Hagi’s Late Heroics Salvage a Point on a Chaotic Night at Pittodrie

The Rangers way isn’t always the easy way—and Sunday in Aberdeen was no exception.

With one eye firmly on Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Athletic Club, Barry Ferguson made nine changes from the team that earned a gritty result last week in Bilbao. But the fringe players given their chance at Pittodrie largely failed to stake a convincing claim for further involvement.

Let’s be honest—most Rangers fans saw this fixture as a free hit for the backups. But what unfolded was a frustrating, chaotic, and eventually dramatic game that leaves more questions than answers about some of the depth in this squad.

A Nightmare Start for McCausland

The tone was set early on. Twenty minutes in, young defender Rafael Fernandes pulled up clutching his hamstring—his rare start cut painfully short. You had to feel for him. With limited minutes this season, this was his big opportunity. Sadly, we might not see him in a Rangers shirt again this term, with the club unlikely to activate the option to buy.

James Tavernier came on and did settle things at the back for a time, but the damage was already being done elsewhere—most notably by Ross McCausland.

It’s tough to say this, because we want it to work out for McCausland. A boyhood fan who’s come through the academy, he embodies everything we love to see in a Rangers player. But truthfully, this season has been a backwards step. His decision-making was poor, his touch loose, and the free kick he gave away on 30 minutes—his third in half an hour—led to Leighton Clarkson’s opening goal for Aberdeen. Kelly got a hand to it, but will feel he should have done better.

Worse was to come. Just nine minutes later, McCausland dived into a reckless challenge with no hope of winning the ball. Second yellow. Red card. Rangers down to 10, and his night—and possibly his short-term Rangers future—was done.

Defensive Frailties and Costly Signings

Let’s not sugarcoat it—this wasn’t a team of youth players cutting their teeth. Danilo, Bajrami, and Cortes all started, three players who’ve cost the club £13.4m combined, and none of them showed anything close to that value.

Danilo was anonymous. Bajrami flattered to deceive until a better second half. And Cortes—who has endured two injury-plagued seasons—looked well off the pace. The Colombian is still finding fitness, but fans are rightly running out of patience.

Robbin Propper, another of the recent additions, was culpable in Aberdeen’s second goal. He switched off and allowed Pape Habib Gueye to drift into space unmarked. Gueye fired past Kelly, and rather than own up, Propper turned to blame young Nsiala. It was a shocking lack of accountability from an experienced player.

Diomande and Igamane Spark the Comeback

Ferguson made much-needed changes at the break. Diomande came on for Danilo, and Jefte replaced Cortes. The change in control was immediate—Diomande brought calm and tempo to the midfield, even with Rangers down to ten men.

Then came a moment of real quality. Findlay Curtis flicked on a ball that landed at the feet of Hamza Igamane. Surrounded by defenders, he held them off, rolled it into space and unleashed a brilliant low strike into the far corner. He’s clearly the best striker of the ball at the club—and we’ve wasted too many weeks playing him wide left.

Dessers and Hagi entered with 20 to go, and it was the Romanian who delivered a glorious moment deep into injury time. After Dessers struck the post when through on goal, Jefte recycled the ball and fed Hagi, who curled it beautifully into the net for a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser.

His celebration? A perfect shush to the Aberdeen fans—and a response to the “fake news” story by the Daily Record, who claimed this week he wanted out. Hagi told Sky Sports after the match that he loves playing for Rangers and never wanted to leave. The Record, once again, made to look foolish.

More Media Nonsense and Missed Opportunities

That late leveller not only broke Dons’ hearts—it also put a halt to the premature title party some had started planning. Aberdeen were 2-0 up against ten men and still couldn’t see it out. Their fans were in meltdown, and rightly so.

There were VAR moments to debate—Curtis’ cross may have gone out before returning to play, and Aberdeen had a goal chalked off for handball, correctly under the laws. Another moment saw the referee bizarrely stop play after Kelly was fouled, even though Dessers was clean through. Advantage? Apparently not.

Tempers flared at the end, with Shinnie being… well, Shinnie. He had a go at Diomande, then hilariously tried to square up to Souttar, who just looked down on the wee man and smiled.

Raskin and Curtis even exchanged words with fans behind the bench. It was that kind of night.

Final Thoughts

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t polished. But it was pure Rangers—dramatic, infuriating, and ultimately unforgettable.

We’ve now got massive questions over players like McCausland, Propper, and Danilo. But we also saw the growing influence of Diomande, the quality of Igamane, and the heart of Hagi.

Now, all focus turns to Thursday night in Europe. Let’s hope the main squad, well-rested and riled up, are ready to deliver.

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