Scottish Cup Finals |
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| Scottish League Cup Finals | |
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| Rangers F.C. matches | |
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| Scottish Cup Finals | |
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