Chermiti shines as ex-Sporting star puts Rangers in title race | OneFootball

Youssef Chermiti once again became the standout figure for Rangers by scoring a decisive hat-trick in the 4-2 victory over league leaders Hearts, in a match held at Ibrox Stadium. The former Sporting player netted all three goals for the hosts, reducing the gap to just two points in the title race.

The match had an exciting start, with the visitors opening the scoring through Marc Leonard (16') but Rangers quickly responded with an own goal by Michael Steinwender (19') that leveled the score. Although Hearts regained the lead with a header from Cláudio Braga (30'), Chermiti (39') made his mark before halftime to make it 2-2 with a technical finish.

In the second half, the former Sporting player confirmed his prominence: in the 57th minute, he scored his second of the afternoon after a well-placed cross, and in injury time, he completed the hat-trick with a clinical shot following an assist from Djeidi Gassama, setting the score at 4-2.

The performance of the Portuguese under-21 international not only secured the three points but also gave new momentum to Rangers (55) in the title race, adding drama to the battle at the top of the table with Celtic (54) and Hearts (57) still in contention.

In the summer transfer window of 2023, Youssef Chermiti moved to Everton, in a deal where the Alvalade club earned around 12.5 million euros. In the 2025/26 season, he was loaned to Rangers, where he has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 29 games.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.