It was a scrappy win for Rangers last night as they beat St. Mirren 1-0. Steven Gerrard would have fully well expected a win, with St. Mirren sitting 10th in the league with five wins from 22 games. But, while the match wasn’t a blowout performance, Jermain Defoe’s goal was enough to earn three points.
Defoe’s goal was a simple tap in from just outside the six-yard box. It was a real poacher’s goal. Fans can rewatch the moment on the SPFL’s YouTube channel here (2:00).
And while fans were happy to see Defoe scoring yet another goal, they couldn’t help but praise Borna Barisic. The left-back registered his 14th assists of the season in the buildup to the Englishman’s tap in. One fan reckons he will be worth upwards of £20 million if an English Premier League side wants to bring him south of the border.
Borna delivers again ??#RangersFC
— Colin C ?@carstairs.bsky.social (@colincarstairs1) January 22, 2020
Yaaaaaaaasssssssssssssss Lovely assist from Borna who’s been class and as Defoe a finish as you can get, clinical.
— Alan (@SGLoyal7) January 22, 2020
Borna showing again just how important a player he is here tonight. Definitely missing that same influence from Tav on the right.
— Robert Clark (@TenementLight) January 22, 2020
Borna barisic could literally break through anything @RangersFC #RangersFC #55iscominghome
— Jamie Condy (@condy_jamie) January 22, 2020
Barisic is an absolute wizard. Sweetest left peg in the SPFL by a country mile.
— Borna Barištaunch (@BornaPeg) January 22, 2020
Borna Barisic is some some player. Bet he’s playing in the premier league soon. Rangers will get 20 mill for him.
— R P (@rossparlane) January 22, 2020
Would Rangers have won without Barisic?
Yes
No
Another fan thinks the cross was actually a shot. In the highlight above it is quite clear to see Barisic’s ball into the box take a wicked deflection. Either way, this supporter loves the confidence from Barisic.
GET INNNN DEFOE!!!
An instinctive finish to put Rangers ahead.
Barisic full of confidence shooting from the edge of the box.
— West Mids Loyal (@WestMidsLoyal) January 22, 2020
What do we think?
Barisic is vital to this Rangers side. His assist numbers mentioned above speak for themselves. So while Defoe will be credited as the difference-maker in this crucial match, Barisic’s influence has been a constant throughout this Rangers campaign.