Hampden had almost run out of patience with this one. Aberdeen had blocked, headed and scrambled their way through a second half spent almost entirely in their own third, and the semi-final looked like it was heading somewhere neither side wanted. Then Kevin Kelsy and James Penrice worked a ball across the six-yard box, Ryan Naderi read where it was going before anyone in red did, and Rangers were through to the League Cup final.
Not the stroll everyone expected
Rangers arrived as heavy favourites and spent 43 minutes failing to force a save. Derek McInnes had said beforehand that nothing about the tie was a formality, and the first half proved him right. Aberdeen, missing defenders and written off by most people who looked at the two teams on paper, were organised and awkward. Ayoub Mouloua got away with an early handball shout. Beyond that they gave very little up.
Three Rangers chances arrived in quick succession before the break, and after it the pressure barely let up, with Badredine Bouanani causing problems every time he got the ball. McInnes was blunt about the finishing afterwards. "It's embarrassing that we had 25 shots and only five on target," he said. "Our play was too ponderous in the first half, we needed to move quicker across the grass."
Naderi does it again
The goal, when it came, was not one for the highlight reel. McInnes called it scruffy and meant it as praise. "He anticipates a shot going across the goal and thankfully he managed to get the goal that matters for us." Naderi has made a habit this season of turning up when the game needs someone to, which is not what anyone expected of him in August when there were doubts about whether he would start regularly at all.
The win extends an unbeaten run that now stands at 11 games. Rangers face Hibernian or Hearts in the final on 13 December, with a first trophy under McInnes on the table. "I always felt like a goal was coming but I was more concerned about giving one away at the other end," he said. "It's an important opportunity for us now to go and build a bit of confidence by winning a trophy."
Robinson gets a performance but not a result
For Aberdeen this is a fourth defeat in five and a chance gone. Stephen Robinson had pointed to his own cup record before kick-off, and fairly so, having lifted this trophy with St Mirren last season. His side gave him the performance he asked for. What they did not have was anyone to hold the ball up when they finally got out of their own half.
"I think we did more than hang in there," Robinson said. "That's the level of performance, the energy and work ethic to push us forward. It can't just be for a semi-final." He also came away with two more defensive injuries in an area that has already cost him. Aberdeen host Hibernian on Saturday, and he knows what that one is worth. "We have to win on Saturday to give us some breathing space before the international break where we can try and get bodies back."
There is a footnote the Aberdeen support will not enjoy. The last time the club won this competition was 2014, under McInnes.
Match facts: Rangers 1-0 Aberdeen, Premier Sports Cup semi-final, Hampden Park, Saturday 31 October 2026. Naderi scored late, assisted by the work of Kelsy and Penrice. Rangers had 25 shots and five on target, and are unbeaten in 11. They meet Hearts or Hibernian in the final on 13 December.
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