Daniel Feliciano

Sun 12 February 2023 17:54, UK

Rangers were forced to come from behind at Ibrox to beat Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup, with a bizarre incident in the second half that the game will be remembered for.

The Gers started sluggishly and slowly which gave the Championship side encouragement, with Allan McGregor forced into making two big saves early on.

Then came the controversial moment where Antonio Colak was penalised for a handball in the box, allowing the visitors to take the lead heading into the break from the penalty spot.

Rangers quickly got on level terms in the second half when Colak made amends and headed home from Nicolas Raskin’s cross, before captain James Tavernier missed a penalty just after the hour mark.

There was controversy as Malik Tillman equalised when Thistle were meant to give the ball back to Rangers and the American stole the ball before finishing, which saw Michael Beale instruct his team to allow Thistle to equalise straight from kick-off.

James Sands then smashed a header beyond the goalkeeper with minutes to go to claim the win.

Here is how Ibrox News rated the performance of each Rangers player in the game today..

Allan McGregor – 7/10

Made a couple of stunning saves in the first half and obviously could do nothing about the penalty. Not much else to say, as he didn’t have much more to do despite Partick Thistle looking rather threatening throughout.

James Tavernier – 5/10

The skipper has looked tired in recent games and that continued tonight, with Partick Thistle having far too much joy going forward. A poor display summarised by his penalty miss in the second half, where he went straight down the middle.

James Sands – 7/10

Sands looked more comfortable than he has in a while in this game, and he performed well in one v one situations too. An absolute bullet header to win it too. Maybe there is hope for him yet.

Ben Davies – 6/10

Not a bad performance from Davies, but he definitely looked less assured than he usually does when he’s being led by Goldson as opposed to leading the defence.

Borna Barisic – 6/10

Barisic was good going forward but his final ball let him down strangely enough, while defensively he was decent at best. An average performance.

Nicolas Raskin – 8/10

An excellent debut from the Belgian midfielder as he showed great energy and bite in the middle, while his passing was on display too. A great assist too to show the Ibrox faithful what more is to come.

Glen Kamara – 6/10

Kamara did a lot of the dirty work in midfield with good defensive work rate and showed flashes of his quality on the ball. Should probably be dominating a game like this though in all honesty.

Malik Tillman – 9/10

What a performance! A constant threat throughout the game with great footwork and brilliant work rate, plus the added quality in the final third. A brilliant goal, despite the controversy around it, and showed he’s not scared to get stuck in. Superb player.

Todd Cantwell – 4/10

Not a great showing from the January signing as he struggled to link with his team-mates or make any positive attacking impact. Brought off at half-time as a sign of Beale’s dissatisfaction.

Ianis Hagi – 3/10

Coming back from a long-term injury some rust can be expected, but Hagi looked a shadow of himself in this game with little to no impact. Hooked at half-time tells you it all.

Antonio Colak – 7/10

The Croatian had a tough first-half with very little service and a ridiculous penalty being given against him, but he came alive in the second half and got the all-important equaliser early on. Encouraging signs that we have goalscoring options.

SUBS

Ryan Kent – 7/10

His directness changed the game in the second half and he was an immediate threat on his usual left-wing role. His quality scared Thistle and was enough to change the tide.

Kemar Roofe – 6/10

Wasn’t the best showing from Roofe after coming on in the second half as he failed to really get into the game too much. Could have done better with one headed attempt.

Alfredo Morelos – N/A

Ryan Jack – N/A

In other Rangers news, “serious doubts” emerge over star striker ahead of ViaPlay Cup final v Celtic