GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Wilfried Nancy's job as Celtic manager came under even more intense scrutiny after a 3-1 home loss to fierce Glasgow rival Rangers on Saturday in the Old Firm derby, the biggest match in Scottish soccer.
It was a sixth loss in eight games under Nancy since his arrival at Celtic on Dec. 3 and the Frenchman cut a lonely figure after the post-match handshakes as he walked down the tunnel to a backdrop of jeers that greeted the fulltime whistle.
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Celtic's Yang Hyun-Jun scores his side's first goal of the game, during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Thelo Aasgaard, left, pulls back on Celtic's Luke McCowan during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers players celebrate after the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Youssef Chermiti scores their side's second goal of the game during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Youssef Chermiti celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
The result left Celtic on the same points as Rangers — though ahead on goal difference — and six behind surprise leader Hearts, which beat Livingston 1-0 on Saturday, in a turbulent campaign in the Scottish Premiership.
Nancy left Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer for Celtic but lost his first four matches in charge — including a stunning defeat in the Scottish League Cup final. There were then back-to-back wins only for Celtic to lose at Motherwell on Tuesday and then against its biggest foe to home.
“For me, nothing changes," a defiant Nancy said after the game against Rangers. "My focus is to help my players to be better, help my team start to be better, and to find a way to turn things around. We are really close to doing good things but (when) we concede goals sometimes it’s difficult.”
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Rangers scored three goals in a 21-minute span from the 50th — leading to audible discontent among Celtic fans throughout the second half.
The BBC reported that Celtic supporters gathered outside their stadium after the game in protest at the club's board. Last month, chairman Peter Lawwell resigned and chief executive Michael Nicholson claimed three of his “colleagues” on the board were “assaulted” after the League Cup final without disclosing further details.
Nancy cited “details at certain moments” as the reason for Celtic's problems.
“I see many, many good things — that’s why the frustration is there because we deserve better," he said. "We have to stay together, and everything is going to move forward.”
Celtic has been the Scottish champion for 13 of the last 14 years.
Under Nancy, Celtic has conceded two or more goals in seven of his eight games in charge.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Celtic's Yang Hyun-Jun scores his side's first goal of the game, during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Thelo Aasgaard, left, pulls back on Celtic's Luke McCowan during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers players celebrate after the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Youssef Chermiti scores their side's second goal of the game during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Rangers' Youssef Chermiti celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Scottish Premiership soccer match between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
The Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions for the first time in 10 years. The Denver Broncos are the AFC's No. 1 seed. And all but one playoff matchup is locked in.
The Panthers (8-9) clinched the division title when the Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to eliminate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Broncos (14-3) secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 19-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Seattle earned the NFC's No. 1 seed on Saturday night, defeating San Francisco 13-3.
The Jaguars won the AFC South with a 41-7 rout of Tennessee. Rookie coach Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to a major turnaround after going 4-13 in 2024.
The AFC North is still up for grabs with a winner-take-all game Sunday night between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wild-card weekend will feature these matchups:
In the AFC, it'll be the Chargers (11-6) at the New England Patriots (14-3); the Buffalo Bills (12-5) at the Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4); and the Houston Texans (12-5) at the AFC North winner.
In the NFC, it'll be the Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) at the Chicago Bears (11-6); the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at the Philadelphia Eagles (11-6); and the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at the Panthers.
Led by second-year coach Dave Canales and third-year quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers are making their first playoff appearance under owner David Tepper and first since 2017, when they lost a wild-card game two years after they went 15-1 and lost the Super Bowl.
“I’m so grateful to have one more opportunity to get back to work where we can get on the grass, go through the preparation and have our meetings,” Canales said Sunday. “Once we are in cleats and on that grass it’s like the next thing becomes clear, the focus of what we are doing. ... It’s like here we go, we get one opportunity and let’s make this statement true: 1-0 with a chance to win a championship. How long can we keep that statement true?”
The Buccaneers (8-9) beat Carolina on Saturday to stay alive for an extra day but lost a three-team tiebreaker with the Falcons also finishing 8-9. Tampa Bay started 6-2 before losing seven of nine, failing to win its fifth straight division title.
While Sam Darnold and the Seahawks (14-3) earned a first-round bye, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the injury-depleted 49ers missed an opportunity to play at home the rest of the way. Levi's Stadium, which is San Francisco's home field, hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
New England won its first division title since Tom Brady led the franchise to 11 straight from 2009-19.
Buffalo’s run of five consecutive division crowns ended, and the Bills will go on the road in the playoffs.
The Steelers beat the Ravens 27-22 at Baltimore on Dec. 7. They have to beat them again or tie them on Sunday night without wide receiver DK Metcalf to get into the playoffs.
Derrick Henry and backup quarterback Tyler Huntley led the Ravens to a win at Green Bay last Saturday night that kept Baltimore in the race and made Pittsburgh’s loss to Cleveland the next day matter. Lamar Jackson returned from a back injury to start for the Ravens, who were 3 1/2-point favorites on the road, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Jacksonville won the division for the first time since 2022, when first-year coach Doug Pederson guided them to a 9-8 record and a wild-card playoff victory over the Chargers, overcoming a 27-0 deficit.
The Texans secured the No. 5 seed with a 38-30 victory over Indianapolis. Houston is in the playoffs for the third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans and QB C.J. Stroud.
The Broncos ended Kansas City’s nine-year run. Denver hasn't been the No. 1 seed since Peyton Manning and a stifling defense beat Carolina in the Super Bowl 10 years ago.
The Chargers are in the playoffs for the second straight season under Jim Harbaugh.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles became the first team to win this division in consecutive seasons in two decades. They missed a chance to be the No. 2 seed when they rested starters and lost 24-17 to Washington.
The Bears clinched their first division championship since 2018. They lost 19-16 to Detroit but secured the No. 2 seed because the Eagles lost.
The Packers were locked into the No. 7 seed after Week 17.
The Panthers backed into a division title but are ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process.
The Seahawks earned the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in team history. They reached the Super Bowl the first three, winning once.
The Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 37-20 to secure the No. 5 seed and a rematch at Carolina. The Panthers beat them 31-28 on Nov. 30.
After falling to secure a bye, the 49ers dropped to the No. 6 seed and will face Philadelphia in a rematch of the NFC championship game following the 2022 season.
AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this report.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs the ball past Tennessee Titans outside linebackers Truman Jones (56) and Jaylen Harrell, far right, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, right, hands off to running back Rico Dowdle (5) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas, left, is congratulated by safety Ty Okada (39) and linebacker Ernest Jones IV after intercepting a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) makes a catch over Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) reacts after his touchdown catch over Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison (21) during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates after recovering a fumble by Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
