Rangers

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Having dispatched Hearts in the last four of the Scottish Cup, Todd Cantwell says Rangers have "finals in every game" between now and the end of the season.

Victory at Hampden on Sunday, during which Cantwell was a standout, sets up an Old Firm showdown back at the national stadium next month.

But before then, the Ibrox side have five league games which will determine whether they can wrestle top spot off Celtic, who are currently three points clear.

"We have finals every game now and we have to win every one of them," midfielder Cantwell told RangersTV. "If we do then we will be in a good place at the end of it.

“We started well [on Sunday], the early goal helped. No team will turn down an early goal as it puts you in a good position and it steadied us a little bit.

“We had a tough week, so to start well was great, and in the first half we were pretty dominant.

“Hearts are a good side and they had a little spell in the second half, but we showed our quality in certain moments."

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Leon Balogun says Rangers showed their "resilience" to shut out Hearts and progress to the Scottish Cup final.

Making his first start since early February, the centre-back enjoyed an impressive afternoon in defence as the Ibrox side got back to winning ways at Hampden.

"It felt good to be out there and show some resilience with a clean sheet," the 35-year-old said.

"I think it was very important to bounce back against a team that’s having a very good season. They never made it easy for us."

Having gone three games without a win in the league, Balogun says it would have been "easy to watch those games back and feel sorry for yourself".

But Rangers showed "the character instilled in the team" to keep their hopes of a domestic treble alive.

"Even though we have had bad performances, the manager makes sure he reminds us of what we have to do," Balogun added.

“You can see from the training sessions as well the confidence slowly builds back up."

We asked for your views on Rangers' Scottish Cup semi-final win over Hearts.

Here's what you had to say:

Ronnie: We are in a cup final, that's the main thing. Overall we were a better side than Hearts but after a lightning start we laboured badly until second half. Dessers scores two goals and you still feel frustrated with him. Balogun, Diomande, Sterling and Cantwell were standouts. Now let's win the cup.

Margaret: A huge call dropping Goldson but it paid off. It looked more like Rangers of late - we need to push on from this. Cantwell played much better than he has recently. A huge ask, but is the dream still alive?

Dougie: Still gutted at last week. If only Rangers could be more consistent. Workmanlike performance on Sunday. Rangers have more ups and downs than the grand old Duke of York.

Elaine: At last we put in a good performance. Not brilliant but a big improvement. Balogun was immense and Cantwell certainly prefers a big, wide-open park. Bring on the last six games.

Fraser: I'm a big fan of Balogun. He should be starting every week. Cantwell was immense. It was a gritty performance all round.

Brian: At last a good team performance. A big difference in this game than the last two disappointments. The big test is still to come but we are going in the right direction.

Anon: It was a much better performance than our last few outings. Well done to Dessers, a much better performance and his first goal was great, but we wasted so many chances as usual in front of goal. We should be scoring more but we don't have a reliable striker.

Abdallah Sima has given an optimistic assessment of the severity of the hamstring injury he picked up in Rangers' Scottish Cup semi-final win against Heart of Midlothian. (Daily Record)

Rangers' semi-final hero Cyriel Dessers admits the flak that flew in his direction earlier this season had a detrimental impact on his confidence. (The Herald)

Celtic and Rangers will put on a thrilling end to the season - but both clubs need massive clear-outs in the summer. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers boss Philippe Clement must clinch at least one piece of silverware to avoid the same black cloud that followed Michael Beale into last summer. (Daily Record)

Ex-Rangers manager Beale has revealed his next career move - launching a platform to help up and coming coaches on Instagram. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Cyriel Dessers believes Rangers are the best team in the Scottish Premiership, as long as they can find their rhythm again.

The Nigeria striker scored twice against Hearts to fire the Ibrox side to the Scottish Cup final, taking his tally for the season to 19 in all competitions.

"I'm really happy with the goals," the striker told BBC Scotland. "That was a beautiful day to do that in front our fans at Hampden, that was special.

"Today I could have played better. When you score two goals in a semi-final, you have to be happy with that, but we want more.

"We have six more games and everything to play for. It's a new league starting next weekend and we know what we have to do to win the title. Hopefully we can execute that on the pitch.

"The pressure is rising after the week we had. To do it in the big moments today against a good team, I think we be happy with the performance and result. We can look with confidence to the next games.

"I want more goals, I want more wins, and hopefully, more trophies as well.

"If you look at the last months, we showed what we're capable of. It's just the thing to find this vibe back. If we can find that rhythm back, I think we're the best team in the league."

Rangers fans, were you at Hampden to see your side beat Hearts, or were you following along from home?

Either way, we want your thoughts on the game. Have your say here.

