Rangers Legends Beaten In Thrilling One-Time-Only Exhibition Match

Rangers Legends Beaten In Thrilling One-Time-Only Exhibition Match

The team of Rangers legends fell to defeat against the World XI by a score of 4-3 – but the Gers icons all rolled back to years to give the Ibrox crowd an entertaining afternoon nonetheless.

Both teams were packed to the rafters with talent. The Rangers XI included Gers fan-favourites such as Alan Hutton, Ronald De Boer and Saša Papac – meanwhile, the World XI contained international superstars like Jaap Stam, Michel Essien and Yakubu.

The Gers opened the scoring on the day – Jermaine Defoe met a cross from Alan Hutton to put Rangers in the lead, before former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie levelled the scores with a glancing header.

Van Persie then turned provider as he played in Jack Wilshere, who calmly rounded Ronald Waterreus and slotted home to give the World XI the lead.


The Gers then won a penalty, as Michael Dawson handballed in the area – Defoe missed his initial spot kick, but he did not miss the follow-up effort as the scores were levelled at 2-2.

Early in the second half, Luis Boa Morte put the visiting side in front with a spectacular 25-yard strike – the former West Ham man gave Roy Carroll no chance. The Light Blues hit back immediately, as man-of-the-match Defoe played in Kris Boyd, who found the back of the net with his second bite of the cherry.

Sadly, it would be the World XI who scored the winning goal. An effort from former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant was saved by Carroll, but the rebound was tapped in by the lurking Van Persie. in the end, the game ended at 4-3.

Despite the defeat, it was an entertaining encounter for all audiences – Rangers fans will have been over the moon to see old favourites reuniting once again.

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Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson

I have worked for NationalWorld since August 2021 - before then, I was a freelance journalist, writing for numerous publications. From 2023, I have been a part of the ever-growing NationalWorld Sports Network.