Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Celtic concedes late in 2-2 draw with surprise Scottish leader Hearts

Celtic concedes late in 2-2 draw with surprise Scottish leader Hearts | iNFOnews.ca
Heart of Midlothian's Claudio Braga, second right, scores their side's second goal of the game during the William Hill Premiership match in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday Jan. 25, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Celtic missed its chance to close the gap on Heart of Midlothian on Sunday after conceding late to draw 2-2 with the Scottish Premiership leader.

Claudio Braga’s 87th-minute goal at Tynecastle Park leveled the game and kept first-place Hearts six points clear of the defending champion.

But the draw saw Rangers move up to second and within four points of Hearts with a 3-0 win against Dundee.

Hearts is the surprise leader in Scotland in a league that has long been dominated by Celtic and Rangers.

Celtic has lost two managers already this term — following the departure of Brendan Rodgers and the dismissal of Wilfried Nancy — and is being led by club icon Martin O’Neill on an interim basis for the second time this season.

Yet it remains in contention at the top and looked to pick up a vital win at Hearts when Yang Hyun-jun opened up a 2-1 lead in the 62nd.

But the visitors went down to 10 men when Auston Trusty was sent off 15 minutes later.

Hearts eventually made the numerical advantage count with Braga’s equalizer.

Celtic had taken an early lead through Benjamin Nygren, but Stuart Findlay made it 1-1 just after halftime.

James Tavernier, Danilo and Djeidi Gassama struck in Rangers’ win against Dundee at Ibrox, with two of those goals coming in time added on.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Celtic concedes late in 2-2 draw with surprise Scottish leader Hearts | iNFOnews.ca
Heart of Midlothian’s Claudio Braga celebrates scoring their side’s second goal of the game during the William Hill Premiership match in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday Jan. 25, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Celtic concedes late in 2-2 draw with surprise Scottish leader Hearts | iNFOnews.ca
Celtic’s Benjamin Nygren battles for the ball with Heart of Midlothian’s Claudio Braga, left, and Marc Leonard during the William Hill Premiership match in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday Jan. 25, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles