Rangers booked their place in the League Cup quarter finals with a 4–2 win over League 1 side Alloa Athletic on Saturday evening, though defensive lapses again left plenty of cause for concern.
Russell Martin made sweeping changes from the midweek defeat in Czechia, handing debuts to Mikey Moore and Emmanuel Fernandez while Bailey Rice started at left-back.
Nedim Bajrami curled in a fine opener after 14 minutes, set up by Moore, but Rangers contrived to gift Alloa an equaliser when Djiga lost possession and a scrambled cross deflected in for an own goal with Rice not covering himself in glory with a poor attempted tackle out wide.
Fernandez restored the lead with a header from a pinpoint Joe Rothwell free-kick just before half-time to mark his competitive debut with a first Rangers goal.
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Captain James Tavernier extended the advantage from the penalty spot just after the hour after a handball denied Oscar Cortes a tap in at the back post, but Rangers’ slack defending from a set piece let Alloa back into it at 3–2.
Substitute Findlay Curtis eventually sealed the result with a composed finish late on after being played through by a superb Kieran Dowell pass.
Despite the scoreline, it was far from convincing.
Moore impressed on debut, but Rangers’ vulnerability at the back remains glaring – something they will need to address quickly ahead of a daunting Champions League double-header against Club Brugge and a visit from Celtic at the end of the month.