Rangers saw off St Mirren 5-1 in the League Cup Round of 16 at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon. The hosts moved through the stages comfortably, putting the tie to bed early with a first-half flurry that left the visitors chasing shadows. By then, the result was never really in doubt, though the game had its moments of tension.
Ryan Don Naderi opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and here's the thing — you could sense the momentum shifting immediately. Vanja Dragojević doubled the advantage within twelve minutes, striking twice in quick succession to make it 3-0 before half-time. Chris Mochrie added a fourth just after the break, and Marcus Fraser went off the yellow card book for a late St Mirren gesture.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second half, with Rangers making three changes around the hour mark alone. Daisuke Yokota, Ismeal Kabia and Samuel Ramos all entered the fray, while Killian Phillips missed a penalty in the sixty-seventh minute — a moment that might have tightened things up had he found the target. Ross McCausland pulled one back for the visitors in the seventy-fourth, but the damage was already done.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Rangers held 56 per cent possession and registered eleven shots on target, though they also registered nine off target. St Mirren had more attacks (98 to 94) and more corners (eight to three), but the conversion rate told the real tale. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and that was the case for the visitors all evening.
The result moves Rangers closer to the quarter-finals, where they'll face another test. St Mirren, meanwhile, have nothing to lose at this stage of the competition and will look to regroup ahead of their league commitments. The final whistle brought relief rather than celebration — a professional performance, nothing more.