St Johnstone have been relegated from the Scottish Premiership following a dramatic conclusion to their final match of the season. A last-gasp penalty scored by Ross County’s Ronan Hale in the sixth minute of stoppage time secured a 1-1 draw against Dundee, effectively condemning St Johnstone to drop out of the top flight after a 16-year stay.
The match at Dens Park was tense and fraught with high stakes. St Johnstone went into the game needing a result to keep their survival hopes alive, fully aware that defeat would confirm their relegation unless County also lost their game. Earlier in the day, St Johnstone had lost 2-1 to Hearts, which put even more pressure on them to secure points in their final fixture.
The scoring opened with a first-half own goal from Barry Douglas, which gave Ross County the lead. However, Alan Forrest equalized for St Johnstone with a strike at Tynecastle, keeping their hopes alive. The game swung back and forth, with Dundee’s Scott Tiffoney scoring what appeared to be a crucial goal to give Dundee the advantage, potentially sealing St Johnstone’s fate. But then the dramatic moment came in stoppage time. Ryan Astley’s header struck the arm of his teammate Antonio Portales inside the penalty area, leading the referee to award a penalty. Ronan Hale confidently converted the spot-kick, crushing St Johnstone’s survival dreams and securing County’s escape from relegation.
Elsewhere, Celtic secured a dominant 5-1 victory over Aberdeen in a match marked by both goals and controversy. Celtic’s new signing Johnny Kenny made an immediate impact by scoring his first goal for the club with a powerful header early in the second half. Maik Nawrocki also scored a header, while Yang Hyun-jun, Luke McCowan, and Adam Idah added further goals to give Celtic a comprehensive win at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen fought back through Kevin Nisbet’s equalizer but ultimately were unable to maintain momentum. The Dons finished the match with ten men after on-loan Tottenham defender Alfie Dorrington was sent off for two yellow cards. The loss ended Aberdeen’s realistic hopes of securing third place in the league.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was particularly incensed by a challenge from Aberdeen’s Pape Gueye on Celtic’s Reo Hatate during the match. Hatate was forced off with an injury and required treatment with an ice pack below his knee. Rodgers criticized Gueye’s tackle as “needless” and reckless, describing it as a dangerous block tackle when the ball had already gone away from the play. Rodgers expressed concern for Hatate’s condition but also underlined his satisfaction with Celtic’s overall performance, despite the injury worries.
Looking ahead, Rodgers was asked whether the incident and result would influence the upcoming Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Aberdeen. He brushed off the question, focusing instead on his team’s performance and readiness for the big game, leaving the pressure on Aberdeen to respond.
Meanwhile, Rangers produced a spirited comeback to beat Dundee United 3-1 at Ibrox. Dundee United took an early lead through Sam Cleall-Harding, but Rangers struck back with two goals from Cyriel Dessers and a further strike from Nicolas Raskin to secure the win under the management of Barry Ferguson.
In other league action, Hibernian confirmed their third-place finish after a 2-2 draw against St Mirren. The home side staged a comeback to earn a point after falling two goals behind early in the match. Motherwell also celebrated a late victory, scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes to secure a 3-0 win over a 10-man Kilmarnock side at Fir Park, highlighting the final rounds of the season’s competitive spirit.
With the season concluded for most clubs, attention now turns to the upcoming Scottish Cup final and the summer preparations for next season, as St Johnstone face the challenge of regrouping in the lower division, while teams like Celtic, Rangers, and Hibernian look to build on their league successes.
