Celtic dented Glasgow City's title hopes as the city rivals were held to a 1-1 draw in the Scottish Women's Premier League. Ahead of the big cup semi-final at Hampden this weekend, it is incredibly promising to see Grant Scott's side put in a solid performance.
City were awarded a penalty early in the game as Chloe Craig brought Lisa Forrest down in the box. The forward stepped up to take the spot kick, but Adelaide Gay did a fantastic job to stop her attempt.
Shortly after though, Linda Motlhalo did a good job to lift her shot over Gay and into the back of the net, giving the hosts the advantage on a sunny day in Glasgow.
Up the other end of the pitch, Celtic looked to respond quickly. Right after the goal, Tara O'Hanlon found the head of Saoirse Noonan, but the Irish international headed just over. But under 10 minutes before the break, the Hoops' fortunes would change.
O'Hanlon sent a cross into the box, but it struck Emily Whelan's arm. It was enough for the referee to point to the spot, with Craig stepping up and converting.
Just moments after bringing things level, Celtic would be down to 10. She put her body out to block the run of Forrest, and the referee immediately took to her pocket, showing the defender red. It is a harsh decision in the end.
After the break, City came out fighting for a second goal. Mebae Tanaka almost had one, but O'Hanlon was there to clear it. Gay also made a brilliant save to deny Emma Brownlie.
In the end, it was a draw, and a really good result for Celtic. Going into this one, it was always going to be difficult, but Scott's side has shown that they have a real chance going into this weekend's Women's Scottish Cup clash.
Can Celtic do it on Saturday?
Celtic fans will be hopeful going into Saturday's game. It's going to be a massive occasion, on the Hoops' return to Hampden, and it'll be the first time that Scott is taking this side to the national stadium.
Even if we struggle to get a victory in the 90 minutes, we can force it to extra time and potentially penalties. It's never going to be easy, but if Celtic want to be a top side once again, then we need to prove that we can perform under pressure.
It's been a difficult season that now sees Celtic sit in fourth place, out of the title race, but ending with a trophy would be brilliant. Even if we get past City on Saturday, our next opponent is Montrose or Rangers. If the Gers progress, that will be an incredibly difficult final, and we'd need to pull off our first result against them since 2024 if we wanted to win.
That's the magic of football - anything can happen. When we take to Hampden, all that matters is that we back the team for however long the game is.
The Celtic FC Women Supporters Group and Celtic Women Ultras are promoting 'Wear the Hoops'. It's an initiative to get everyone attending to pack the stadium out in green and white. It would be a great way for the team to know they have the backing of however many people come out, so let's get involved. Get yourself down to Hampden for a lovely day of football, and wear the Hoops!
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