I watched Hibs vs Rangers from press box: 3 things I spotted as six goals shared in Easter Road epic; Igamane shines
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Rangers surrendered a two-goal lead against the Scottish Premiership’s most in-form side Hibernian to draw 3-3, despite Hamza Igamane bagging a hat-trick in a six-goal thriller at Easter Road.
Philippe Clement’s inconsistent side failed to build on their superb Old Firm derby win over Celtic as they went a third straight away match without a victory after dropping points at St Mirren and Motherwell over the festive period.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHibs responded well and displayed excellent character to stage a rousing second half comeback after being blown away by the visitors during the first-half. It’s a result that sees Rangers remain in second place, 10 points behind leaders Celtic but at risk of losing more ground on the reigning champions, who face St Mirren at Parkhead later today, while Hibs stretch their unbeaten run to six games.
I watched this match from the press box at Easter Road. Here are three things I spotted...
Thriving Igamane hits double figures
Hamza Igamane now has 11 goals for Rangers this season, including seven in the Scottish Premiership after helping himself to a memorable hat-trick, including two inside the opening 20 minutes. He's now just one behind team-mate Cyriel Dessers, but it won’t be for long if he continues this red-hot form. The Moroccan striker led the line extremely well yet again and got his rewards for simply doing the basics right by holding the ball up well, bringing others into play and taking up the right positions in the box.
A born showboater and full of tricks, he capitalised on some dodgy Hibs defending to break the deadlock after just four minutes with a terrific first-time finish from Ianis Hagi’s delivery across the face of goal. The 22-year-old was in the mood for more goals and a quickfire second almost arrived minutes later when he wriggled free in the penalty area but saw his strike deflected wide of the target. But that second goal did arrive on 19 minutes, Igamane rising unmarked to nod past outstretched keeper Jordan Smith following a good initial save from Vaclav Cerny’s effort.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA third almost presented itself five minutes into the second half but his ferocious strike was saved well by Smith. He didn’t have to wait much longer, though - another slock finish under pressure after controlling a low Cerny cross after 74 minutes ensured this was the perfect hat-trick. Left-foot, header, right-foot. Igamane is thriving in a Rangers jersey. And it could have been four right at the death, only to see his effort clip the outside of the post.
Rangers let commanding lead slip
If Hibs were going to give up so much space out wide, it was vital they defended their own penalty area better. This was a shocking start from David Gray’s side, who looked really unsettled. Rangers attacked straight away and were eager to catch Hibs cold in the early stages, especially on either flank through Hagi and Cerny. Every time the visitors broke forward, they looked likely to score.


They did so with devastating effect and it took the capital side until just after the half hour mark to muster up a reply and ease any threat of the game slipping away from them before half-time. Captain Martin Boyle answered back by sweeping home from the edge of the box after a clever Rocky Bushiri lay-off as Rangers failed to clear a free-kick. A crucial lifeline and one they were determined to make count.
Same old story? Not this time...
Rangers have been suffering from travel sickness so far this season, but Easter Road had certainly been a happy hunting ground for the Ibrox club in recent years. They arrived in Leith boasting a fine record of eight wins and five draws from the past 13 visits in all competitions to the capital and two early goals had taken the aggregate score for the last four and a bit meetings here onto 14-2 in Rangers' favour.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt has long been an old cliche that travelling to Easter Road is regarded as 'a hard place to come', but could the visitors be able to replicate the performance that blew Celtic away just three days earlier. The answer was no.
Reverting to a back five for much of the second half, Hibs tightened up defensively as conditions took a turn for the worse. They were back on level pegging on the hour mark through Boyle from the crisply struck penalty that left visiting keeper Liam Kelly with no chance after Hagi was the man penalised for a clumsy challenge on Josh Campbell.
Lewis Miller then threatened to complete a stunning comeback, but his looping header midway through the second half clipped the base of the post before Kelly clutched onto the ball. Igamane’s third goal seemed to knock the wind out of Hibs' sails until seven minutes remaining when the Gers failed to deal with another set-piece. Nicky Cadden’s floated corner found Rocky Bushiri who rose highest in a crowded penalty area to crash a header into the net.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.