Rangers overcome first half grumbles to see off Fraserburgh as debutant survives tie-defining scare

Dessers hits Scottish Cup hat-trick in 5-0 victory

Rangers rarely make life easy for themselves these days but this was, eventually, as comfortable a victory as predicted as they eased into the Scottish Cup fifth round on the back of Cyriel Dessers' hat-trick.

Philippe Clement’s side did not get things all their own way against a doughty Fraserburgh side who thwarted their Premiership hosts for long spells before their resistance was finally broken midway through the first half.

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Four more goals after the break put a more sparkly sheen on the scoreline from Rangers’ perspective although their opponents, ninth in the Highland League, battled gamely until the very end.

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers with the match ball having scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers with the match ball having scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers with the match ball having scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Dessers’ first two goals bookended Clinton Nsiala’s maiden strike for the club and, after Dessers had teed up Ross McCausland for Rangers’ fourth, he duly completed his hat-trick in the final minute. Had the Nigerian international converted an early sitter this tie would likely have been a lot more straightforward but that was all forgotten by the time the final whistle sounded.

Rangers are safely in the hat and can now look ahead to their next challenge, the small matter of Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Europa League on Thursday night.

This was a third successive home victory for Clement’s side but it is on the road where they tend to struggle and they will need to play with greater tempo and purpose than they showed for much of the first half here if they are to reverse that trend.

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The grumbles from their supporters after a fruitless opening spell might have spilled into something more vitriolic had the opening goal not arrived after 27 minutes.

Fraserburgh had defended valiantly until that point, taking every incursion into their box as a personal insult as they booted or headed clear every Rangers attack.

Cyriel Dessers plays the ball to Ross McCausland (not in frame) who goes on to score to make it 4-0 over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)Cyriel Dessers plays the ball to Ross McCausland (not in frame) who goes on to score to make it 4-0 over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Cyriel Dessers plays the ball to Ross McCausland (not in frame) who goes on to score to make it 4-0 over Fraserburgh. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

What a pity from their perspective, then, that they would fall behind to such a simple goal. James Tavernier floated over the corner and Dessers shook off his marker – literally – to meet the cross and plant a header beyond Joe Barbour, atoning for his earlier miss.

After Tavernier lashed an effort off the crossbar and Jefte nudged a shot against the outside of the post, Fraserburgh had the one big moment they would have been dreaming of.

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Mason Munn, the 18 year-old making his Rangers debut in goal, must have had his heart in his mouth after mis-hitting a clearance straight to Scott Barbour. The striker was alert to the possibility only for his driven effort to whistle wide of the target.

It felt like a tie-defining moment and a pair of Rangers goals early in the second half confirmed as much. Nsiala was the man to get the first, the defender urged by the crowd to shoot as he raced onto Nedim Bajrami’s lay-off and duly did so. His shot took a heavy deflection off Jamie Beagrie to make sure the goalkeeper had no chance of saving it.

Fraserburgh’s spirits sank and a third Rangers goal quickly followed. Bejrami redirected McCausland’s pass across the penalty box and, although Tavernier missed it, there was Dessers to take a touch and lash home a shot, before turning creator for McCausland who rammed home Rangers’ fourth.

The final word, though, went to Dessers who squeezed in a shot from the tightest of angles to round off his hat-trick.

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