Leon Balogun wows Tom Miller and Kevin Thomson in costly first-half incident
Leon Balogun had Tom Miller and Kevin Thomson raving about his defensive prowess with a majestic clearing header for Rangers early against Hibs.
The Nigerian defender soared above Paul McGinn to clear the danger from an early Hibernian free kick in a clearance that ultimately saw both players replaced through injury.
The height that he managed to reach and the dominance he displayed in snuffing out a potentially threatening ball had the commentators on the match highly impressed.
Speaking live on the RangersTV match broadcast Miller said: “It’s an outstanding clearing header.”
Former Gers and Hibs midfielder Thomson said: “It almost looked like he got wrong side, Balogun there with the flight of the ball. A big salmon leap to get on the right side of Paul McGinn”.
Miller summed up the sequence by saying “terrific to have Leon Balogun back for selection tonight” which proved portentous when the big defender had to be withdrawn soon after.
Dominating presence
It was a commanding piece of play from the centre-back that mirrored the start for his side.
Gers built on their finish against Hearts on Sunday by coming out of the blocks quickly.
Ryan Kent had the Edinburgh side’s defenders panicked throughout the half, and was taken down by McGinn for a penalty in the opening minutes, which captain James Tavernier dispatched.
He maybe should have had a second not long after but the referee was not interested.
With Celtic doing well in their own game at Aberdeen it was important for the Light Blues to not drop any points and concede further ground.
After the injury stoppages and substitutions the game became more scrappy, and the weather quickly added to that as rain turned to sleet and snow.
Gers fans grew frustrated with what they saw as repetitive fouls from the visitors which the referee was ignoring, as the home side struggled to put the game to bed.
In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist has shared Shay Given and co. delivering Celtic trolling after the Old Firm derby.