Given his record of five goals in Old Firm derbies, alarm bells were probably ringing in the Rangers defence on Saturday when the board went up in the 63rd minute for Kyogo to be introduced into the action at Ibrox Stadium.
They needn’t have worried. Because one moment in the game showed Robby McCrorie was already wide awake and alert to the danger of the Hoops Japanese talisman as he sensed the threat and thwarted an attack to prevent Kyogo finishing off a move and adding to his impressive tally against the Light Blues.
It came just two minutes after the former Vissel Kobe star entered the fray alongside compatriot Daizen Maeda as the duo replaced the ineffective Liel Abada and South Korean striker Oh Hyeon-gyu. Battling desperately to get back into the game, Kyogo and Maeda offered Ange Postecoglou’s something different going forward. And as the clock struck 65 minutes fellow Japanese star Reo Hatate picked up the ball deep in his own half before threading a lovely defence-splitting pass through the middle for Kyogo to chase. The 28-year-old beat John Souttar for pace but McCrorie was lightning quick off his line and cleared the danger. Chance gone.
