Rangers wondergoal sinks Hearts to secure domestic double at Hampden

Rachel McLauchlan celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0 Rangers at Hampden Park. Cr. SNS Group.

Rangers enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win over Hearts in the Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup final

Rangers bounced back from last week’s SWPL title heartache to complete a domestic double by defeating Hearts 2-0 in the Women’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.

A first half wonderstrike from Rachel McLauchlan was added to by Lizzie Arnot in the final minutes of the game to confirm the Gers as winners of the Women’s Scottish Cup for the very first time.

Jo Potter’s Rangers had already lifted the Sky Sports Cup earlier in the campaign but arrived at Mount Florida hoping to land their second trophy of the campaign after losing out on the league title to rivals Celtic last week. For Eva Olid’s Hearts outfit, they were looking to lift a first major trophy in their history.

Both sides had enjoyed comfortable semi-final passages through to the showcase final. The Gers securing their place via two late goals against Celtic, while Hearts swept Edinburgh rivals Spartans aside 3-0.

Games between these two sides had been a little tighter in the league, however, with Olid’s side one of only two teams to have beaten Rangers during the regular season.

As expected, it was the favourites Rangers who enjoyed the bulk of possession in the opening minutes, though the game was largely starved of chances in the opening throws.

Nicola Docherty’s neat chop that allowed her to curl a shot just wide from inside the area was as close as any side went in the opening 20.

Hearts would get their first sight on goal shortly afterwards though when neat play between Monica Forsyth and Katie Lockwood saw the latter find Olufolasade Adamolekun in the area, though Rangers goalkeeper Victoria Esson was able to intercept.

The game exploded into life seconds after though when right-back McLauchlan ran to the edge of the area and riffled her side into the lead with an outstanding strike from 25-yards out.

She almost doubled the lead with a rasping drive from similar range too just before the half hour mark, with Kirsty Howat also going close for the Gers just as the half time whistle was preparing to be sounded.

Substitute Rio Hardy, Rangers’ top goal-scorer, then missed a glorious opportunity to seal the Scottish Cup for her side when she lost out to Charlotte Parker-Smith in the Hearts goal after being put through one on one by Rachel Rowe. Hardy would go close again when she connected with Rowe’s corner but headed narrowly wide.

Rowe would then go close herself when a clever one with Howat saw played her through on goal, but a stunning tackle from Monica Forsyth ensured kept the deficit to one heading into the closing stages.

With Potter’s side beginning to show dominance, Howat was the next to almost seal it when she almost deflected Chelsea Cornet’s cross over the head of Parker-Smith, only for the Jambos stopper to palm away superbly.

Ex-Rangers centre-back Carly Girasoli, a goal-scorer in the semi-final, almost bagged a stunning equaliser with just 10 minutes left when her angled shot evaded Esson and nestled into the top corner.

However, it was not to be for the Edinburgh outfit as Arnot, so often the cup final hero, fired home with just four minutes left on the clock to secure Rangers’ second trophy of the campaign.