Celtic overthrew Rangers at the Scottish Premiership summit after Reo Hatate inspired a resounding 3-0 victory in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead on Wednesday.
Hatate continued his blistering start to life at Celtic with a first-half double that played a crucial role in securing a first league win against Rangers since September 2019.
The Japanese midfielder set up Liel Abada with a tantalising cross two minutes after netting his second of the game, practically ending Giovanni van Bronckhorst's hopes of salvaging a result in his first Old Firm at the Rangers helm.
Rangers' 21-game unbeaten run in the league consequently came to an ignominious end, with Ange Postecoglou's first win over Celtic's arch-rivals sending his team one point clear at the top.
Celtic took a fifth-minute lead when Hatate's effort from the edge of the box deflected off Glen Kamara and found the bottom-right corner.
Allan McGregor produced a brilliant double-save to keep Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis at bay, but he was helpless when Hatate curled in a second in the 42nd minute.
Hatate then turned provider before half-time, crossing for Abada to steer home after Rangers were caught napping by a quick throw-in.
Rangers tightened up after the restart but found it difficult to create chances to test Joe Hart, although Ryan Jack rattled the crossbar with a 30-yard piledriver in the 79th minute.
Celtic were able to comfortably see out the victory, and the new league leaders are now unbeaten in 18 straight top-flight matches.
What does it mean? A shift in Rangers' outlook
Rangers just could not keep track of Celtic's interchanging attack in a blistering first-half display, and it ultimately cost them their place at the top of the league.
The defeat sees Rangers go from being on a 21-game undefeated streak to having won just one of their past four matches in the top flight.
A Reo-lly good start
Hatate was named man of the match on his debut against Hibernian last month and scored a screamer at Hearts the following week. The 24-year-old produced another stand-out display, with two goals and an assist making it a maiden Old Firm outing to remember.
Barisic ball watches
Had Rangers gone into half-time at 2-0 down, they may have had hope of mounting a second-half comeback. However, Borna Barisic was completely idle as Abada nipped in front of him to get Celtic's third before the break. He did not return for the second half.
What's next?
Celtic head to Motherwell on Sunday, when Rangers face another difficult challenge at home to Hearts.
JFF Gen Sec Dennis Chung says measures being taken to protect vehicles at National Stadium after break-ins during Honduras game
October 14 was supposed to be a day for fans of Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to show their support for the side during their Concacaf Nations League game against Honduras at the National Stadium in Kingston.
After witnessing a tame 0-0 draw, fans were content but that feeling soon switched to anger when a number of fans noticed that their cars had been broken into during the game.
A number of videos showcasing the extensive damage circulated on social media over the next several days, prompting many people to question the security arrangements at the Stadium.
The Reggae Boyz are set to host defending Concacaf Nations League champions USA in the first leg of their quarter-final at the same venue on Saturday so the obvious question is: what is being done to prevent this from happening again?
General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation, Dennis Chung, has assured fans that measures are indeed being put in place to prevent a repeat of that unfortunate incident.
“Independence Park Limited (IPL), the JFF and the Police have met and they are designating some places where police will protect the vehicles,” Chung said on a zoom call on Monday.
“Our intelligence was that the disruption of the vehicles was a direct sabotage so we’re going to designate certain places and we’re going to tell the public where it is safe to park,” he added.
A potential defense for Chung would’ve been that the break-ins occurred in a lot near the Stadium and not on the actual compound, meaning that technically, the JFF or IPL wouldn’t be responsible.
He rejected this notion, highlighting the responsibility for fans safety when attending a JFF event such as a Reggae Boyz fixture.
“It wasn’t on the stadium compound but we will ensure that there are places outside of the stadium compound where police will be designated to protect because it’s our event and, even if you park on the road, we think it’s our responsibility still to ensure that people feel safe when they get there,” he said.
Chung went on to add that the JFF has also tried to ensure the smooth flow of traffic to and from the stadium before and after games through discussions with the head of traffic.
Camarda will make first Milan start in Morata's absence, says Fonseca
Paulo Fonseca confirmed teenage forward Francesco Camarda will make his first Milan start in place of the injured Alvaro Morata against Cagliari.
Morata suffered a head injury in training on Thursday and was taken to hospital where an MRI was carried out, and while no damage was found, he will take no part in Saturday's away game.
"It was a strange situation, in an exercise yesterday he collided with [Strahinja] Pavlovic," Fonseca told reporters.
"Initially, I didn't think it was such a problem as it turned out to be, but he is not ready to play tomorrow. He's fine, but he's not ready."
Morata has, however, been selected in Spain's Nations League squad, with their manager Luis de la Fuente saying the player is fit, something which surprised Fonseca.
"I don't know why he said that. There is a protocol that says that a player must stop for 10 days," Fonseca added.
"I don't know how he can say that he plays. That is, it is not an option, it is a mandatory thing. I don't know how De la Fuente can do this."
With Morata, who has scored three goals in all competitions for Milan this season, unavailable, and Luka Jovic struggling for fitness, it was expected that Tammy Abraham would lead the line at Cagliari after recovering from a shoulder injury.
However, Fonseca revealed he had instead chosen the 16-year-old Camarda.
"Morata at the moment has a very specific role. Morata is not always a striker, but many times he is a player who unlocks the passing lines," said the 51-year-old.
"I think Camarda right now is more ready than Abraham to play this role."
Last season, Camarda became the youngest-ever player to appear in Serie A, coming on as a late substitute against Fiorentina in November at 15 years, eight months and 16 days old.
He then came on to replace Morata during Milan's 3-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge last month, where he thought he had scored his first goal for the club, but it was ruled offside, and now the youngster will get his first chance from the start.
"For me, it's not surprising. He works with us every day. I think everyone at the club believes in him a lot, he works well and understands the role well," Fonseca said.
"For me, players have no age, they have quality. And he shows every day that he has quality."
Michel: Congested schedule adding to Girona's injury troubles
Michel says it is easier to pick Girona's starting line-ups due to their mounting injury problems, as the players struggle to cope with the packed schedule.
Girona, who had never qualified for the Champions League in their 94-year history, secured a place in the European competition by finishing third in Laliga last season.
But playing matches across competitions with minimal time to rest has taken its toll, with Girona sitting 12th in LaLiga ahead of Sunday's trip to Getafe.
They have won just four matches in LaLiga this season, and only notched one victory in four Champions League matches, suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to PSV on Wednesday in what was Michel's 150th game in charge of Girona.
"It's very easy to make the lineup, but it's very difficult to manage the games," he told reporters. "There is always a risk of injury, we cannot do rhythmic training and we have played every three days.
"It's complicated for everyone, but you have to face it with mentality and personality. The most important thing is to always be ourselves."
Last season's surprise package Girona have so far struggled to find form this campaign along with rising injury concerns.
Jhon Solis, Portu, Yaser Asprilla, Ivan Martin, Abel Ruiz, Viktor Tsygankov, Arnaut Danjuma, Gabriel Misehouy and Alejandro Frances are either doubts or unlikely to travel to Coliseum Stadium due to injuries.
Girona are coming off a 4-3 win over Leganés in their last LaLiga fixture and are looking to make it two wins in a row in the competition this season for only the second time, after doing so in early September (W2).
However, they have three draws and five losses in 12 league games, but Michel blamed himself for the team's underwhelming performances.
"The players always give their best on the pitch, but sometimes it is not enough to win games, like the other day in PSV," Michel said.
"When we lose, it's my responsibility. Playing every three days is difficult for everyone, but we have to face it with personality."
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