Bojan Miovski's Late Goal Secures Rangers Victory
Bojan Miovski waited, watched, then broke Ibrox.
Deep into stoppage time of a game that had long since slipped into stalemate, the Rangers substitute darted onto Ryan Naderi’s flick from Ivor Pandur’s booming clearance, sized up Zach Hemming’s replacement Zach Chapman, and coolly lifted a delicate lob over the advancing St Mirren goalkeeper. One touch, one moment of class, and a flat night exploded into noise as Rangers snatched a 1-0 win and a fourth straight league victory.
For Derek McInnes, it was relief laced with vindication. For Craig McLeish, it was the cruel side of a performance he felt merited more.
Rangers labour, Chapman shines
Rangers arrived without their captain and focal point, Lawrence Shankland, missing through injury. Naderi was handed the responsibility through the middle and, for long spells, the pattern felt familiar: plenty of possession, plenty of promise, not enough incision.
They did create. And when they did, Zach Chapman stood in the way.
On 17 minutes, Nicolas Raskin timed his run to meet a Bouanani cross from the right, steering a firm header towards the bottom corner. Chapman read it brilliantly, springing to his left to claw the ball away.
Five minutes later, the St Mirren goalkeeper produced a double save that underlined his night. First he dropped low to parry a Gassama drive from the edge of the box. Bouanani pounced on the rebound, only for Chapman to smother again. Rangers had their chances; St Mirren had their barrier.
McInnes’ side moved the ball with aggression and intent for the first hour, but the longer they went without a breakthrough, the more frustration crept in. The tempo dipped. Decisions grew ragged. The crowd grew restless.
St Mirren’s big chance goes begging
St Mirren were not simply clinging on. They carried threat of their own and, on 66 minutes, should have landed the punch that would have changed the entire night.
Fraser Taylor burst clear, clean through on Pandur with the whole of Ibrox holding its breath. He had time, he had space, he had the game on his right boot. But his finish went too close to the Rangers goalkeeper, who stayed big and blocked. It was the chance of the match, and Taylor knew it.
McLeish would later call his players “monsters” for the way they competed. That miss, though, hung in the air. St Mirren had matched Rangers physically, stayed organised, and still carried enough to threaten. They just lacked the ruthless touch Miovski would eventually provide at the other end.
Miovski delivers the late twist
As the clock ticked into added time, the draw felt locked in. Rangers’ earlier fluency had vanished, their attacks reduced to hopeful crosses and hurried shots. St Mirren, legs heavy after a demanding run of fixtures, were almost there.
Then Pandur launched long.
Naderi rose and glanced the ball on. Miovski, alive to the flick, surged into the space behind. One-on-one with Chapman, he didn’t snatch, didn’t panic. He simply waited for the keeper to commit and dinked a beautifully weighted finish over him. A moment of calm in a frantic ending, and a ruthless demonstration of the “calmness and quality” McInnes demands.
The roar told its own story. Rangers, far from perfect, had found a way again.
McInnes pleased but demanding more
Afterwards, McInnes cut an honest figure: delighted with the result, unconvinced by the full 90 minutes.
“For an hour I was really pleased with the performance,” he said. “Then for 20 to 25 minutes we were guilty of so many bad decisions, but we found a way to win.”
Four league wins on the bounce, six victories in their last seven in all competitions, and now second place above St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership. The numbers back his assertion that Rangers are “making good steps”, even if he freely admits he wants them to win “a bit more comfortably and at more ease”.
On Miovski, his praise was pointed: a player who “just keeps going, trains with motivation, does the right things” and then delivered the “lovely, calm finish” his team desperately needed.
McLeish proud in defeat
On the opposite touchline, McLeish refused to dwell on the result alone. He saw enough in his team’s display to fuel the weeks ahead.
“I was delighted with how we played tonight,” he said. “We asked them to be brave and they stuck to what we’ve been doing. Chapman had to make some great saves; we defended well but could have carried a bit more threat.”
He felt St Mirren “deserved at least a point” and bristled at any notion of excuses about four games in 12 days. “We played like monsters tonight,” he insisted, highlighting Taylor’s overall performance despite that glaring miss and stressing his pride in the group.
Crucially, he refused to let the narrow defeat define them.
“Our season can’t be defined by picking up a point away at Ibrox,” he said. “If we play like we did tonight, then we should keep picking up more points throughout the season.”
Eyes turn to Celtic
For Rangers, the win does more than shift the table. It sends them into a defining spell with momentum intact.
Next up is a bruising double-header with Celtic: first the League Cup quarter-final, then the league meeting at Parkhead. McInnes wants more control, more composure, more complete performances.
What he already has is a team that, even on an off-night, refuses to let go of a game. With Celtic looming, that stubborn streak might be the most valuable asset of all.
