Rangers kept their Scottish Premiership title push alive with a dramatic 6-3 victory at Falkirk after falling two goals behind in a chaotic first half.
Danny Röhl’s side looked in trouble after goals from Ben Broggio and Finn Yeats put Falkirk 2-0 up and exposed a disjointed Rangers performance before the break. But Tochi Chukwuani’s controversial goal just before half-time gave the visitors a crucial foothold and changed the feel of the contest.
A rapid turnaround after the interval
Rangers returned from the break with much more urgency and produced three goals in 11 minutes early in the second half to seize control of the match. Youssef Chermiti drew them level, Nicolas Raskin completed the comeback by putting Rangers in front, and Bojan Miovski added a fourth to extend the lead.
The scale of the turnaround left Falkirk with no answer as Rangers continued to press forward in a match that had already become far more open than the visitors would have wanted in the opening period. What had looked like a damaging afternoon for Röhl’s team quickly turned into a statement win, even if the scoreline reflected just how unsettled the game had been.
Keeping pace at the top
The result ensured Rangers remained in step with the Scottish Premiership’s leading sides. On Saturday, Hearts beat Motherwell 3-1 while Celtic edged St Mirren 1-0, meaning the title race stayed tight at the top.
For Rangers, the main concern was the manner of the first-half performance. Trailing 2-0 after a shambolic opening period, they were forced to respond immediately after the restart. Their ability to do so, and to do it so emphatically, may prove important as the season progresses.
The first half had carried all the signs of a setback that could have damaged Rangers’ momentum. Instead, Chukwuani’s goal shifted the balance before half-time, and the explosive spell early in the second half transformed the contest entirely.
Falkirk, who had led through Broggio and Yeats, were unable to recover once Rangers found their rhythm. The visitors’ attacking surge made the final scoreline look comfortable, even though the match had started in far less promising fashion.
In the end, Rangers emerged with three points from a game that tested both their resilience and their title credentials. With Hearts and Celtic also winning on Saturday, the Scottish Premiership race remains finely poised.
The victory at Falkirk was a reminder of the attacking quality Rangers can produce when they settle into a match, but it also underlined how costly lapses can be at this stage of the campaign. After going two down, they had to find a response quickly, and their second-half burst did exactly that.
