FRIENDLY FLIER
Rabbi impresses the Ibrox fans alongside fellow new boy Tom
RANGERS ........ 3 WEST HAM ........ 1 DON’T read too much into friendlies, they say.
Well, the Rangers support pored over this one and left Ibrox purring at the performances of new boys Rabbi Matondo and Tom Lawrence.
Both came off the bench at half-time to light up the place and burst West Ham’s bubble.
An even first period was interesting enough but the introduction of the Welsh duo cranked up the entertainment value and provided a tantalising taste of what might be coming when the real stuff starts.
Lawrence and Matondo scored and created a goal for each other, either side of a superb Ryan Kent strike.
All in a 15-minute spell that won the game and consigned the Hammers – who pulled one back through Tomas Soucek – to their first defeat in five preseason games.
If things had worked out differently, this could have been the Europa League Final a couple of months ago.
Instead, Rangers and West Ham had to settle for a preseason clash – even if sweltering conditions were more akin to Seville than Scotland.
And, to be fair to both, they did far more than go through the motions in an encounter that kept the big crowd interested and entertained.
John Souttar and Antonio
Colak were handed a first taste of Ibrox as Rangers players but there was perhaps just as much attention being paid to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s bench where Matondo and Lawrence were waiting in the wings.
The Dutchman certainly couldn’t be accused of letting the grass grow under his feet when it came to replacing the outgoing Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo.
Not when Malik Tillman was in the stands along with Ben Davies, having been signed earlier in the day from Liverpool in a £4million deal.
On the pitch, though, the attention was focused on the
Hammers’ visit last night. The Premier League side were going to be tougher opposition than the 45 minutes Rangers got against Sunderland and last weekend’s trip to Blackpool.
Boss David Moyes, who guided them to the Europa semi-finals and seventh in the league, wasn’t messing around with his team selection.
All the big names – Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Kurt Zouma and Jarrod Bowen among them – were determined to make this anything but a summer stroll and were backed by a big, noisy travelling support.
But this was the type of test Rangers needed and after a minute’s silence for Andy Goram and Davy Wilson, both of whom passed away recently, they got
down to business. Souttar, playing on the left side of the back four, started impressively with his use of the ball while Kent, further forward on the flank, looked lively.
Bowen proved to be no slouch either after pouncing on a slack Ryan Jack pass to sprint clear of the defence and deliver a cross Jon McLaughlin had to punch clear.
Colak linked the play well early on and although he was up against Zouma and new £30m signing Nayef Aguerd, the Croat didn’t look like a man who would shirk from a battle.
But it was the striker at the other end of the pitch, Antonio, who must have thought he was opening the scoring in the 16th minute after being released by a Pablo Fornals pass that bisected Connor Goldson and Souttar, leaving him with a one-on-one. McLaughlin raced from his line to make a fine block and when the ball spun high in the air, the keeper recovered well enough to punch it to safety.
That prompted a spell of Hammers pressure, which ended with a dangerous cross being flicked inches wide by Zouma.
And their failure to score almost blew up in their face when Aguerd slipped to present Colak with a chance, only to recover with a great challenge inside the box.
It came at a cost as the Morocco international was forced to limp off with an ankle injury and Issa Diop replaced him.
It was always competitive enough, as proved by Rice going into the book for scything down Kent as the break neared. Van
Bronckhorst brought on Matondo and Lawrence, as well as James Sands, for the second half and it took the new boys all of three minutes to get their Ibrox careers off to a sensational start.
Winger Matondo burst in behind Aaron Cresswell to deliver a perfect cutback, the quality of which was matched only by the finish of Lawrence, who swept home from 12 yards.
If that was good, the second goal just two minutes later was sublime.
Cue a flowing move involving James Tavernier and Lawrence, whose inch-perfect pass to Kent was steered beyond Lukasz Fabianski to send the crowd wild.
And in the 57th minute the Lawrence-Matondo combo was at it again, the midfielder turning
provider for the former Schalke winger, who lashed a shot high into the net.
It had turned into a sensational 15 minutes that had taken the game away from West Ham and Matondo’s pace, in particular, had them gasping at times.
They did carve out a chance in the 70th minute when Fornals curled a shot towards the far post that was well saved by McLaughlin.
And they made the ensuing corner count as Soucek bundled home after Antonio had caused problems from Bowen’s delivery.
RANGERS: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar (Sands 45), Barisic (Devine 75), Jack (Lawrence 45), Kamara (Arfield 75), Lundstram, Wright (Matondo 45), Colak (Sakala 60), Kent (McCann 75).