Rangers man helps to spark remarkable comeback as ex-Ibrox playmaker seals historic World Cup win

Trailing to a goal from Habib Diarra in the 24th minute at the break, things looked bleak for Belgium when Ismaila Sarr blasted home a superb volley shortly after the restart. Head coach Rudi Garcia responded by replacing Kevin de Bruyne with Rangers midfielder Raskin in the 55th minute of the game, as an early exit from the tournament stared them in the face.

Raskin’s first task was separating teammates Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard during a high-tension second-half hydration break. With Belgium trailing 0–2 and facing an exit from the World Cup, a furious verbal altercation boiled over between the two players, forcing the 24-year-old to step in and play peacekeeper as he pulled the duo apart.

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On the pitch, the Red Devils were then handed an unexpected lifeline when some late pressure saw veteran striker Romelu Lukaku reduce the deficit in the 86th minute, and the Belgians found themselves level just two minutes and 38 seconds later when Tielemans capitalised on a mistake from Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw to take the goal into extra time in Seattle.

A tense 30 minutes would follow in Seattle, and with neither side able to fashion a clear-cut chance, it looked like the last 32 clash would head into a dramatic penalty shootout as the clock ticked towards full-time. However, with Belgium launching one final attack, captain Tielemans appeared to be fouled in the area, and, following a VAR review, Honduran referee Hector Said Martínez Sorto was sent to the monitor and awarded a spot kick. Tielemans made no mistake to complete a comeback for the ages.

Ending the game with an 86 per cent passing accuracy rate, Raskin was praised for his impact, with DH Les Sports saying he made “an excellent impact after coming off the bench”, while Nieuwsblad believe his performance has given head coach Garcia a headache when it comes to choosing his starting XI for the next game.

Elsewhere, Raskin’s former Rangers teammate, Malik Tillman, was on target as the United States moved into the last 16 of the World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Taking the lead on the stroke of half-time through Monaco frontman Folarin Balogun, they were made to battle in the second half when the goalscorer was controversially shown a red card for a tackle on Tarik Muharemovic.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side held firm and were able to double their lead and secure a passage to the next round when Tillman fired home a free kick from the edge of the area in the 82nd minute of the game. Only their second-ever knockout victory at the World Cup, the tournament co-hosts have now won three games in a single World Cup for the first time in their history.