Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has offered up some strong praise for Rangers man Calvin Bassey after his role in the Gers’ Old Firm win.
In the Scottish Cup semi-final this weekend, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s players managed to claim a 2-1 win against their bitter rivals to book themselves a spot in the final.
Indeed, Greg Taylor gave Celtic the lead, but an equaliser from Scott Arfield took the game to extra time. Eventually, Bassey helped settle the win as he bombed forward to force in a cross that deflected off Carl Starfelt into the back of the net.
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Taking to Twitter after the game, Downie couldn’t help but single out the defender for his role in the display, saying: “Late winners all over this weekend! Raucous atmosphere at Hampden where Rangers came back to beat Celtic late in ET.
“Celtic off the boil, but Rangers deserved the win to stop the treble. The subs won the match for Gio Van Bronckhorst, but what a player @CalvinBassey looks.”
TIF Thoughts on Calvin Bassey and Rangers…
It seems as though Downie wasn’t the only one to be impressed by Bassey’s display on the day. In the BBC player ratings, he received a 7.82/10 score from voters.
Beyond that, in another report of the game, journalist Tom English gushed over his efforts, saying how the defender ‘metamorphosed into a left-winger’ to provide the key moment of the game, while praising him for his fitness levels having played all 120 minutes against Braga during the week.
English wrote: “In the 114th minute of Sunday’s tumultuous Scottish Cup semi-final, Calvin Bassey – a centre-back who played every second of Rangers’ 120-minuter against Braga on Thursday night – metamorphosed into a left-winger and put in the cross that led to the winner against Celtic and sparked thunderous scenes at Hampden down the blue end of the stadium.
“Bassey is only 22 and entitled to be as fit as a flea, but what he did in that moment wasn’t just about superior conditioning, it was about desire and a rage for victory that typified Rangers’ effort on the day.”
All in all, it’s fair to say Bassey, who is valued at £900k (as per Transfermarkt), has truly shown his value to the club over the past few games. As a result, Rangers are now in a domestic cup final and a European semi-final.
Not a bad week at all for the centre-back – and no wonder Downie was so impressed.
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