Glasgow Rangers ended last week with a bang, with Barry Ferguson securing their first victory at Parkhead since October 2020.
The 3-2 win over Celtic saw the Ibrox side dominate the first half, going two goals ahead before they were pegged back in the second and it looked as though a draw was going to be a fair result.
Step forward Hamza Igamane. The striker was brought on with less than ten minutes to go and promptly scored the winner with a stunning effort that no goalkeeper in the world would have saved.
It was a marvellous display by the team, especially James Tavernier, who inspired his teammates.
James Tavernier’s game in numbers vs Celtic
The captain produced an excellent performance against Fenerbahçe in midweek. Given his record against Celtic at Parkhead prior to the game – just two wins since he joined in 2015 – not much was expected on Sunday.
The right-back shone, however, making four key passes throughout the match, creating one big chance and providing an assist.
Defensively, he won 50% of his ground duels, made two tackles and three interceptions, and proved the doubters wrong.
|
Celtic vs Rangers – Key Statistics |
|
|---|---|
|
Metric |
Highest Ranked |
|
Accurate passes |
Carter-Vickers (90) |
|
Tackles |
Raskin (4) |
|
Shots on target |
Raskin, Maeda, Hatate (2) |
|
Ground duels won |
Raskin and Maeda (7) |
|
Key passes |
Tavernier (4) |
Despite a productive few days, Tavernier might not even be at the club next season, especially depending on who becomes the new manager.
If Tavernier does move on at the end of the season, the club have an ideal replacement as captain staring them in the face…
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The next perfect captain for Rangers
Nico Raskin has been one of the few bright sparks this season for the Light Blues in what has been an underwhelming campaign to say the least.
Arriving with massive potential in January 2023, the Belgian midfielder took a year or so to find his bearings, but his displays since coming back into the team after injury have been nothing short of sensational.
Against Celtic, Raskin opened the scoring with a header after just four minutes, while he won seven of his 12 ground duels contested, succeeded with 100% of his dribbles and made four tackles during the match.
He was everywhere, and the midfielder was praised heavily by journalist Scott Bradley following the match, who said: “Nico Raskin has been a different animal since Barry Ferguson came in. He’s truly tapped into his potential. Big future ahead for the lad.”
A big future indeed. Last week, Raskin even received his first ever call up to the Belgian national side ahead of the Nations League double header against Ukraine.
Raskin could further boost his reputation with big performances against the Ukrainians, which would certainly see his market value increase.
Tavernier has spent the last six years as captain of the Gers, but if the new manager is looking to change things ahead of 2025/26, then Raskin certainly appears up for the job. That’s a certainty.
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The Rangers star put in a fantastic shift against Celtic, as well as Nicolas Raskin.