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Rangers fight back to beat Motherwell and set final cup date with Celtic

Sakege November 4, 2024

Rangers recovered from a goal down to beat Motherwell 2-1 at Hampden and reach the final of the Premier Sports Cup.

Questioned manager Philippe Clement has taken his team to the final against Celtic, where they will look to successfully defend the trophy they won at the national stadium last year.

Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami scored the vital goals after Andy Halliday put Motherwell in front, easing the pressure on the manager and the team after their midweek defeat to Aberdeen.

Rangers dominated in the early stages but couldn’t find a way to score and were stunned when Motherwell did just that in a rare foray up the field in the 27th minute.

Steve Seddon ran down the left flank and had time to make a deep cross. Halliday had made a full-speed run into the box and met the center to push the ball past Jack Butland and into the net. The former Ibrox player didn’t celebrate much but Motherwell fans were happy to take the lead despite the development of the game.

Rangers looked shocked but immediately pushed forward, with Tom Lawrence trying his luck from distance, but the creative midfielder was soon forced off due to injury and was replaced by Mohamed Diomande.

Just before half-time, Dessers had a golden opportunity to draw Rangers level. Diomande’s shot was intercepted by Aston Oxborough and Dessers was perfectly positioned to finish off the rebound, but shot wide of the post.

Rangers fans expressed their discontent after the half-time whistle and Clement’s team needed a response. They found him four minutes after the restart.

Connor Barron took the ball into the penalty area and then slid it to Dessers, who this time made no mistake and hit his shot inside the post to make it 1-1.

Rangers took the lead again and James Tavernier had a chance over the bar just after the hour mark.

Vaclav Cerny then had two good chances to take the lead and Motherwell were forced back.

With ten minutes left, Rangers found the goal they needed. Cerny, who was a constant thorn in Motherwell’s side, cut inside from the right side and picked out Bajrami. The attacker’s shot deflected off Kofi Balmer, arced over Oxborough and bounced over the line to make it 2-1.

Motherwell pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Rangers kept their cool and took advantage of the remaining time and six minutes of stoppage time to secure a place in the final.

After a difficult start to the season, they will now face their rivals in December with the first trophy of the season on the line.