The little Belgian was back in the Light Blues fold and he marked his comeback in style
19:50, 20 Sep 2025Updated 23:05, 20 Sep 2025
Rangers Nicolas Raskin celebrates scoring their side’s first goal of the game
Right in the Nico time.
Just when teetering Russell Martin was hunting a saviour to pull him back from the brink who else would step up but the very man who he’d just brought back from the naughty step?
Nico Raskin’s 42nd minute opener relieved building tension in a protest-packed Ibrox and laid the groundwork for a Premier Sports Cup victory that buys the under-fire boss a bit of time.
Bojan Miovski opened his account to make it 2-0 on what ended a comfortable win for Rangers.
But it was Raskin who stole the show with a typical breathless display in the engine room topped off by a goal that might prove to be the biggest of Martin’s reign – no matter how long it lasts.
The pre-match protest against the boss on Edmiston Drive might have lacked intensity, a bit like the performances which had brought the heat on the under-fire manger and chief executive Patrick Stewart.
But the thousands of empty seats inside spoke volumes for the anger towards the boss – with owner Andrew Cavenagh in attendance to face the growing crisis head on.
Rangers fans protest against manager Russell Martin and chief executive Patrick Stewart
A rubber ball protest by the Union Bears after 12 minutes stepped up the demos. Whether the boss can bounce back will depend on more 90 minutes like this.
Up until that point Rangers had started well. But the rubber balls that filled Jack Butland’s box took the momentum from under their feet and Hibs began to press. Indeed the visitors were denied an opener by VAR after 19 minutes when Martin Boyle’s touch took him clear of Derek Cornelius and the Hibs skipper buried in the bottom corner before VAR spotted he’d controlled with his left arm.
Rangers looked to be struggling for an opening. But then Raskin stepped up in the 42nd minute.
The midfielder defied his lack of inches to get across Miguel Chaiwa and brilliantly glance a header from James Tavernier’s corner beyond Raphael Sallinger.
It soon got even better as Miovski opened his account in first half added time.
Mikey Moore cut in off the right, saw his shot blocked by Bushiri but Miovski was in the perfect spot to bury the rebound.
After the break Djeidi Gassama struck the bar, Miovski has an effort clear off the line and another chalked off for offside. But Rangers were home and hosed .. and Martin’s walk down the tunnel was a hell of a lot comfier than the trek last week. Here’s five talking points from Ibrox.
Raskin for it
It just had to be Raskin. The cheer that went up for Rangers number 43 when the teams were read out ahead of kick off told its own story. But it was nothing compared to the roar that greeted Raskin’s opener as he got above Chaiwa to glance home Tavernier’s corner. With the pressure at breaking point Martin opted to put the dynamo back in his midfield for the first time since the battering in Brugge. And he proved why.
Nicolas Raskin celebrates
Box to box energy from the base of midfield, tenacious in the tackle and looking to support the attack at the other end. He led by example. There’s a reason why he’s a starter for Belgium. Even Martin knows he can’t do without him now. He even afforded the 24-year-old a warm embrace as he left the park to a standing ovation on 88 minutes.
Russell up more time
The planned protest ahead of kick off was a bit like Martin’s side have been – timid. But the sentiment among the 1500 punters was clear. It only took 14 seconds of the game for the first round of ‘Martin Get tae ….’ to ring round the stadium. Yet this performance was largely everything that’s been missing of late. Rangers controlled the vast majority of the encounter, they looked tidy up to the final third even if toothless at times in where it mattered. But they eventually made it count. They even got a VAR decision going their way when it looked like Hibs had streaked ahead. It’ll take a hell of a lot more to get fans back onside, if they can be won round. But it’s a start.
Capital loss
Who knows how things might have transpired had VAR not spotted the handball in the build-up to Martin Boyle’s 19th minute strike. It was the right call though and other than that HIbs never looked like following up their Edinburgh rivals Hearts’ victory here a week earlier. Kieron Bowie was a handful as always but scuffed his one sight of goal wide after the break while John Souttar and the impressive Derek Cornelius kept Boyle largely in check. It’s now five without a win for David Gray’s side who face Falkirk and Celtic in the next week. They badly need a win.
Wing and a prayer
Martin has accused his players of looking scared and being crippled by anxiety feeding down from the crowd. One man that can’t apply to is Djeidi Gassama. From the moment he announced his arrival against Panathinaikos the left winger has been the most direct player in Rangers’ attack. Again here he ran at and tormented Josh Mulligan and saw a second half effort crack the bar. On the other side Mikey Moore came up with an assist for the second goal. But he needs to produce more of a consistent impact.
Cavenagh swatch
A penny for the thoughts of Rangers’ American owner after this. If ever a barometer was needed for the feeling towards the current management and chief executive it was the vast swathes of empty spaces in the stadium. The official attendance was given as a generous 34,000 including 2400 Hibees but it looked less. If the evening began against the backdrop of protests it ended with something a little closer to harmony after a satisfactory performance. We’ll never know if Cavenagh was in town ready to pull the trigger on another defeat. But Martin has to ensure this is a turning point.