Inter Club d'Escaldes cruise past Rangers in comfortable victory
Inter Club d'Escaldes saw off Rangers 3-0 in the third round of the first division on Sunday evening. The hosts took all three points with a display that showed their grip on the title race, while Rangers' campaign continues to look shaky at the bottom of the table.
The visitors started brightly enough, with Rangers earning a corner early on and looking to impose themselves. But Inter Club d'Escaldes gradually took control, and by then the pattern was clear — they'd dominated possession and were dictating where the game went. Rangers had just one shot on target all night, while the hosts registered six.
The breakthrough came just before half-time, with Inter Club d'Escaldes finding a way through in the 45th minute plus three. The goal settled any nerves and let the home side breathe. Rangers doubled their yellow card trouble shortly after, picking up two bookings in quick succession around the hour mark.
And here's the thing — the hosts didn't rush. They had 65 per cent of the ball and 133 attacks to Rangers' 69. The visitors' defence switched off at the back, and Inter Club d'Escaldes punished them for it. The second goal arrived in the 72nd minute, a comfortable addition that took the wind out of the visitors entirely.
Rangers' night got worse in the 90th minute when a second yellow card saw a player sent off. By then the result was never in doubt, but the red card added another layer of disappointment for the away side. Inter Club d'Escaldes added a third goal in stoppage time, 90 minutes plus five, to finish the job.
The statistics tell the story without embellishment. Seven corners to one, a 65-35 split in possession, and a shot count that shows Rangers had nothing to do all evening. The visitors also finished with two red cards between them, while the hosts kept clean with none.
For Inter Club d'Escaldes, the win extends their unbeaten run and keeps them second with seven points from three games. They've won twice and drawn once, and this performance suggests they're closing in on a deal for the title. Rangers remain sixth with four points, one win, one draw and now two defeats from their opening three matches.