I watched Kazakhstan vs Belgium, here’s what I noticed about Rangers star Nico Raskin
Nico Raskin had a rollercoaster of a performance as Belgium were held in a surprise 1-1 draw with Kazakhstan in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
After falling down the pecking order under Russell Martin, Raskin has rediscovered himself thanks to Danny Rohl, scoring his first goal since September against Dundee on Sunday, 9 November.
His performances have not gone unnoticed, with Tottenham one of the teams interested in Raskin ahead of the January transfer window, though the Gers are unlikely to let him go cheaply.
Belgium‘s clash against Kazakhstan on Saturday, 15 November, would have been the perfect chance to showcase his skills on the international stage, but it was far from simple for the team ranked eighth in the world.
Strangely, for the 24-year-old midfielder, he was almost invisible in the opening few minutes, rarely touching the ball and showing up in different areas around the pitch, trying to create options for his teammates.
Nico Raskin gets off to a slow start against Kazakhstan
Unsurprisingly, it was not long before Raskin was crunching into challenges and creating chances, slotting through a pass to Arsenal‘s Leandro Trossard in the 26th minute, but the opportunity was snuffed out.
This was already after Kazakhstan had opened the scoring, however, with Dastan Satpaev slotting past Nottingham Forest‘s Matz Sels in the ninth minute of the game.
The home side were close to doubling their lead after the hour mark, with the Rangers star being turned inside out by his opponent, but they were unable to capitalise on the chance in Group J.
He might have made up for his slack defending with an unlikely equaliser, popping up at the back post with a header, but failed to keep his effort from sailing miles over the crossbar.
| Nico Raskin vs Kazakhstan | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 89 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Shots (On target) | 3 (2) |
| Passing accuracy | 98% (52/53) |
| Touches | 68 |
| Tackles won | 0% (0/3) |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 83% (5/6) |
Rohl might have been wincing when the midfielder was taken out by Islam Chesnokov on the halfway line, but after getting up very quickly, it was just another foul won by the talent.
Rangers star continues to impress away from Ibrox
Hans Vanaken netted an equaliser just moments after the second half kicked off, and while Kazakhstan continued to pressure the Belgian goal, most chances quickly disappeared.
The final 25 minutes are really where the player came to life, unleashing a long-distance strike, commanding the ball more, and winning a free-kick in a dangerous area, although the chance was wasted.
Rudi Garcia’s decision to substitute Amadou Onana but not the Rangers star said everything he needed to say about the 24-year-old and his impact on the team since earning his debut.
The decision almost paid off in the most dramatic of circumstances, but due to a world-class performance from the goalkeeper, Raskin was denied from short range in the final two minutes of the game.
And that was his final impact on the game, being replaced by Romeo Vermant, in what was a rather surprising result for the Red Devils on the international stage.