Glasgow Rangers finished their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 3-0 victory against St Mirren, with Michael Beale’s side ending the season positively.
The Ibrox crowd said their farewells to the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Allan McGregor, Filip Helander and Scott Arfield during their midweek draw against Hearts and the manager rotated the first team for this afternoon's tie, bringing back Robby McCrorie into the starting XI.
Rangers were bright in the opening exchanges, with Ianis Hagi dictating play by operating as a false nine, and it’s evident that the club have missed his creativity at times this season, especially during their dismal Champions League showings.
It took half an hour for the first goal, when Fashion Sakala cut inside from the left-hand side to slot a calm finish into the net to make it 1-0. He doubled the lead with his second just after halftime and the game eventually finished 3-0 to the visitors.
Sakala was clinical during his spell on the pitch, scoring twice while succeeding with two of his four dribble attempts, winning 50% of his total duels and ending his game with a 100% pass success rate, and he could still have a future at the Ibrox side next term on this form.
It was an impressive showing, yet it was Ridvan Yilmaz who took his opportunity vs St Mirren today.
How did Ridvan Yilmaz perform for Rangers today against St Mirren?
The Turkish defender hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons, missing 29 games through injury, yet he managed to take his opportunity well today, with sections of the media praising him.
The Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie lauded the youngster, writing on Twitter: “Think Ridvan’s taken his chance well these past few games after a tricky season. Really impressive pass through the gap for Sakala to break the deadlock.”
Yilmaz received a rating of 7.6/10 for his performance against the Paisley outfit, showcasing his attacking abilities which proves he could well be an ideal heir to Borna Barisic.
The 22-year-old registered two assists for both of Sakala’s goals, while he also created one big chance, played two key passes, attempted one dribble and delivered two crosses, indicating that he was regularly bombing up and down the left flank with purpose.
He also managed 56 touches throughout and his passing was virtually spot on, achieving a 92% pass success rate while succeeding with all three of his long balls. And although he clearly didn’t have much to do defensively, Yilmaz still won one duel, made a clearance and wasn’t dribbled past once during his time on the pitch.
Next season will be massive for the youngster, and he has certainly given Beale food for thought over the previous few weeks, that’s for sure.
