Celtic fans ATTACK Hearts players during wild pitch invasion after winning the league – with skipper Lawrence Shankland punched in shocking scenes
Hearts players were allegedly attacked by Celtic fans during a pitch invasion at Celtic Park following the home team’s dramatic win in the Scottish Premiership.
Martin O’Neill’s side secured another title despite a turbulent season by beating Hearts 3-1 with two late goals, but the moment was marred by ugly scenes after Callum Osmand scored the winner in the eighth minute of extra time.
Following the goal, there was a frenzied pitch invasion, with some fans attacking the devastated Hearts players; Captain Lawrence Shankland was seen being punched and kicked in shocking scenes.
Eyewitnesses reported that Shankland tried to defend himself before being taken into the tunnel by police, and some of his teammates also got into trouble.
Former Scotland international Pat Nevin expressed his disgust at the attack on Shankland on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘It’s completely disgusting, it’s disgraceful. “It’s a terrible scene.”
Commenting on Sky Sports’ coverage of the match, James McFadden added: ‘You don’t want to see this. This is a football game, there are two teams that have earned the right to face each other in a match like today, and the winner emerges with the cup.
Hearts players allegedly attacked by Celtic fans during pitch invasion at Celtic Park
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland had to be removed by stewards after being attacked
‘Hearts played a big part and you don’t want to see any excesses.
“The fans – I understand the emotion of the match and the event – they have the right to celebrate too, but you can’t cross the line.
‘And if it is true that Hearts players were attacked it is completely unacceptable.
‘There have been many problems in the game this season and we need to solve them.’
Amid the chaotic scenes, Hearts’ players and staff were seen rushing out of the stadium; most of them were still in their jerseys and boarded the team bus 30 minutes after the end of the game.
It was a sad end to an incredible campaign for Derek McInnes’ men.
Hearts looked set to become the first Old Firm club to win the league since Aberdeen in 1985, as they claimed their first title in 66 years, having been top of the league for 226 days since October.
They were two points ahead of Celtic ahead of the final day after O’Neill’s side controversially beat Motherwell 3-2 thanks to a VAR-assisted 99th-minute penalty.
It all got off to a perfect start at Celtic Park on Saturday when Shankland nodded from a corner to score his 16th goal of the season.
The brutal pitch invasion came after Celtic won the title in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
Shankland puts Hearts ahead in the first half as they look set to win a historic title
But Celtic responded just before half-time with Arne Engels equalizing from the penalty spot after Alexandros Kyziridis was penalized for handball.
Daizen Maida put the ball into the net in the 87th minute, but after review, the offside flag was raised before the goal was awarded.
Osmand added luster to the victory late in injury time to bring to life the wild scenes inside the stadium and on the pitch.
Hearts’ players became demoralized towards the end of the match, and their early departure from the stadium meant that no one from the club did any media duties after the match had finished.
