Rangers 2-0 Hearts: Cyriel Dessers strikes twice to set up Old Firm Scottish Cup final
The Rangers had a difficult week but ended it on a positive note when Cyriel Dessers scored two goals in their 2-0 win against Hearts. This victory will lead them to a Scottish Cup final where they will play against Celtic.
Manager Phillipe Clement urged his Rangers team to step up their performance in the semi-final, as their recent three-game winless streak put them three points behind their main competitors in the race for the title.
Dessers scored early on in the Hampden match, giving the Ibrox side an ideal beginning to the game. He managed to get a low shot past Craig Gordon in just five minutes.
Hearts soccer team, who have never managed to defeat Rangers at the national football stadium, failed to capitalize on chances before their forward player secured their first Scottish Cup final match against their rival team in over two decades by scoring a powerful, second goal in the closing minutes of the game.
Clement's team has already won the League Cup and they still have a chance to win two more domestic trophies this season.
Rangers Rebound, Reach Final
After the thrilling semi-final match between Celtic and Aberdeen on Saturday, where the Hoops emerged victorious after a 6-5 penalty shootout win following a 3-3 draw, both teams had a big reputation to maintain. However, the following game was less remarkable and didn't showcase the same level of excitement and skill.
The Jambos had been defeated by Rangers four times this season, with one loss in the Viaplay Cup semi-finals at the national stadium. In addition, they had failed to win against the Light Blues in their previous 17 attempts.
The numbers indicated that Rangers would win, but their recent performance did not support this prediction.
The team from Ibrox had only won two matches out of eight in all competitions prior to the game. This meant that there was a lot of pressure on Clement and his fellow players.
In the third minute, Dessers had an opportunity to score, but he wasn't able to hit the target. Abdallah Sima provided a pass, but the shot went over the bar instead. Meanwhile, Frankie Kent from Tynecastle tried to block Dessers from scoring.
Nonetheless, as soon as Todd Cantwell, the midfielder for the Gers, passed the ball to him within the box, he skillfully moved the ball towards the left, surpassing Nathaniel Atkinson, and skillfully aimed the ball low past the experienced goalkeeper for the Jambos, Gordon, thereby scoring his 18th goal of this season with confidence.
The Ibrox team were feeling settled, but their momentum was disrupted 15 minutes into the game when winger Sima was forced to leave the field due to injury and was replaced by Ross McCausland.
The alteration appeared to cause a disturbance for the Rangers team, causing 'keeper Jack Butland to make impressive saves from Alan Forrest and Kent in rapid succession. Nevertheless, it seemed that Kent was in an offside position during his attempt at close range.
During the game, the team from Gorgie started to gain more dominance and influence leading up to halftime. As a result, they were able to push Rangers towards their own goal. In the 51st minute, Vargas took advantage of Souttar's hesitation and stole the ball on the touchline. He then drove into the Rangers box, but there were plenty of Light Blues defenders in place to protect the goal.
of the game throughout and showed their dominance on the field. The team from Edinburgh held sway for the entirety of the match and exhibited their superiority on the pitch.
Hearts made three substitutions - Dexter Lembikisa, Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda came on for Forrest, Jorge Grant and Atkinson - at the 60-minute mark. The struggling Rabbi Matondo was replaced by Fabio Silva. Dessers had a chance to shoot after receiving a pass from Cantwell near the goal but he couldn't find his footing.
During the 73rd minute of the game, Lawrence Shankland, the captain of Hearts, attempted a header that narrowly missed the goal and hit the side-netting. This occurred as the Tynecastle team continued to aggressively push forward.
Yet, with a rapid Gers charge, Dessers resolved the match.
Cantwell made a strong run that caused the Gorgie defense to move backwards. When he passed the ball to the Gers striker, Gordon blocked his first shot. However, the striker was able to successfully score on the rebound.
During the final two minutes of the game, Dessers passed the ball to Silva who was in a perfect position to easily score a goal. However, Silva inexplicably lost his footing and fell over the ball just six yards away from the net. Butland, the goalkeeper for the opposing team, made a remarkable save from Oda's attempt to score a goal. This helped to alleviate any anxiety that the Rangers may have had about losing the game. There was even enough time for Dessers to have another chance to score, but unfortunately, he missed.
Manager's Views On..
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The manager of the Rangers, Philippe Clement, expressed that he does not find the word "pleasing" appropriate to describe the team's performance. He affirmed that their results met his expectations, demands, and desires.
I was incredibly unhappy with our performance in the game against Ross County. We seemed to have completely lost our structure and our typical style of play.
During our match against Dundee, we were too hasty to score a goal. However, in today's game, we regained the appropriate balance. This has been our approach for several months now.
Over the past few months, it has been quite a difficult time due to various injuries and players coming and going frequently. As a result, we have struggled to maintain our flow and rhythm during matches. However, today we have a more robust bench which will play a crucial role in the upcoming weeks where we will have only one game a week.
Prior to the semi-finals of the cup, our team was the lone contender to have played in the week. This can have an impact and requires consideration when facing three matches in a span of seven to eight days.
When players have had injuries, it's not wise to have them play for the entire game. This has been a factor to consider, but in the final stretch of the season, it will be a difficult task for the team as players return from their injuries.
The level of training improves and consequently, the quality of the game also improves, as we have a competent group of substitutes.
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The coach of Hearts, Steven Naismith, expressed his dissatisfaction with the result of the game. He admitted feeling frustrated and disappointed because he is a competitive person who always aims to win.
Our beginning was abominable; we cannot afford to concede an inexpensive goal in the beginning, as we did. However, we showed an admirable response after that, culminating in scoring a second goal.
We dominated possession of the ball, crafted chances, but our lack of experience in the attacking third became evident.
During the game, we had several opportunities to score, around four or five, but unfortunately, we made some errors such as choosing the wrong move, passing too hard or failing to convert into a goal. At these crucial moments, it's essential to aim at the goalpost and force the opposing goalkeeper to make a save.
My greatest annoyance is that we missed out on chances that could have resulted in our success, and the goals that we allowed were easily avoidable.
The following game for Hearts will be played away against Kilmarnock on April 27th, starting at 3 in the afternoon.
The Rangers team is set to resume their Scottish Premiership campaign on April 28th against St Mirren. The game will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports and will kick-off at 12:30pm.
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