Ridvan Yilmaz wows BBC pundit with ‘unbelievable’ action in Rangers v Livingston.
Ridvan Yilmaz astounded Lee McCulloch with his “unbelievable” attempt to lob Shamal George as Rangers defeated Livingston 3-0.
Starting on the bench for the first time in seven SPFL games, the Turkish international came on late and nearly scored a remarkable fourth with a first-time volley off the underside of the Livi bar from distance.
McCulloch commented (4.46pm): “That was an incredible effort from Yilmaz there. The ball has fallen to him around 25-30 yards out, and you’re thinking, ‘Take a touch’.
“He hit it first time and almost lobbed Shamal George there, just off the bar. He put in a lot of work, but unfortunately it was not enough.
“I think he [George] knew as it came off his foot he was beaten, and he just sort of watched it hit the underside of the bar and come back out to the edge of the 18-yard box.”
Rangers career at all-time high for Yilmaz
Despite strong interest from Galatasaray, the Turkish transfer window remains open beyond the UK deadline day, making it unlikely that he would move immediately.
The inability to sign a left-back during the winter window, along with Yilmaz’s best run of form in a Rangers shirt, would make Philippe Clement reluctant to lose the 22-year-old.
Borna Barisic did nothing wrong against David Mardindale’s side, but in a game where his defensive qualities were not tested and he was able to swing in balls from the left, he did not stand out in an hour the way Yilmaz did in half that time.
Long-range strikes off the crossbar are clearly not the first priority for a left-back at Ibrox, but it demonstrated the manager’s faith in him by providing him prolonged first-team involvement.
Yilmaz appears to be the player he was meant to be at Ibrox, although his Croatian counterpart’s future remains unknown ahead of the summer.
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