Nigeria World Cup exit the perfect result for Rangers
Rangers will have three of their key players back in Glasgow during the 2022 World Cup after a nail-biting qualifier on Tuesday.
African qualifying is notoriously tough in that one defeat can put a nation out of the running entirely but that didn’t even happen for Gers’ players Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun.
They and their Nigerian side drew 1-1 with Ghana in the second leg of their World Cup qualifier after playing out a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture.
Unfortunately for the Light Blues players away goals still matter in African qualifying so they have found themselves not on the plane to Qatar despite not losing a game in the deciding tie.
It’s an incredibly harsh way to be knocked out but for all of their heartbreak, Giovanni van Bronckhorst is probably glad that they won’t be heading to the middle east where injuries could play a major factor.
No one knows how tough the conditions might be in the desert and players’ well-being may be tested to the extreme despite moving the tournament to the winter months for a cooler climate.
Instead, the three Super Eagles amigos will be in the much colder climate of Glasgow where they can be wrapped in cotton wool and sit back with their feet up watching the tournament.
They might have wished to qualify and prefer to be there playing but all of them are young enough to still be at their peak when the 2026 World Cup in North America comes around.
So for all the heartbreak, they have been through in the hours following their World Cup exit, at least Rangers might benefit in the long run.
In other Rangers news, chiefs at the club have reportedly put their foot down and are ready to hand out “lengthy bans” for poor behaviour in the Old Firm derby on Sunday.