Eagles rested as Rangers hammer Cove Rangers in Scottish Cup

 

Super Eagles duo Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun were unused substitutes as Rangers walloped Cove Rangers in the Scottish FA Cup on Sunday.

The two Eagles just back from international duty where Super Eagles clinched ticket to the next Nations Cup in Cameroon after edging out Benin Republic and Lesotho were listed but not used in the match that saw the Steven Gerrard tutored side handed visiting Cove Ranges a 4-0 defeat at the Ibrox Stadium.

Jermain Defoe opened scoring for Rangers in the 24th minute with Jamaican import Kemar Roofe grabbing a brace afterwards. The icing on the cake came with 43rd minute goal by  Nathan Patterson.

All the goals were scored within 20 minutes in the first half. Gerrard must have considered the league One side a bit of a soft nut to crack hence the need to rest some of his top players.

The duo of Aribo and Balogun are however likely to return as Rangers by Sunday’s victory have been paired against Celtic in the round of 16 tie billed for April 17/18.

The tie will not pass for just a fixture as Celtic may be using it to avenge Rangers winning the Premiership for the first time in 10 years at the expense of perennial winners Celtic.

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Apparently eager to win another laurel Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has insisted that winning the Scottish Cup is his priority for the remainder of the season rather than completing the league campaign undefeated.

Fourth round draw in full:

Rangers v Celtic

Stranraer v Queen of the South or Hibernian

Motherwell v Morton

St Mirren v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

St Johnstone v Clyde

Aberdeen v Livingston

Forfar Athletic v Dundee United

Kilmarnock v Montrose