Rangers reaction: Birthday blues avoided by Roofe; Van Bronckhorst gets big calls right; Barron a star in making for Aberdeen

Rangers can put their title defence on the back burner for a fortnight after keeping their hopes of retaining the Premiership crown very much alive.

Kemar Roofe celebrates after scoring Rangers' winner against Aberdeen. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Party poopers eventually seen off the premises

As the Scottish champions celebrated their 150th anniversary in spectacular fashion off the pitch on Saturday, with an array of banners depicting famous moments from their history and a pyrotechnic display before kick-off, Aberdeen did their best to spoil the festivities when the action began.

Jim Goodwin’s game plan was highly effective, suffocating Rangers’ creative talents Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent, and ensured the hosts struggled to work up any momentum or fluency.

Rangers display for the 150th birthday at Ibrox Stadium, on March 5, 2022, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

But after an instantly forgettable first half, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team upped the ante after the break. Although still nowhere near their best, they played with greater aggression and tempo as they camped in the Aberdeen half before eventually being rewarded for their persistence when substitute Kemar Roofe grabbed the only goal with nine minutes of regulation time remaining.

Van Bronckhorst proves doubters wrong

Having incurred the wrath of a large swathe of Rangers’ travelling support in Perth the previous Wednesday night when he did not utilise his subs’ bench at all in the 1-0 win over St Johnstone, van Bronckhorst had many of them in a ferment at Ibrox when the number of Alfredo Morelos was held up in the 78th minute with the game still goalless against Aberdeen.

Most of those fans clearly felt bringing the Colombian striker’s afternoon to an early end was diminishing Rangers’ prospects of securing the winner they so desperately needed to maintain the pressure on Celtic at the top of the table.

Connor Barron during the cinch Premiership match between Rangers and Aberdeen at Ibrox. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

But van Bronckhorst was vindicated when Roofe, the man he replaced Morelos with, forced the ball home from close range just three minutes later.

All eyes on Europe

Attention now turns back to the Europa League for Rangers as they prepare for the first leg of their last 16 tie against Red Star Belgrade at Ibrox on Thursday night.

The strength of van Bronckhorst’s squad will be tested over a period when they will try to marry their highly realistic ambitions of reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament with their domestic commitments. The two legs of the Red Star tie come either side of next Sunday’s Scottish Cup last eight tie against Dundee at Dens Park.

Saturday saw Aaron Ramsey back on duty for Rangers, although the on-loan Juventus midfielder was an unusued sub as van Bronckhorst turned to others in his search for game-changers. Perhaps the Welsh international will finally have a significant contribution to make on Thursday.

Barron shines for Dons

Aberdeen may have unearthed a gem in 19-year-old Connor Barron. Although he ended up on the losing side, the diminutive midfielder was one of the most accomplished performers on view. Little wonder manager Jim Goodwin reckons he could become a mainstay of his plans at the Pittodrie club.

Player ratings

Rangers (4-2-3-1): McGregor 6, Tavernier 7, Goldson 7, Bassey 7, Barisic 6 (Balogun 59 6); Jack 7 (Lundstram 78), Kamara 8; Sakala 6 (Arfield 59 6), Aribo 6, Kent 6; Morelos 6 (Roofe 78). Subs not used: McLaughlin, Helander, Ramsey, Sands, Wright.

Aberdeen (4-3-1-2): Lewis 6, Ojo 6, Gallagher 7, Bates 7, Hayes 6 (Ramsay 80); Besuijen 6, McCrorie 6 (Polvara 85), Ferguson 6; Barron 8, Ramirez 6, McLennan 5 (MacKenzie 68 5). Subs not used: Woods, McGeouch, Jenks, Ruth, Milne.

Referee: John Beaton

Attendance: 50,010

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