Motherwell 1-1 Rangers: Longelo's Late Goal Earns Draw In Scottish Premiership Opener

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In the opening match of the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership, Emmanuel Longelo's late goal secured a draw for Motherwell against Rangers. James Tavernier had initially given Rangers the lead with a header in the 14th minute. However, Longelo's precise shot found the bottom corner just three minutes before the final whistle at Fir Park.

Rangers' Danilo and Djeidi Gassama delivered strong performances, nearly helping Russell Martin start his Scottish Premiership journey with a victory. Jack Butland was also crucial, making significant saves to keep Motherwell at bay. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos came close for Motherwell, hitting the crossbar in the second half.

Elijah Just played a key role in setting up Longelo's equaliser. Motherwell almost clinched a win when substitute Tom Sparrow was set through on goal, but his attempt was thwarted by Butland during stoppage time. Motherwell will face St. Mirren next, while Rangers shift focus to Champions League qualifying against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.

Rangers have maintained an impressive unbeaten streak in away league games against Motherwell, now extending to 31 matches since December 2002. This run includes 20 wins and 11 draws. Their longest unbeaten away record is against Greenock Morton, lasting from 1920 to 1987 with 41 matches.

The draw marked Russell Martin's first Premiership game as manager. Historically, Rangers have won their initial league match under new management seven times out of nine recent occasions. The exceptions include Steven Gerrard’s debut draw at Aberdeen in the 2018-19 season opener.

Despite securing a point, Rangers might consider themselves fortunate as Motherwell ended with an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.21 compared to Rangers' 0.7. This statistical insight highlights Motherwell's attacking threat throughout the match.