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The Nigerian trio Calvin Bassey, Joe Ariyo and Leon Balogun put their Europa League heartache behind them at Hampden and ended the campaign in style with a Scottish Cup success as Glasgow Rangers beat Hearts 2-0, Megasportsarena.com reports.
Extra time goals from Ryan Jack and Scott Wright were enough for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side as Rangers lifted the silverware for the first time since 2009.
It represents a first major trophy for Van Bronckhorst and ensured he ended his debut campaign in charge on a high note after the disappointing Premiership and European finales.
All three Super Eagles players (Bassey, Aribo and Balogun) started the match but Aribo was replaced in the first half of the extra time by Fashion Sinkala, while the others played all 120 minutes.
Aribo came close to breaking the ice twice in the game. First was when Craig Gordon tip past the post (90+1) and deep into the extra time when his header went over the bar.
Defenders Bassey and Balogun also came close to scoring but their efforts were either saved by the Hearts goalie or went over the post.
Meanwhile, the rise and rise of Calvin Bassey has been one of the success stories of the season for Rangers and the defender ended his campaign with another positive personal performance.
Bassey earned huge acclaim for his showing in Seville at centre-back. Here, he replaced Borna Barisic at left-back and looked just as comfortable.
Strong in the tackle and quick across the ground, he has become a formidable force in the Rangers defence and he was a stand-out once again as he rose to the cup occasion.
A low shot at the end of a driving run was the closest he came to scoring but a handful of teasing crosses from the flanks should have been rewarded with an assist.
Securing the 22-year-old on a new long-term contract is now a priority for Rangers and Bassey can certainly hold his head up high at the end of his second Ibrox campaign.
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