EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The 40-year reign of Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers in Scottish soccer appears to be in serious danger of coming to an end.
Hearts beat Celtic 3-1 on Sunday to open an eight-point lead in the Scottish Premiership and underline that they are a real threat to their old club.
No team other than Celtic or Rangers has been Scottish champions since 1985, when Aberdeen were champions under Alex Ferguson.
‘Hearts’ may be looking to change that in its first season tony bloomthe billionaire owner of English Premier League club Brighton, has bought almost 30% of the shares in the Edinburgh-based team.
Celtic suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time since 2023 thanks to second-half goals from Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland. Dane Murray’s own goal put Hearts in the lead, before Callum McGregor equalized.
According to a report from the BBC, it is the first time since the 2005-06 season that Hearts have led the league this far. The team finished in second place that season.
Hearts, the last champions in 1960, missed out on the title on the final day of the 1985-86 season, conceding two goals in the final 10 minutes against Dundee, ending their 26-game unbeaten run. Celtic won the Championship and the old club’s 40-year reign began.
Celtic are second, while Rangers are mid-table despite a dismal start to the season. Manager changed.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
