The match finished an impressive 2-2 draw, both teams looking sharp in preparation for the start of the regular season. Although Rangers dominated the match, Findlay Curtis was the star, netting the equalizer with a spectacular long-range effort to save a draw.
That was enough for head coach Russell Martin, who made wholesale changes to his squad, bringing on seven substitutes in the second half. On the other bench, meanwhile, Middlesbrough’s head coach Rob Edwards would have been delighted by the way his side responded to an early shock. In terms of building up into match-readiness, the game offered useful learnings for both sides ahead of more competitive fixtures.
Match Overview
The game started with Middlesbrough taking an early lead. It took just 15 minutes for Neto Borges to open the scoring, firing a low shot into the corner to give the visitors an early lead. After that, Dael Fry doubled Middlesbrough’s lead to 2-0 early in the second half.
Despite trailing, Rangers responded decisively. Then in the 60th minute, it was Danilo scoring the goal of the match with an absolute beauty. Max Aarons provided the assist, bringing the lead down to 2-1. The Rangers regained momentum, and when they scored again, they kept their foot on the gas. With nine minutes to go they drew level with a wonderful strike from Findlay Curtis, making it 2-2.
“Whenever you step on the pitch for this club and this team you have to be all in. So that was a good lesson for a couple and the rest I’m really pleased with and we’re better than we were before the game for sure.” – Russell Martin
Changes and Strategies
As part of a tactical shock tactic, Russell Martin introduced all seven second half substitutes to his team. Jefte, Connor Barron, Nedim Bajrami, and Oscar Cortes were all acquired midseason. They were looking to bring some new life into the game. Substitutes Zander Hutton, Bailey Rice, and Josh Gentles entered the match looking to make an impact offensively but weren’t able to help the Sounders earn a comeback. They’ve really, really dropped the ball.
Martin’s willingness to rotate players demonstrated his focus on building depth within the squad and preparing them for various challenges ahead. In particular he emphasized how valuable these games were to continue tuning up our tactics.
“I then saw a different side to us and I was a bit disappointed with the second goal as I felt there were four mistakes in the build-up.” – Russell Martin
Lessons Learned
Though it was only a draw, both managers were happy with what they saw from their squads and the experience learned throughout the match. Edwards came up against an unforeseen task when Rav van den Berg suffered an injury in the warm-up. This unfortunate turn of events forced Borges into the starting lineup.
He credited his team for executing well across the board. He noted that injury to van den Berg aside, they managed to do all that and avoid any further calamity.
“Other than the warm-up, no injuries which was good. A good positive performance, I thought we built on some of the work we’ve been doing over the past three weeks.” – Rob Edwards
The fixture served as an important opportunity for both teams to test their tactics ahead of the season. Along with this, they had the chance to evaluate player performances ahead of their own campaigns.
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