Bajrami shines, Danilo terrible – Rangers player ratings v Alloa
Rangers survived an early setback to progress to the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup against League One opponents Alloa Athletic on Saturday (16 August) afternoon.
Rangers got off to a quick start at Ibrox as Nedim Bajrami curled a fine strike into the top-right corner to give his side the lead, but they were surprisingly pegged back soon after as Joe Rothwell diverted into his net after Liam Kelly’s failed clearance.
Russell Martin’s side were only behind for four minutes as summer signing Emmanuel Fernandez nodded home to put them back into the ascendancy, and they extended their lead in the second-half as James Tavernier dispatched a penalty with confidence.
Martin’s side suffered a late scare as their League One opponents pulled one back through Scott Taggart, but Findlay Curtis scored just before full-time as they eventually they progressed into the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup with a 4-2 win.
Rangers defensive inconsistencies made clear
Liam Kelly – 5
Kelly struggled to give confidence to his defence early on with some shaky moments, and he was at fault for Alloa’s first goal as his attempted clearance smashed into Rothwell and into the net.
Max Aarons – 5
Quiet. Aarons was weak at the back and rarely managed to start attacks from right-back, which is what Martin will demand from a player of his quality.
Nasser Djiga – 5
He went down after a good challenge by a visiting player which eventually led to their first goal, and again never looked confident in his own abilities up against a League One strike force.
Emmanuel Fernandez – 7
Grabbed a well-taken goal on his debut as he popped up in the box when the Gers needed him most. Was relatively strong throughout and definitely put his name forward to start in bigger games going forward.
Bailey Rice – 5
The youngster was deployed in an unfamiliar left-back role by Martin, and his shortfalls were clear in the first-half as he allowed Alloa’s attackers to run free too often. He then got injured just before the interval was taken off for James Tavernier.
Bajrami shines in midfield
Kieran Dowell – 6
Another largely poor game from a player who is not in many Rangers’ fans good books for his drab showings over the last few years. He did well at the end, though, to power through the midfield and set Curtis up for the fourth.
Joe Rothwell – 7
Decent. Rothwell was a clear cut above the visitors midfield throughout and he got Rangers moving up the pitch on numerous occasions.
Nedim Bajrami – 8 (Player of the Match)
Fantastic. Bajrami was a real breath of fresh air in a ponderous, slow Rangers side. He curled home a wonderful goal early on and could have had a few more if he had been able to pick out the top corner once again.
Oscar Cortes – 5
Cortes played poorly when he really needed to take his chance and prove that he can be a threat to Martin going forward. He showed some glimpses of pace and trickery but it was all too few and far between.
Danilo struggles against lower-league opposition
Danilo – 2
Terrible. The Gers frontman could hardly get on the ball in attack despite playing against a third-tier backline, and he barely even troubled Liam MacFarlane in the Alloa goal.
Mikey Moore – 7
Moore impressed on his Rangers debut after a recent loan move from Tottenham. He was their main outlet in the first-half and always looked to get on the ball to create a chance.
Substitutes
James Tavernier (on for Rice 44′) – 7
His usual strong showing with another penalty goal to add to the collection. Probably wanted a better rest but needs must for Martin.
Hamza Igamane (on for Danilo 68′) – 6
Showed some decent glimpses of his obvious quality late on, and was a step up from Danilo despite being on the pitch for a lot less time.
Thelo Aasgaard (on for Moore 68′) – 6
Again impressed off the bench with some neat play alongside Igamane as he eases into life at Ibrox. Still lots more to come from the Norway international.
Connor Barron (on for Rothwell 68′) – 6
Barron did not really put a foot wrong late on as he replicated Rothwell’s intensity and quality with ease against tired Alloa legs.
Findlay Curtis (on for Cortes 84′) – 6
Took his goal really nicely at the end despite hardly touching the ball prior to that moment.