Rangers man bags milestone goal but is denied in dramatic finale as ex-Celtic ace left out

Rangers striker Kevin Kelsy continued his dream start to the season by scoring his first international goal for Venezuela but was left disappointed when an injury-time penalty saw Japan snatch a 2-1 victory in Hiroshima.

Kelsy, 22, moved to Ibrox from MLS outfit Portland Timbers last month for a reported fee of around £9million, and made his mark instantly by scoring the clinching second goal in a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final win over Celtic on his first start for the club.

Named in the Venezuela squad for the friendlies against Japan and South Korea, Kelsy started for only the second time in his international career at the Edion Peace Wing on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, the hosts named former Celtic fan favourite Daizen Maeda on the substitutes' bench.

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Kelsy celebrates his first international goal with his Venezuela teammates in Hiroshima, Japan. | Getty Images

The Rangers hitman celebrated his first international goal on his seventh cap when he latched onto Luis Balbo’s pass and drilled beyond Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki just seconds after the restart. However, Hajime Moriyasu’s men quickly restored parity when in-form Ayase Ueda fired home from close range following Junya Ita’s cross.

It didn’t deter Venezuela, though, and more good work from Kelsy put them back into the lead just two minutes later when his inch-perfect cross was met by Bryan Castillo in the six-yard box, but the Caraboba FC striker could only lift his shot over the bar. The 22-year-old Rangers man was then taken off shortly afterwards.

In the absence of Kelsy, Japan turned up the heat on the visitors with a series of corners, and the pressure paid off in the dying seconds of the game when referee Tim Danaskos ruled Takefusa Kubo had been fouled in the area following a VAR intervention, allowing Ueda to score his second of the game in the sixth minute of injury time from the penalty spot.

Venezuela and Kelsy will be in international friendly action again on Friday, as they clash with South Korea at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm UK time.