Novo double inspires Rangers

Nacho Novo came in from the cold to fire a double as Rangers cruised into the Scottish League Cup final with a 3-0 win over Falkirk at Hampden on Tuesday.

The Spanish striker, making only his ninth start of the season, had Rangers ahead within ten minutes and got his second just before the break.

A howler from Falkirk’s new Spanish keeper Dani Mallo with just two minutes remaining allowed Kris Boyd to roll home his 23rd goal of the season and send the Ibrox club into the final where they await the winners of Wednesday’s clash between Celtic and Dundee United.

Falkirk got off to a flying start and Allan McGregor had to be at his best to keep the Bairns at bay.

The Rangers keeper was called into action as early as the third minute. Former Rangers player Neil McCann played in Stevie Lovell but McGregor raced out to meet him and managed to block his shot with an outstretched foot.

Then in the sixth minute Patrick Clegg, sent off the last time the teams met, robbed Kirk Broadfoot of the ball just outside the box and found Lovell with a pass but McGregor got a fingertip to his curling effort.

But it was Rangers who took the lead with their first effort just two minutes later through Novo. Madjid Bougherra headed on a Pedro Mendes corner and the Spanish striker was lurking at the back post to knock it into the net.

Boyd went for the acrobatic in the 17th minute when a chipped Barry Ferguson pass found him in the six-yard box but his overhead kick went wide of Mallo’s post. With 22 minutes gone McCann raced clear into the Rangers box but Broadfoot did enough to put him off and his chipped shot didn’t trouble McGregor.

Five minutes later a Boyd cut-back from the right fell to Mendes at the edge of the box and his low drive was parried by Mallo.

Surrounded by Falkirk defenders Boyd managed to fire in a shot which Mallo did well to get a hand to in the 39th minute.

The Rangers pressure soon resulted in another goal and it was Novo who got it in the 40th minute. The striker raced down the inside-right channel and fired an angled shot across the helpless Mallo into the net.

Novo started the second-half as he had finished the first and came close to his hat-trick in the 48th minute when he again raced clear down the right and Mallo could only watch as his rocket shot flew just by the post.

In the 53rd minute McGregor had to be alert to tip a Lee Bullen header over the bar and from the resulting corner Scott Arfield fired in a curling volley which just whistled over the bar.

In the 66th Mallo had to be brave as he raced out his box to stop Novo getting on the end of a long ball and was clattered by the striker after he cleared the danger.

Novo and Boyd combined well in the 69th minute when the Spaniard picked out his strike partner at the far post with a cross from the right but his hooked shot bounced over the bar.

A Mallo mistake handed Boyd a simple goal in the 88th minute. The keeper rushed out the box as Novo bared down on him but he turned into the path of Boyd, who nicked the ball off him and rolled it into the back of the empty net from the edge of the box.