Raskin leads way as Ferguson stakes Rangers claim

The camera caught Nicolas Raskin as the Rangers celebrated their first win at Celtic Park for almost five years in the corner of his room.

After his stunning strike earned him a second successive Old Firm victory, the midfielder pointed to match-winning man Hamza Igamane and yelled the Moroccan’s name.

Raskin’s performance, however, provided the foundation for this victory.

His all-action display allowed Rangers to defeat Celtic and defeat them on their own patch, not just by scoring the first goal and setting up the second.

He was deservedly chosen as the match’s player, so why.

The Belgian praised the victory, saying, “I’m just happy for the win. It was amazing.”

By half-time, Rangers were leading by 2-0 and in command, thanks to Raskin’s tremendous contribution.

Rangers made a perfect start with his desire to cross the front post and above Jeffrey Schlupp after four minutes, despite his diminutive stature, and glance the ball into the net from corner.

Mohamed Diomande was then teed up by his brilliant, clever run from a deep, cushioned header to win the visitors’ second.

Off the hook, he was all over. Raskin had a weak midfield odor as a result of Callum McGregor’s injury in place of Luke McCowan.

When Celtic attempted to build up from the back, he always landed right on McCowan, snapping at his heels and preventing him from turning around and playing forward.

Raskin and his defenders joined forces to immediately shut the space down when Celtic did manage to get the ball out of winger Nicolas Kuhn.

He won ten of his 16 duels and returned the ball for Rangers six times before the game was over. Both his ranking for tackles made and his overall total were the most of any of his team-mates.

Steven Thompson, a former Rangers striker, said at half-time on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound program, “Rangers are winning the midfield battle.”

When you talk about McCowan, Arne Engels, and Reo Hatate, they don’t get on the ball at all, and [Connor] Barron, Raskin, and [Mohamed] Diomande put them under enormous pressure whenever they do.

As the league leaders came back to 2-2 in the second half, Celtic’s undeniable quality and perhaps Rangers’ exertions from Thursday’s penalty shootout win against Fenerbahce began to weigh on them.

Rangers’ discipline prevented them from being opened up as frequently as they had done on their last five losing trips to their bitter rivals’ stadiums as Celtic Park was rocking and the momentum with the home side following Hatate’s equaliser.

Former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield commented on Sky Sports that “the box in the middle of the pitch was very crucial.”

Connor Barron’s work is significant, but don’t underestimate it.

Because of his outstanding performance, Nico was honored with the “man of the match” award, which was appropriate. This team is sorely dependent on the workload that those two managed to endure.

Barry Ferguson enjoyed a fantastic week as well.

After performing poorly at Clyde, Kelty Hearts, and Alloa Athletic, he was in the managerial wilderness before leading Rangers past Fenerbahce in the Europa League quarter-final and his first victory at Celtic Park since October 2020.

Since Walter Smith won the first derby at Celtic Park in 1991, he is the first Rangers manager to do so.

With a potential takeover still looming, it seems premature for Rangers to make the choice to choose their next permanent manager.

Ferguson, however, made the bold decision to switch the formation for the first game in Turkey to a back three, which has paid off in the last week.

He has cut a calm figure in front of the camera and delivered his message without being pitch-assisted.

Managing Rangers or Celtic is much more important than understanding the nature of Glasgow’s football game, but it does have a significant impact in this particular conflict.

Ferguson told BBC Scotland, “I knew there was a good team here. They needed to be driven a little more, just because they were lacking in self-assurance.

“The boys listen, they tune in, and you’ve definitely seen the benefits of that over the past ten days,” the boys said.

Ferguson is “not even thinking” about staying on after his interim contract, and he continues to insist that he will be “away on a family holiday” by the end of the season.

However, others may be considering it, especially if this squad has more consistency.

Arfield praised the achievement as “a huge win for Barry and his staff.” He is working full-time, which is a significant challenge. He won the Europa League championship match against Rangers at Celtic Park and advanced to the quarter-finals.