GOALS in extra time from Daniel Candeias and Eduardo Herrera fired Rangers into the Betfred Cup semi-finals but Pedro Caixinha’s side will have to improve if they want to realise their ambition of lifting the trophy.
However, the Rangers manager will be happy with the contributions of his Latin American signings as his side laboured to a 3-1 win over Partick Thistle.
Carlos Pena marked his first Gers start by heading home the opener at the Energy Check Stadium.
Kris Doolan’s last-gasp leveller, though, was the last thing Ibrox boss Caixinha needed with Saturday’s Old Firm showdown looming. The Portuguese manager must have been concerned that his side again had given up a lead following Friday’s 2-2 draw with the same opponents.
But Candeias and substitute Herrara relieved the pressure on the under-fire Portuguese coach with their strikes to book Gers’ place in tomorrow’s semi-final draw.
Pena has been made to wait three-and-a-half months to break into Pedro Caixinha’s starting XI
The £2.5 million recruit from Guadalajara has struggled to justify his costly price tag so far, with fitness issues and troubles adapting to life in Scotland blamed for his slow start at Ibrox.
But there were early signs his sharpness was returning as he headed down for Daniel Candeias to fire over, while he also slipped in Alfredo Morelos later on only for the little Colombian to be denied by Danny Devine’s desperate lunge.
There were, though, also moments where he looked rusty. For example on 36 minutes, his attempt to dummy the ball for Josh Windass proved ill-advised as Thistle snatched possession.
It took the reflexes of keeper Jak Alnwick to save his blushes after Blair Spittal sent Conor Sammon sprinting in behind the flatfooted Light Blues defence.
Alnwick produced an even better stop to deny Sammon again after the Irishman got his head Edwards’ knock down from Christie Elliott’s cross.
Morelos’s finishing let him down eight minutes into the second period as he pushed wide after Candeias robbed Devine.
However, Pena finally made his mark on 55 minutes as he beat Devine and Paul McGinn to Candeias’ corner, flicking his header past Scully into the far corner.
Alnwick frustrated Sammon for a third time with another impressive stop but Candeias was guilty of an horrendous miss as he robbed McGinn, rounded Scully but blazed over with the goal gaping.
That proved costly as Doolan sent the tie into extra time with his last-minute leveller. Adam Barton sent a deep cross to the back post, Sammon headed down and the Jags poacher did the rest from close range.
But Candeias made amends four minutes after the restart as collected Herrara’s tee-up before lashing an unstoppable drive low past Scully.
Herrara then made sure of Gers’ place in the semis on the 99th minute as he cleverly flicked home from a Candeias’ centre.
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