Rangers striker Antonio Colak highlights positives as dominant Hearts victory sets up Champions League clash with Liverpool

Lewis Anderson
By Lewis Anderson
Published 1st Oct 2022, 16:05 BST
Updated 1st Oct 2022, 16:14 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now
The in-form Croatian put on another clinical performance as he converted both chances to set his teammates on course to an impressive success in the capital.

Rangers striker Antonio Colak reckons a quickfire start was key on route to a comfortable 4-0 thrashing of ten-man Hearts as they Ibrox side moved top of the Scottish Premiership.

The Croatian frontman netted his tenth and eleventh goals of the campaign with two well-taken first-half strikers to put the visitors on course for a dominant win at Tynecastle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Substitute Alfredo Morelos and winger Ryan Kent - scoring his first goal since March - added a touch of gloss to the scoreline as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side set themselves up nicely for a glamour Battle of Britain showdown against Liverpool on Tuesday night..

Antonio Colak opens the scoring for Rangers in the 4-0 victory over Hearts. Picture: SNSAntonio Colak opens the scoring for Rangers in the 4-0 victory over Hearts. Picture: SNS
Antonio Colak opens the scoring for Rangers in the 4-0 victory over Hearts. Picture: SNS

Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin was sent off for a horrendous lunging challenge on Rabbi Matondo as the Light Blues leapfrogged Celtic by a solitary point for a brief period.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, a delighted Colak said: “It is always a difficult away game here at Hearts. We had the break and it is difficult to start but we wanted to set our standards really high.

“I think we started the game really well and scored fast goals and we controlled the game until the end.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was very important for us (to start quickly) because often in the season already we have created the chances but maybe we didn’t score the early goal.

“Today we did and it helped us a lot with our confidence and our style of play and after the red card we just had to control the game and go for the third and fourth goals.

Antonio Colak celebrates after making it 2-0 to Rangers during the first half against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNSAntonio Colak celebrates after making it 2-0 to Rangers during the first half against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS
Antonio Colak celebrates after making it 2-0 to Rangers during the first half against Hearts at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS

“I’m really happy (to score) I am hungry, that is what I came for. I enjoy it and I just want more goals. I like to celebrate with our fans.

“Thanks to them for their support. We now have a short break and we look ahead to Tuesday.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Looking ahead to facing Premier League side Liverpool as they continue their Champions League group stage campaign, Colak admitted: “We have to focus on ourselves.

“We know Anfield will be a difficult game but we just want to focus on ourselves and we’ll see how we get on.”

Related topics:TynecastleScottish FootballScottish Premiership

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.