Rangers vs Celtic Old Firm clash delayed as broken glass removed from inside Joe Hart's box
Old Firm derby dates between Rangers and Celtic are always feisty affairs, with the latest instalment of that rivalry proving to be no different as the second half of a heated encounter had to be delayed after a broken bottle was thrown into the penalty area of Hoops goalkeeper Joe Hart.
The Gers found themselves trailing at the interval against old adversaries, with an early opener from Aaron Ramsey cancelled out by efforts from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers.
With emotions running high, the restart in Glasgow had to be pushed back slightly after former Manchester City and England shot-stopper Hart made the match officials and stewards aware of an unwanted presence in his box.
Watch: Broken bottle in Hart's area during Old Firm derby
The start to the second-half at Ibrox was delayed due to a glass bottle being thrown onto the pitch 👇 pic.twitter.com/cffhNf6p1u
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 3, 2022
The bigger picture
There were less than three minutes on the clock when Wales international Ramsey marked his first Old Firm derby with a well-taken goal, with the midfielder – who is on loan at Ibrox from Juventus – turning home a low cross from Ryan Kent.
The home support were bouncing at that stage, but they were silenced in the seventh minute when a breathless start to an entertaining encounter saw Australian star Rogic restore parity.
Celtic grew into the game from there and found themselves in front two minutes before half-time when the Gers failed to deal with a free-kick looped high into their box and on-loan defender Carter-Vickers displayed impressive predatory instincts to turn a left-footed strike beyond Allan McGregor.
The hosts were desperate to make a positive start to the second period, but saw those efforts delayed slightly by the actions of those in the stands – with Hart eventually able to laugh the incident off after being assured that he was in no physical danger.