Rangers FC's African contingent were on target on Sunday as the Scottish giants kept their title hopes alive with a dramatic 3-2 victory over eternal rivals Celtic FC. Moroccan striker Hamza Igamane produced the late match winner while Ivorian midfielder Mohammed Diomande was also on target for The Gers, who still remain thirteen points behind Celtic on the table.
It was an ideal first half for the visitors at Celtic Park who took the lead through Nicolas Raskin inside five minutes. Right to Dream Academy graduate Diomande then collected a cross close to halftime and finished past Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to double the advantage.
But it wouldn't be that easy for Rangers. An inspired Celtic came out after halftime and leveled courtesy of their Japanese stars. Daizen Maeda struck soon after the interval and Reo Hatate equalized in the 74th minute.
With the teams set to share points on the day, it was Igamane's turn to steal the spotlight. Called up to the Morocco national team this week for an opportunity to make his Atlas Lions debut, the former AS FAR Rabat striker took down a long ball before settling himself and firing a thunderbolt past Schmeichel to clinch the victory.
Rangers are long shots to come back and win the title but Diomande and Igamane have done their part and still have the upcoming UEFA Europa League quarterfinals to look forward to. Diomande has been ever present with 6 goals and 7 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions and spoke about the victory and his joy at watching friend Igamane score the match winner.
Igamane's role as shifted throughout the season with Nigeria national team striker Cyriel Dessers to compete with for playing time. However, the Moroccan has been productive with 14 goals and 2 assists in 37 matches this season.
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