05/04/26 03:29:00
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05/04 15:27 CDT Hearts leap in Scottish league title race after beating Rangers
with three rounds left
Hearts leap in Scottish league title race after beating Rangers with three
rounds left
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) --- The three-team race in a Scottish league title
chase for the ages now looks down to two after leader Heart of Midlothian
rallied to beat Rangers 2-1 on Monday.
Hearts is three points ahead of second-placed Celtic with three rounds left,
chasing a first league title for 66 years as a big underdog against richer
opponents.
Rangers was all but knocked out of the running, now seven points back.
Rangers can do Hearts a huge favor on Sunday at Celtic in a Glasgow derby
between fierce rivals who have combined to win the league in each of the past
40 years.
Hearts took a big step toward a stunning and unheralded Scottish Premiership
triumph with second-half goals from defender Stephen Kingsley and talismanic
forward Lawrence Shankland. Rangers took a first-half lead on Dujon Sterling's
deflected shot.
Shankland's decisive left-foot strike in the 71st minute --- his 14th league
goal this season --- showed the kind of form that could see him lead Scotland's
attack when the Tartan Army returns to the World Cup against Haiti on June 13
at the New England Patriots' stadium.
Hearts next plays on Saturday evening at Motherwell and can go six points clear
one day before Celtic hosts Rangers.
Hearts also has a better goal difference than Celtic which is the first
tiebreaker if they are level on points after the last game of the season ---
when they meet in Glasgow on May 16.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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