Glasgow Rangers defeated Ross County 3-0 on the road in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, extending their winning streak in all competitions to eight games.
With one game left, the Light Blues have reduced the distance between themselves and Aberdeen to two points, but they are still 11 points behind Celtic at the top of the league.
Before James Tavernier sealed all three points in the second half, Hamza Igamane and Danilo gave the away team a commanding advantage in the first half.
Igamane, who has now scored four goals in his previous four games across all competitions, put up another strong showing on the left wing.
The performance of Hamza Igamane versus Ross County
After Jefte’s set to him from the left, the 22-year-old wizard opened the score for the Gers with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box, assisted by a deflection.
He earned his luck with the deflection to find the back of the net, and he fired without hesitation from range without even touching to set himself.
Along with completing three of his four dribble attempts, Igamane also generated one “big chance” for his teammates during the game, demonstrating his ability to be a threat both as a creator and in transition.
The young player’s performance was not flawless, though, as he lost possession an incredible 22 times and only completed 66% of his attempted passes.
Leon Balogun, the central defender, was Philippe Clement’s true star and the player who gave a comprehensive performance against Ross County.
Why Leon Balogun was Rangers’ star
With his incredible performance at the center of the defense, the seasoned Nigerian international was the manager’s hero even though he did not score or contribute to any of Rangers’ three goals.
Balogun only lost possession nine times from 78 touches and completed 84% of his passes, demonstrating how dependable the defender is with the ball, while Igamane occasionally let himself down with his sloppy touches and deliveries.
In order to keep the home team from giving Rangers too many issues, the 36-year-old veteran, who was chosen with John Souttar before signing Robin Propper in the summer, played nearly flawless defense the entire time.
Balogun was extremely dominant for Rangers, carrying his center-back partner throughout the game, making nine more tackles and interceptions, and winning eleven more duels, as the table above shows.
The Nigerian titan’s outstanding performance out of possession for the Scottish giants is demonstrated by the fact that he led the game in tackles, duels won, and clearances.
Balogun was the true hero for Clement because he coupled exceptional skill on the ball with tremendous defensive strength out of possession, which was largely responsible for Ross County’s one “big chance” in the game.
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