St. Mirren 1 (Ayunga 32) Rangers 1 (Curtis 78)
Attendance 6,886
A third consecutive 1-1 draw for Rangers on Sunday afternoon in Paisley against St. Mirren leaves the Light Blues trailing leaders Celtic by six points in the Premiership title race after just three fixtures, having for a second League game on the trot had to come from behind to avoid defeat.
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Russell Martin made three changes from Tuesday’s Brugge debacle with Lyall Cameron, Thelo Aasgaard and Emanuel Fernandez coming in for Mohammed Diomande, Danilo and the suspended Nasser Djiga.
Rangers, wearing all-blue, started promisingly with a fifth-minute surging run by Oliver Antman carrying him within sight of the home goal – his twenty-yard shot held by ‘keeper Shamal George.
Saints were dangerous on the counter-attack – and should have opened the scoring on seventeen minutes when an inter-passing move cut open the Ibrox defence, the unmarked Killian Phillips slicing wide of the target.
Three minutes later at the other end Cameron should have done better than fire well over from a Jayden Meghoma cross.
The deadlock was broken just after the half-hour mark when Mikael Mandron’s through ball saw Jonah Ayunga breaking clear, holding off the challenge of John Souttar and netting past the advancing Jack Butland.
It was yet again a poor goal to concede with the Light Blue defence exposed on the break.
The Paisley side were hungry for more – five minutes after taking the lead Keanu Baccus saw a 25-yard drive whistle just over.
The equaliser should however have arrived almost immediately when from a Djeidi Gassama cross Aasgaard stabbed the ball goal-wards whilst falling only for George to claw his effort away from behind him.
Rangers did finish the half on the front foot with Gassama’s curler from a Cameron opening held by George – but at the interval Saints were worthy of their narrow lead, their front two attaclers being much too strong for a lightweight defensive pairing of Souttar and Fernandez.
Russell Martin made a double change at the interval with Mikey Moore and Danilo coming on for Meghoma and Antman as Rangers switched to a back three.
There was no immediate improvement in the visitors’ performance and in the early stages of the second-half if anything the home side looked just as capable of increasing their advantage.
An incredible passage of play on the hour saw St. Mirren retain possession through no fewer than 21 touches without a single Ranger intervening.
Diomande was introduced for Aasgaard in the 65th minute and shortly afterwards James Tavernier substituted for Max Aarons as Russell Martin desperately sought a way back into the game.
It was however the final – 75th minute – change that provided the vital breakthrough when Findlay Curtis came on for Gassama.
The youngster made an immediate impact – levelling the score within three minutes when a Tavernier corner broke to him on the edge of the area, his low deflected drive finding the back of the net.
Sixty seconds later – incredibly – Curtis again almost gave Rangers the lead when his angled shot from a Nico Raskin pass was turned wide by George,
It was an entirely different game now with the visitors pouring forward in search of a winner – and it almost arrived in the 88th minute when, following a break down the left by Mikey Moore, Tavernier’s shot, flicked on by Danilo, was turned wide by George.
The final chance of the game however fell to St. Mirren when – from a Scott Tanser free-kick – an Alex Gogic header was turned over by Jack Butland,
St. Mirren: George; Richardson, Fraser, Gogic, Freckleton, John (Tanser 84); Phillips (Idowu 84), Baccus, O’Hara; Ayunga (Mooney 69), Mandron
Unused Subs: Mullen, King, Calvin, Dijksteel, Sobowale, Taylor
Rangers: Butland; Aarons (Tavernier 69), Souttar, Fernandez, Meghoma (Moore 46); Antman (Danilo 46), Cameron, Rothwell (Curtis 75), Raskin, Gassama; Aasgaard (Diomande 65)
Unused Subs: Kelly, Barron, Dowell, Igamane
Referee: Nick Walsh
By Robert McElroy