Alright, buckle up, folks, because the derby dust has barely settled, and already the fireworks are flying off the pitch! ‘No chance’ – Celtic’s Callum McGregor fires back after what he’s hearing from Rangers’ bench – and let me tell you, the Celtic skipper isn’t mincing his words.
We’re talking about that moment, late in the nail-biting 1-1 draw at Ibrox today. With the tension thicker than a Harmattan haze here in Asuir, Benue, Ianis Hagi went down in the Celtic box under a challenge from the ever-reliable Callum McGregor. Cue absolute pandemonium on the Rangers bench, arms waving, voices raised – they wanted a penalty, and they wanted it now.
But referee Nick Walsh? He stood firm. No whistle. Play on. And now, the Celtic captain himself has weighed in, and he’s about as convinced about that penalty shout as I am about seeing a cold beer magically appear in this heat.
Speaking to the Sky Sports cameras after the derby battle, McGregor delivered a response that was pure, unadulterated skipper material. He didn’t just disagree; he practically laughed it off. His exact words? “It’s probably a foul on me if anything. It’s not a foul to put your body in the way, he kicks me if anything so nah, no chance.”
Mic drop moment? You betcha. McGregor’s “no chance” wasn’t just a denial; it was a statement. It was the calm, collected leader of Celtic basically saying, “You can shout all you want, but we know what happened.”
And it wasn’t just our captain backing the ref’s decision. Former top whistler Des Roache, analyzing the game for the Daily Record, was firmly in McGregor and Walsh’s corner. He called it a case of McGregor using his body intelligently and pointed out that not every bit of contact in a derby – especially one this intense – warrants a penalty. Roache even suggested the Rangers bench were “clutching there.” Ouch! Tell us how you really feel, Des!
Look, we all know the Old Firm rivalry is a different beast. Every single tackle, every single decision is dissected frame by frame, debated endlessly in pubs and online forums (like this one!). When the stakes are this high, and the game is this tight, emotions are bound to spill over, even reaching us all the way here in Nigeria. The Rangers bench clearly felt wronged, but McGregor’s defiant response just adds another layer of delicious drama to this already captivating title race.
The 1-1 draw leaves everything still to play for, but this little post-match skirmish just proves that the battles aren’t confined to the 90 minutes on the pitch. McGregor’s blunt dismissal of the penalty claim is the sound of a captain standing his ground, a team that believes in its integrity, and a rivalry that continues to deliver the goods, even after the final whistle.
So, what’s the verdict from you lot? Was it a stonewall penalty that Walsh inexplicably missed? Or was McGregor right to fire back with such conviction? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!
