Celtic and Rangers serve up Hampden hijinx as Hoops edge 11-goal thriller Scottish Youth Cup final

As the goals mounted up at a head-spinning rate in the Youth Cup final, the excruciating defending implicated in all-too-many led one observer to bemoan that the encounter resembled a “playground game”.

Celtic's Daniel Cummings celebrates after scoring to make it 5-4 over Rangers in the Scottish Youth Cup final at Hampden. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

There was an obvious rejoinder to that. The combatants of Rangers and Celtic - as teenagers - haven’t long left behind the basketball-style back-and-forth of such scenarios. Where attacking abandon is prized over backline screening. Patently. Slack should be cut for the youngsters over their Hampden hijinx, then, because their desire to do damage in their opposition’s box meant they certainly entertained the family and friends granted access for the occasion. And how.

A nutty 6-5 win for Celtic after extra-time barely scratches the surface of the madcappery on a night when Rangers’ Zak Lovelace was red-carded in the 80th minute by referee Sean Murdoch with the decider then tied at 4-4. A desperate dismissal considered the forward was fooling no-one throwing himself to the ground in the box when already on a booking for, eh, diving…even if this initial caution seemed harsh.

Celtic capitalised on their man advantage in the added period after dominating the latter stages of the 90. Their cherry on top substitute Lewis Dobbie backheeling in the sixth after a cushion volley by Daniel Cummings from a Jude Bonnar cross seven minutes into the extra period. Entirely in keeping with the proceedings proved Rangers’ finding time for a consolation with Tyler Pasnik striking in added time of the added time.

And so the confrontation ended in the fashion it had progressed with eight goals plundered inside a mere 40 minutes after the aggressive intent of the Ibrox side - chasing a third straight success in the competition - had their rivals in all sorts of a pickle early on. Or a jar of them when it came to heart-in-mouth moments for keeper Jamie Meikle.

Rangers forward Jack Roberts exhibited early menace with his driving into space and a secure touch. Facets he deployed when the Celtic defence was rendered static by a ball over the top in 20 minutes to drill into the corner. The gates this deadlock-breaker opened up turned out to be at both ends. Within seven minutes, Celtic were 2-1 up. Their forcing in forward areas exposed the holders down the left for a 25th equaliser that was the result of Mitchell Frame exchanging passes with impressive orchestrator Danny Kelly before whipping an effort in at the near post. The quality of Celtic’s attacking endeavours was further illustrated when seconds later Corey Thomson audaciously turned Kristian Webster inside out and slammed into far corner.

As the 33rd minute rolled round, Kerr Robertson capitalised on Celtic’s failure to play a high line successfully when he held his run to slot in a cross squared by Lovelace. Only for Rangers keeper Jacob Pazilas to spill a shot almost imediately, that let Kelly ram in for 3-2 to Celtic. Parity was restored just before the interval when Rangers Archie Stevens was able to waltz through a yawning gap and plant the ball wide of Meikle, replaced at the interval by Mason Munn.

The scoring rate simply could not continue in the second period. It didn’t, as Celtic eventually took a firm grip. Though not before going 4-3 down when Josh Dede proved too physical in a tussle with Lovelace on 51 minutes to concede a penalty, converted by Finday Curtis, before the unfortunate Rangers defender Leyton Grant turned a Frame cross into own net for the latest equaliser. The last of a seeming never-ending series of them, as it was to prove.