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All season, Cyriel Dessers has copped criticism from both pundits and Rangers fans alike, with questions raised particularly over his ability in front of goal.

However, he now has 19 goals in all competitions, and he came up with the goods when it mattered on the biggest of stages.

The good and bad of the Nigerian were both on show at Hampden. He picked up wonderful positions, roughed up opposition defenders, while also missing several chances alongside his two goals.

Todd Cantwell also deserves praise for the way he impacted the game. He constantly found pockets of space and set up both the goals.

Steven Naismith said the defeat highlighted Hearts' "immaturity", and he will be deeply frustrated by their profligacy on the day.

They have kept pace with Celtic and Rangers in terms of league points in the second half of this season, but have now lost all five of their meetings with Rangers this season.

It is a record Naismith will be determined to end as soon as possible.

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Todd Cantwell's ability to find space and ride challenges was vital in Rangers' win. Hearts struggled to get a grip on the English midfielder, and he played a crucial role in both goals.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "Cyriel [Dessers] has played a lot of minutes. He made a really big impact, the rest of the team also.

"These last six months have been the best six months of Cyriel's career, and we'll keep pushing him on.

"He's honest, he works really hard for the team. He's scoring a lot of goals. Can he make more goals? Yes, but I don't know any striker in the world who scores all their chances.

"We are in a title chase, we are in a cup final, and we are really hungry for more trophies."

Four changes for Rangers and one of them jumps off the page.

Connor Goldson has been dropped and will be replaced at centre-back by Leon Balogun.

Elsewhere, Mohamed Diomande returns in midfield, as do attacking duo Rabbi Matondo and Cyriel Dessers.

Tom Lawrence, Fabio Silva and Kemar Roofe drop to the bench. No Ridvan Yilmaz in the squad again.

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Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Sterling, Lundstram, Diomande, Cantwell, Matondo, Sima, Dessers.

Substitutes: McCrorie, Goldson, Silva, Lawrence, Dowell, Roofe, Barisic, Raskin, McCausland.

Hearts: Gordon, Atkinson, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley, Grant, Devlin, Baningime, Forrest, Shankland, Vargas.

Substitutes: Clark, Oda, McKay, Cochrane, Denholm, Tait, Fraser, Tagawa, Lembikisa.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement insists he has no doubts over John Lundstram's commitment and reiterated his desire to see the midfielder sign a new deal this summer. (The Herald)

Meanwhile, Clement is adamant under-pressure Rangers will focus fully on playing to their own strengths in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final with Hearts. (The Scotsman)

Bottle-crashing accusations aimed at Clement and his players should hurt them, says ex-Ibrox striker Kenny Miller. (Daily Record)

Click here to read Sunday's Scottish football gossip in full.

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Abdallah Sima insists there's a winning mentality in the Rangers dressing room despite their recent drop in form.

The Brighton loanee's return from injury has coincided with stumbling showings from Philippe Clement's side, who now trail Celtic by three points in the Premiership.

But after lifting the League Cup earlier in the campaign, Sima is determined to progress in the Scottish Cup when they take on Hearts on Sunday.

“It’s disappointing to lose five points," the 22-year-old said. "We wanted to win our last two games but we knew this was going to be really tough for us.

"We really feel disappointment about the last two games. We need to stay focused now. That’s the most important thing right now.

“For me it’s easy to be part of this team. I am a massive winner. I absolutely love to win every game and I think the desire in this team. That’s why I like to be here.

"We want to win every game and at times that’s going to be hard, that’s for sure.

“We have no choice now. If we are to win the last two trophies we have to win every game now. We have to focus on ourselves and work hard and be hungry to win. We need that for the last games.”

• Hearts have never beaten Rangers at Hampden, though did prevail over the Govan side in the 1998 Scottish Cup final at Celtic Park.

• Rangers last won the Scottish Cup in 2022, beating Hearts in the final in extra time. It ended a 13-year wait to lift the trophy and marked the 34th triumph in the competition.

• Kenneth Vargas has scored in all three of Hearts' previous rounds in this year's Scottish Cup, making him the club's top scorer in the competition (three goals).

• James Tavernier has scored in both Rangers' visits to Hampden this season. The Ibrox captain's first came from the spot as his side saw off Hearts in the League Cup semi-final, before scoring the winner in the final against Aberdeen.

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Rangers have three representatives in the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland team of the year, voted by their fellow top-flight players.

Unsurprisingly, Jack Butland is given the nod in between the sticks after keeping 17 clean sheets in 32 games since moving to Govan in the summer.

James Tavernier has been a familiar faces in these sides and takes his place again, after scoring 24 goals in all competitions.

Despite some sticky patches, John Lundstram's return to form following the arrival of Philippe Clement impressed the midfielder's peers and earns him a spot.