The latest round of cinch Premiership fixtures kicked off with an Old Firm clash that did not impact the league table but was meaningful nonetheless.
The rest of the games were all significant either in the battle for European places or top-flight survival.
Here are five things we learned from the latest round of action.
Beale gets Celtic monkey off his backAlthough it had no bearing on the title race, Rangers’ 3-0 win over champions Celtic at Ibrox was significant for one person in particular. It was Michael Beale’s first win over the treble-chasing Hoops in five attempts since taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Gers manager last November and was exactly what he needed to alleviate the pressure that was building. The former QPR boss will revamp his squad this summer in an attempt to wrestle the title back to Govan next season.
Celtic come up short in points tally questThe Hoops were also looking to take full points from their final four games to take them on to 107 points, which would have been a record tally, beating the Celtic team of 2017. However, their second league defeat of the season ended those hopes. Manager Ange Postecoglou was perhaps looking more to next season by giving the likes of Alexandro Bernabei and Oh Hyeon-gyu starts at Ibrox, but there were no instant dividends.
When you are on a roll, you get the breaksKevin van Veen became the first Motherwell player to score in eight consecutive top-flight games for 86 years but only after being allowed to take his penalty again when St Johnstone goalkeeper Remi Matthews was punished for edging off his line while saving the initial effort. To give Van Veen his dues, his second – a chipped effort – showed supreme composure. Van Veen’s eight-game roll is the longest run of goalscoring in Scotland’s top flight since Craig Dargo managed the same with Inverness in 2005-06.
The relegation battle gets even more interestingDundee United slumped to the bottom after their second post-split defeat as Ross County leapfrogged them with a 3-1 Tannadice win thanks to Jordan White’s hat-trick. Kilmarnock moved out of the bottom two with a 2-0 win over Livingston and moved two points behind their next opponents, St Johnstone, following their 2-0 defeat by Motherwell. Killie can move further up the table when they host the Perth side next weekend. The bottom two are both away from home – County at Fir Park, while United travel to Livi.
No change in the battle for EuropeThe four teams still vying for European places drew with each other. Third-placed Aberdeen were the biggest winners as the status quo suits them and goalkeeper Kelle Roos saved a penalty from Kevin Nisbet to maintain their five-point advantage over Hearts. St Mirren were the most disappointed after blowing a two-goal lead against the 10-man Jambos to stay sixth.
Wales promotion 'hasn't sunk in' for Bellamy after 4-1 Iceland win
Wales secured promotion to League A after beating Iceland 4-1 at home in their final Nations League group match, having gone a goal down early on.
Their victory, alongside a 3-1 defeat for Turkiye away to Montenegro, means that Craig Bellamy's side topped their group by a point.
"The feeling hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it's been a real positive camp Whatever the result of this game, it's just been a positive camp," said Bellamy after the match.
"The targets we set right from the start, I feel we've been able to achieve."
Wales started the day knowing they needed to win and for results to go their way to top the group, but went a goal down after seven minutes after Andri Gudjohnsen followed up from a Danny Ward save.
It was the first goal Wales had conceded at home in 321 minutes and the first time they had been behind under Bellamy, but they responded well. The hosts managed to control the rest of the half, with Lewis Cullen scoring twice in the final 15 minutes of the first period.
The determination of his team to stick to the plan was something that pleased Bellamy immensely.
"There were one or two tests today that I feel we've been able to progress [through]. If they had happened one or two games ago, we might not have been able to.
"Where we're at, you go 1-0 down in the first few minutes and you get a performance like that.
"Then after that, when the crowd get a little bit edgy and try to force things for us... No, no. We keep the ball because we believe that's going to benefit us, and the players were able to do that."
In the second half, Wales were able to dominate and bagged goals from Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson to make things more comfortable.
"I thought we took control of the tempo of the game and we're a good team if we're able to do that," said Bellamy.
On promotion itself, the Wales manager could not overstate the importance of being able to mix with the biggest teams in international football in Europe.
"For where we want to be and where we want to go, it's huge. It's so important for us," he said.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
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