'Amazing': Clement and Souttar agree about 'top-class' Rangers star, he did something 'excellent' vs Ross County
12/08/2024 01:00 PM
Rangers’ past, present and future intertwined as Philippe Clement’s team exercised the howling ghosts of Dingwall in Sunday’s 3-0 Scottish Premiership victory away at Ross County.
Eight months after that Highlight collapse slammed the final nail into Rangers’ title hopes, the Glasgow giants returned to Victoria Park and delivered a performance which, while owing much to some of their stalwarts of years gone by, offered an exciting glimpse into a brighter future.
Hamza Igamane maintained his ‘incredible’ form with a goal worthy of such a description with just six minutes on the clock.
It was the sort of finish you needed a few looks at to work out what actually had happened.
Igamane, allowing the ball to run across his body, swiped at it with the outside of his right boot and sent it spinning high into the far top corner. Even a professional ten-pin bowlers would maybe risk a twist of the wrist attempting such audacious levels of swazz.
Danilo, meanwhile, doubled Rangers’ tally after a major blunder from Ross County ‘keeper Jack Hamilton. The Brazilian’s overall display, though, was one which suggested he could be the long-term answer to Rangers’ number nine question.
Providing he stays fit, of course.
20-year-old Jefte, meanwhile, was a bundle of energy and intensity down the left-hand flank.
But on an afternoon in which some of Rangers’ next generation made their presence felt, there was also an element of ‘rolling back the years’ as Jack Butland, Leon Balogun and captain James Tavernier proved that age really is just a number.
James Tavernier scores a stunner as Rangers beat Ross County
Butland made one supreme save with the score at 1-0. Balogun was as smooth as silk but as hard as granite at centre-half.
And Tavernier sent a warning out to Dujon Sterling and Philippe Clement in a rampaging second-half. Forty-five highly-impressive minutes capped by the sort of sumptuous finish British football’s highest-scoring ‘defender’ – if you can call him that – has long since made his trademark.
Rushing onto a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, and perhaps inspired by Igamane’s Goal of the Season contender earlier on, Tavernier opted for the ‘Trivela’. And what a decision it was.
The ball fizzing past Hamilton, the dramatic curve in it’s flight path filmed perfect view by the TV cameras on the touchline.
Philippe Clement lauds ‘amazing’ Tavernier strike
“That is an amazing technical goal,” Clement smiled. “That’s top-class to score in that way.”
“That is what the skip does,” adds centre-back John Souttar, a ninth clean sheet in 13 Premiership matches for him this season. “[Tavernier] arrives at the back post and it’s a great finish. I don’t think it’s a surprise that he’s done it. He’s done it for years! So hats off to him.
“It was an excellent finish.”
Some, including legendary Ibrox hitman Kris Boyd, have raised the suggestion that 2024/25 could be James Tavernier’s final one as a Rangers player.
But with Neraysho Kasanwirjo out for months, and with Dujon Sterling suffering a repeat of his own injury issues, successive goals in consecutive matches in 9-0 aggregate victories over Kilmarnock and Ross County goes to show that there is still a lot of life in the old man yet.
