Mohamed Diomande on his best position and why he will feed off the Rangers fans’ fire

It will be another month until Hollywood’s biggest stars assemble at the Dolby Theatre for the yearly Academy Awards presentation.

However, Saturday night at Ibrox seemed very much like Oscar night.

Standing ovations were hardly warranted after Rangers’ performance against Championship team Ayr United in the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Yes, Borna Barisic’s early goal and Fabio Silva’s rather late goal were enough for Philippe Clement’s squad to defeat Scott Brown’s team and advance to the Scottish Gas-sponsored competition’s quarterfinals.

But the tight-knit Premiership leaders, who can overtake Celtic into the first spot in the league table if they defeat managerless Ross County by three goals at home on Wednesday night, found it difficult to eliminate their lower-tier opponents, and as the match went on, anxiety in the stadium increased.

The introduction of Todd Cantwell, John Lundstram, and Ridvan Yilmaz in the second half was when Rangers really took charge of the game and won it.

Nevertheless, Clement’s haste to acquire their services was evident in the performances of January additions Oscar Cortes, who won Man of the Match at the conclusion of the 90 minutes, and Mohamed Diomande, who was making his first start since the end of November.

Particularly impressive was Cortes, the Colombian winger who is on loan from Lens in France until the end of the season.

He was direct, strong, quick, at ease with the ball, skilled, and did not give Ayr right back Nick McAllister, whom he once, much to the crowd’s joy, nutmegged, a minute to unwind.

Since play resumed following the winter break, Rabbi Matondo has performed admirably in place of the injured Abdallah Sima. This month, he scored in the Premiership matches against Livingston and Aberdeen at home. However, there is currently fierce competition for the Welsh international’s spot.

After playing inside Cortes, Diomande, who took over for the in-form Cantwell at No. 10, confessed that he had enjoyed playing there.

He declared, “Oscar is a good player.” “He performs well in one-on-one settings. The gaffer got him, which is a good thing. He’ll strengthen the group. He is a talented player, in my opinion, and he can help the team succeed. He is a good player, so I’m glad he’s here as well.

Given how long he has been out of action, the Ivorian, who joined Rangers in a £4.5 million transfer from Nordsjaelland in Denmark during the winter window, will require additional time to get up to speed. Nevertheless, he displayed glimpses of his potential. Not least of all during the second half when he headed an overhead kick off the Ayr goal line.

He answered, “I assumed that was going in.” However, my goal is to score in the upcoming game.

“It was difficult for me, but playing for a short while helped.” I used the minutes that I had. Returning to competitive gaming is a positive thing. I’m glad I had enough time to exert myself, thanks to the manager.

“Winning was the most crucial thing, and I believe the boys performed admirably.” We had the upper hand in the first twenty minutes of the match. The final fifteen minutes of the first half saw a slight decline, but overall, I’m glad we won.

Just off lone striker Silva, the adaptable football player performed in a little unfamiliar role. However, the box-to-box midfielder performed admirably in that situation. He emphasised that he would be happy to continue serving in a variety of capacities.

He declared, “I can play anywhere in the middle.” So I’m able to play the No. 6, No. 8, and No. 10. I just make use of the chance to support the group. I’m simply going to try to give it my all for the team wherever the manager puts me. Though I can play anywhere in the centre, my position is No. 8.

The 22-year-old’s performance at Ibrox over the weekend in front of 43,454 fans bodes well for his future in Glasgow. He has been playing for the past five seasons at the stadium that can only hold 9,800 people, Right to Dream Park. However, he thoroughly enjoyed the encounter.

For him, it’s something new, he remarked. There would be 5,000 or 6,000 spectators in Nordsjaelland. Arriving here is a significant adjustment. However, I believe that knowing that there are people behind me who are rooting for me will give me the energy to push myself. All it will do is inspire me to work even harder for the squad.

After putting his injury problems behind him, Cantwell has been playing at his best lately. On Saturday, he made a significant contribution after taking Diomande’s place around the hour mark. The pivotal second goal for Rangers came from the playmaker’s chip into the Ayr six-yard box.

With five goals in his last eight games, Clement will probably start the Englishman in the league match against County this coming Wednesday.

Will Cortes, though, be favoured over Matondo in the long run? There is a good likelihood. The Belgian would prefer to have this kind of selection headache in every position on the pitch.

The Viaplay Cup winners’ chances of winning more hardware in the second part of the season seem to have boosted thanks to his January acquisitions, who appear to have significantly strengthened his squad.

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