Rangers saw their seven-game winning streak come to a frustrating end at Dens Park on Saturday (17 October) night as Derek McInnes’s side were held to a 2-2 draw by Dundee.

Despite the disappointed mood surrounding the result, the evening marked a major personal breakthrough for summer loan arrival Badredine Bouanani. The 21-year-old Algeria international, who recently caught the eye of Rangers supporters off the pitch with a subtle Instagram update regarding his long-term future, delivered his finest performance in a light blue shirt to date.

Bouanani opened his account for the Ibrox side in spectacular fashion, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot and curling a stunning effort into the top-left corner from the edge of the box. His goal drew the game level at 1-1, and while Nicolas Raskin went on to give Rangers the lead, the teams ultimately had to share the spoils.

Badredine Bouananu was our Man of the Match as Rangers were held to a 2-2 draw vs Dundee

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Badredine Bouanani makes mixed emotion statement on Instagram after Rangers draw vs Dundee

Following the match, Bouanani broke his silence online to reflect on his milestone moment and address the fanbase. Re-sharing an image of his curling strike from Rangers’ official handle on Instagram Stories, the VfB Stuttgart loanee issued a 17-word statement capturing his mixed emotions on the night:

“Happy to score my first goal for this club! Disappointed by the result, but we keep working”, complete with a blue heart and a white heart emoji, alongside a fingers-crossed emoji.

Bouanani’s performance underscored why Rangers fought to secure a £15.5million purchase option to his loan deal from Stuttgart. Across his 76 minutes on the pitch, the wide man proved to be Rangers’ primary threat in the final third.

He took a joint match-high 4 shots, hitting the target with all 3 of his unblocked efforts to achieve a perfect 100% shot accuracy, as per FotMob. His goal carrying an expected goals (xG) value of 0.43, shot up to an impressive 1.21 xGOT (expected goals on target), reflecting the sheer quality and precision of his strike into the top-left corner.

In addition to registering 47 total touches and 4 passes into the final third, Bouanani caused constant problems inside the penalty area, recording a joint match-high 7 touches in the opposition box while remaining tidy in possession without being dispossessed a single time.

While the 2-2 draw at Dundee represents a minor bump in the road for Rangers, Bouanani’s clear promise to “keep working”, backed up by a dominant stat sheet, signals that he is ready to solidify a permanent starting spot under Derek McInnes.