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St Mirren’s Unbeaten Start Comes to an End in Defeat to Rangers

St Mirren‘s strong start to the cinch Premiership season came to a halt after suffering a 3-0 loss to Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium. The match was closely contested until a pivotal moment, when St Mirren was reduced to 10 men due to a VAR call in the first-half. Ryan Strain was shown a straight red card for a handball in the box, leading to James Tavernier scoring from the resulting penalty. Abdallah Sima added a second goal, and Tavernier completed the scoreline in the final minute.

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Before kick-off, a minute’s applause was held to honor the late Frank McDougall, a former striker for St Mirren who passed away last week at the age of 65. In the opening 20 minutes, neither goalkeeper faced significant challenges, with Rangers enjoying more possession. However, St Mirren’s defense remained well-organized, looking to trouble their opponents. The first notable chance of the game arrived when Scott Tanser received a floated ball at the back post. Unfortunately for St Mirren, Tanser failed to connect properly and sent his shot wide.

Rangers had their best opportunity when Zak Lovelace delivered a dangerous ball across the goal, but Sima was unable to convert at the back post. The Rangers forward appealed for a handball, resulting in a VAR check once the ball went out of play. This turned out to be a double blow for St Mirren, as Strain received a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring chance with the handball. Rangers were then awarded a penalty, which Tavernier successfully converted to give his team the lead after 30 minutes.

Only four minutes later, St Mirren’s goalkeeper, Zach Hemming, produced an outstanding save to deny Rangers from doubling their advantage. Hemming stretched his body to push Connor Goldson‘s header over the bar. He made another significant save in the closing moments of the first-half, blocking Nicolas Raskin‘s strike. Despite being a man and a goal down, St Mirren managed to hold their ground and kept the match competitive in the second-half.

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To try and find a way back into the game, St Mirren made three substitutions, replacing Keanu Baccus, Greg Kiltie, and Toyosi Olusanya with Caolan Boyd-Munce, Alex Greive, and Mikael Mandron, respectively. However, Rangers sealed their victory with a swift counter-attack just three minutes after the changes. Raskin broke through St Mirren’s defense and crossed the ball into the box for Sima, who calmly finished into the bottom corner of the net.

In the 85th minute, Rangers substitute Cyriel Dessers had an opportunity to extend their lead, but his shot went straight into the hands of Hemming. However, the visitors did manage to add a third goal in the final minute of normal time. Tavernier scored his second goal of the match with a stunning strike from the edge of the area.

Overall, it was a disappointing end to St Mirren’s unbeaten start, as they fell to a well-deserved defeat against Rangers. The loss highlighted the challenges they faced after being reduced to 10 men, while Rangers displayed their superiority by taking advantage of the situation. The victory for Rangers further solidifies their position in the cinch Premiership.

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