Rangers forward Fashion Sakala has admitted he should have done better against Celtic in the 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw at Celtic Park on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Zambia international rescued the Gers from defeat as he scored in the 67th minute to cancel out Jota’s 21st-minute strike for the Bhoys. Sakala, who was starting in the game alongside Nigeria’s Joe Aribo, then had a host of chances to put the match beyond the hosts but he squandered them.
“It was special, it was a very special goal and very important for the team,” Sakala told the media after the game as quoted by The Scotsman. “But I think I could have done better for the other chances I had. But I can say we tried our best.
“The most important thing for us was the three points, that’s what we were looking for. We didn’t come for a draw; the only thing we wanted was the win.”
After beating Joe Hart with a powerful left-footed effort, Sakala had a chance to seal maximum points for Rangers but he struck the post after being put through by Scott Arfield.
Sakala’s manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst also touched on his missed chances and admitted they face a tall order to catch up with Celtic for the title.
“We needed a win to close the gap to three points,” Van Bronckhorst said as quoted by the same portal. “We didn’t, we drew but I think we did everything. I couldn’t have asked for more from my players, than what they have given today [Sunday], especially in the second half.
“They pushed really hard to come back into the game, which we did, and get good opportunities to win the game in the final 10 or 12 minutes. We did everything we could to win this game but in the end, we are two points short.
“Did I feel the momentum was with us? Definitely. In the second half we saw after 60-65 minutes we were getting stronger and stronger. I think we did really well in those moments.
”We created great chances, we hit the post. Fashion [Sakala] had one against [Joe] Hart. What more can you ask for? The only thing is we didn’t score the big chances we had.”
The draw saw Celtic remain six points clear at the top of the table with three games remaining. Sakala and Rangers will next face Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday.