Scotland: Aberdeen stun Rangers
Rangers 1 - 3 Aberdeen
Aberdeen caused a major upset by defeating Rangers, putting more pressure on Michael Beale. This win was Aberdeen's first in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox in over five years.
Despite Rangers winning four consecutive matches in all competitions, this loss marked Beale's third defeat in seven league games. It leaves Rangers in third place, trailing leaders Celtic by seven points.
A first Dons goal for Stefan 🇩🇰#StandFree pic.twitter.com/5BmHGwvPjl
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) September 30, 2023
Rangers missed numerous clear-cut opportunities to take the lead before Stefan Gartenmann scored Aberdeen's first goal from a Leighton Clarkson corner, taking advantage of poor defending.
Rangers' confidence seemed shaken after Gartenmann's goal, and they fell further behind in the second half when Jamie McGrath scored, shortly after Bojan Miovski's header hit the left-hand post from close range.
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Abdallah Sima's tap-in gave the Rangers a glimmer of hope, but their troubles increased when former Pittodrie forward Scott Wright was sent off. Aberdeen extended their lead late in the game with Jack MacKenzie's rebounded effort off the crossbar.
Aberdeen's victory was significant, as it was the first time a Scottish side other than Celtic had won at Ibrox since March 2020. This win moved Aberdeen up to seventh place in the league. They are starting to look like they have recovered after a poor start to the season.
Did Rangers deserve more from this match?
Rangers had opportunities to win comfortably, especially with Cyriel Dessers missing two excellent chances and their ongoing issue with a lack of clinical finishing. Defensive weaknesses were also evident in Gartenmann's opening goal.
Gartenmann's goal took the wind out of Beale's team, and they struggled to clear the ball during a flurry of Aberdeen attacks, leading to McGrath's goal following a remarkable save by Jack Butland.
Abdallah Sima's tap-in provided a glimmer of hope for the home team, but their troubles grew even more when Scott Wright, a former player of Pittodrie, was shown a red card. Then, with only five minutes to go, Jack MacKenzie's shot rebounded off the crossbar and found the back of the net, extending the visitors' lead and putting everything out of Rangers reach..
85' Goal for Aberdeen.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 30, 2023
Rangers 1-3 Aberdeen
Some within Rangers will probably start to fear the situation turning more toxic.
Best fan reaction
Billy, a Rangers Season Ticket holder, was unhappy with the result and performance, he added: "Where now for Michael Beale? He is clearly not getting a satisfactory performance out of the team. From the people that I have been talking to, it appears that many fans have had enough. The sad fact is that Aberdeen deserved this win. I dread to think how bad things are going to get for us."
You can see from the video that Rangers fans were really unhappy.
Watch the reaction of the Aberdeen manager here: 📺 Barry Robson on our Victory Over Rangers at Ibrox - YouTube
@goodluck-mx4qr commented on Aberdeen's YouTube channel: "Aberdeen wanted it more and the 2nd and 3rd goals prove it. Aberdeen was just to good for Rangers and got the tactics spot on, well deserved win.
@AberdeenFanEdtiz1983 added: "Great result, a massive turning point in our season. Onwards and upwards for the mighty Aberdeen."
