Aribo assists vital Rangers win; Bassey, Balogun star

It appears another frustrating draw was in the offing for the champions, but a late Roofe effort bundled them past their stubborn opponents

Kemar Roofe’s 81st-minute strike, assisted by Joe Aribo, was all Rangers needed to overcome hard-working Aberdeen 1-0 at the Ibrox Stadium on Saturday.

A game with limited goalscoring chances appeared destined for a stalemate before Aribo and Roofe combined to allow the latter bundled home a late winner with his thigh.

Calvin Bassey impressed at the heart of the defence for the Gers while compatriot Leon Balogun came off the bench on the hour-mark to help the home side protect their clean sheet.

Belgian-born midfielder of Nigerian descent Funsho Ojo featured for Aberdeen.

Aribo continues to search for his best form since returning from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The former Charlton Athletic ace came close to his normal levels, completing 87 percent of his passes, making four key passes, and creating one big chance.

Bassey rarely put a foot wrong with the Leicester City academy product contributing three tackles, and was not dribbled past once.

Balogun may have featured for the last 31 minutes, but the former Mainz man had enough time to make one crucial interception and one clearance while winning two of his three aerial duels.

All the Nigerian internationals have been invited to the Super Eagles camp ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash against Ghana’s Black Stars later this month.