Dressers, Rangers lose in new season opener

Super Eagles ace Cyriel Dressers was in action for 62 minutes as Rangers began new Scottish premier league season on a losing note. Compatriot Leon Balogun was listed but not used in the encounter.

Brad Lyons grabbed the decisive goal as Kilmarnock stunned Rangers to secure a 1-0 victory on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership season.

Rangers, who handed competitive debuts to five players, produced a disjointed performance at Rugby Park, creating few really clear-cut chances.

They were eventually punished when they failed to clear a long throw midway through the second half and Lyons pounced, volleying past Jack Butland as Rangers suffered their first opening-day top-flight defeat since a loss at Hearts in 1998.

Even at such an early stage of the season, the defeat is a setback for Michael Beale’s side, who fall three points behind Celtic following Brendan Rodgers’ side’s 4-2 win over Ross County earlier on Saturday.

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“I’ve said before it’s a bad pitch and a difficult pitch, but that is a bad start for Michael Beale and Rangers.

“We can criticise the strikers for not impacting the game but there wasn’t any service there. We didn’t see any sort of delivery from either Tavernier or Barisic.”

Rangers had a new look about them with Beale handing competitive debuts to five players, and it showed as they looked slightly disjointed against an organised Kilmarnock

Abdallah Sima, the striker on loan at Ibrox from Brighton, produced a clever back-heel flick in an attempt to catch goalkeeper Will Dennis off guard, but the on-loan Bournemouth man made a comfortable save.